Community Finance
Impact Muni Bonds | September 26, 2023
San Diego school bond targets green improvements and equitable access
Editor’s note: ImpactAlpha has partnered with HIP Investor to highlight upcoming bond issues with social and/or environmental significance. Disclaimer: Nothing in this post or on …
Climate Finance | September 21, 2023
In the Climate Week mix: Policy tailwinds, green banks, talent pipeline
ImpactAlpha, September 21 — Hard choices have to be made… about which of the hundreds of Climate Week NYC events to attend. As …
Photo credit: UH Manoa
Dealflow | September 18, 2023
$171 million bond for affordable student housing in Hawaii
Editor’s note: ImpactAlpha has partnered with HIP Investor to highlight upcoming bond issues with social and/or environmental significance. Disclaimer: Nothing in this post or on …
Muni Impact | September 11, 2023
Michigan issues $1.2 billion in bonds to rebuild roads and bridges
Editor’s note: ImpactAlpha has partnered with HIP Investor to highlight upcoming bond issues with social and/or environmental significance. Disclaimer: Nothing in this post or on …
Impact Muni Bonds | August 29, 2023
Wisconsin agency issues $185 million social bond for affordable homeownership
Editor’s note: ImpactAlpha has partnered with HIP Investor to highlight upcoming bond issues with social and/or environmental significance. Disclaimer: Nothing in this post or on …
The Ku'ula stone, a fisherman's shrine off the coastal walkway in Wailea, Maui, Hawaii
Inclusive Economy | August 24, 2023
In Maui, investing in future resilience and community stewardship after the fires
ImpactAlpha, Aug. 24 – From firefighting resources to land use planning to water rights to electric grid maintenance to community finance, this month’s …
Pro Mujer CEO Carmen Correa with a client | Photo credit: Pro Mujer
Gender Smart | August 21, 2023
With gender bonds, Pro Mujer puts Argentina’s capital markets to work for female entrepreneurs
ImpactAlpha, Aug. 21 – The amounts are small, but the implications could be profound. When micro lender Pro Mujer earlier this year distributed …
Long Island, NY
Impact Muni Bonds | August 16, 2023
Long Island’s $400 million green bond to finance climate-resilient upgrades to the grid
Editor’s note: ImpactAlpha has partnered with HIP Investor to highlight upcoming bond issues with social and/or environmental significance. Disclaimer: Nothing in this post …
Photo by Ascent Housing.
Dealflow | August 14, 2023
Truist adds $15 million for naturally occurring affordable housing in Charlotte
ImpactAlpha, August 14 — The Housing Impact Fund, managed by Ascent Housing, has raised $67 million to create and preserve 1,200 units of …
O'Shaughnessy Dam at Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park.
Impact Muni Bonds | August 10, 2023
$57 million green bond in San Francisco to fund water sustainability
Editor’s note: ImpactAlpha has partnered with HIP Investor to highlight upcoming bond issues with social and/or environmental significance. Disclaimer: Nothing in this post …
Green Infrastructure | August 8, 2023
Hybar snags $700 million in debt and equity for recycled steel plant in Arkansas
ImpactAlpha, Aug 8 – Electric vehicle, battery and chip factories are rising in the US south and midwest. Hybar’s planned mill in Osceola, …
Community Finance | July 25, 2023
New York backs small-business lending with a follow-on fund for CDFIs
ImpactAlpha, July 25 – In the depths of the Covid pandemic, New York, California and a coalition of southern states created loan funds …
Saint Augustine's College in Raleigh, NC
Muni Impact | July 20, 2023
Social returns on investments in HBCUs rise as affirmative action recedes
ImpactAlpha, July 20 – Historically Black colleges and universities may represent the ultimate social impact investment. But instead of enjoying a social-benefit premium, many …
Photo by LocalCode.
Ownership Economy | July 12, 2023
Paths to inclusive wealth run through residential and commercial real estate
ImpactAlpha, July 12 — A “new wealth agenda” aims to increase by 10-fold the wealth of U.S. households of color and those in …
New York City
Impact Muni Bonds | July 11, 2023
$307 million sustainability bond to rehabilitate and retrofit affordable housing in New York
Editor’s note: ImpactAlpha has partnered with HIP Investor to highlight upcoming bond issues with social and/or environmental significance. Disclaimer: Nothing in this post …
The Lunkenheimer Valve Co in Cincinnati | Photo credit: The Port / FB
Muni Impact | June 29, 2023
Cincinnati ‘jobs bond’ aims to fuel manufacturing boom in the Midwest
If you build it they will come. An innovative bond issuance will help a public agency in the city of Cincinnati acquire and …
Photo by Chicago TREND.
Return on Inclusion | June 28, 2023
Chicago TREND Real Estate Fund raises $10 million to create real estate ownership for Black residents
ImpactAlpha, June 28 — Chicago Trend is looking to raise $50 million to purchase and renovate blighted neighborhood shopping centers in majority-Black neighborhoods. …
Solar panels and wind turbines in California.
Impact Muni Bonds | June 27, 2023
$1 billion in green bonds to reduce the cost of clean energy in Southern California
Editor’s note: ImpactAlpha has partnered with HIP Investor to highlight upcoming bond issues with social and/or environmental significance. Disclaimer: Nothing in this post …
Muni Impact | June 22, 2023
Connecting supply and demand for racial equity strategies in muni markets (video)
ImpactAlpha, Jun. 22 – Even as some politicians ramp up anti-ESG rhetoric, asset owners and allocators are signaling an appetite for investment strategies …
Photo by Common Future.
Return on Inclusion | June 20, 2023
Reflections on Common Future’s first racial equity accelerator cohort
ImpactAlpha, June 20 — The women of color in Common Future’s first racial equity accelerator are tapping into their lived experiences to help …
Community Finance | June 20, 2023
T. Rowe Price to deposit $50 million with CNote’s cash management
ImpactAlpha, June 20 — Baltimore-based T. Rowe Price is one of a growing number of corporations, such as Mastercard, Apple and Netflix, tapping …
Personal Finance | June 14, 2023
Targeting solutions with impact ETFs, ‘cut carbon notes’ and other new investment products
ImpactAlpha, Jun. 14 – A new family of exchange-traded funds will align around companies that derive the bulk of their revenues from solutions for …
The Auburn, one of Capital Impact Partners’ first deals in Detroit.
Inclusive Economy | June 13, 2023
Collateralizing small business loans to bring institutional capital to local impact
Momentus Securities is taking a page from the corporate credit playbook and applying it to loans for affordable housing, healthcare, education, small businesses …
Muni Impact | June 8, 2023
How ‘racial equity audits’ could mitigate risks in municipal bond markets
ImpactAlpha, Jun. 8 – Sunlight is often the best disinfectant. In the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd in 2020, a simple tool …
Aqueducts at the south end of San Joaquin Valley, taking pumped water uphill, over the Grapevine, en route to Los Angeles
Impact Muni Bonds | June 1, 2023
Los Angeles’s $484 million bond to improve water sustainability
Editor’s note: ImpactAlpha has partnered with HIP Investor to highlight upcoming bond issues with social and/or environmental significance. Disclaimer: Nothing in this post …
Climate Finance | May 30, 2023
Packard and Ford foundations back Nusantara Fund to bolster climate resilience for Indonesia’s Indigenous communities
ImpactAlpha, May 30 – Indonesia is among the world’s small number of “mega bio-diverse” countries – and has one of the world’s highest …
Philadelphia, PA
Impact Muni Bonds | May 25, 2023
$80 million social bond in Philadelphia to tackle poverty and unlock growth
Editor’s note: ImpactAlpha has partnered with HIP Investor to highlight upcoming bond issues with social and/or environmental significance. Disclaimer: Nothing in this post or on …
Squire Servance, founder of Syridex Bio.
Investing in Health | May 24, 2023
Syridex Bio scores $5 million from New Jersey to back local health businesses
ImpactAlpha, May 24 — A former life sciences lawyer, Squire Servance founded Princeton-based Syridex last year to invest in access to quality healthcare …
Catalytic Capital | May 23, 2023
Appalachia emerges as a climate refuge – and its community infrastructure feels the strain
ImpactAlpha, May 23 — With its mountainous terrain, water resources and ecological diversity, the Central Appalachia region across West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina …
Impact Muni Bonds | May 11, 2023
Santa Clara’s $47 million ed-tech bond to fund STEM tools in diverse school district
Editor’s note: ImpactAlpha has partnered with HIP Investor to highlight upcoming bond issues with social and/or environmental significance. Disclaimer: Nothing in this post or on …
Oakland, California
Inclusive Economy | May 9, 2023
Turning local community ownership projects into a national movement
ImpactAlpha, May 9 – Kentucky Derby winner Mage isn’t the only community-owned asset with national momentum (almost 400 fractional investors held a 25% …
Community Finance | May 4, 2023
Healthy Neighborhoods Equity Fund closes $42 million for inclusive real estate in New England
ImpactAlpha, May 4 – Boston-based environmental advocacy organization Conservation Law Foundation and Massachusetts Housing Investment Corp., a community development finance institution, raised $42 …
Chicago, Illinois
Muni Impact | May 3, 2023
New crop of muni-bond investors helps Chicago fund equitable COVID recovery
This story was originally published by Next City as part of The Bottom Line, a newsletter exploring scalable solutions to advance affordability, inclusive economic growth and access …
Abbott Northwestern Hospital
Impact Muni Bonds | May 3, 2023
$363 million bond to fund post-covid hospital infrastructure expansion in the Twin Cities
Editor’s note: ImpactAlpha has partnered with HIP Investor to highlight upcoming bond issues with social and/or environmental significance. Disclaimer: Nothing in this post or on …
Dealflow | May 2, 2023
Calvert Impact crosses the $1 billion mark in retail sales of Community Investment Notes
ImpactAlpha, May 2 – It was no small feat in 1995 when Calvert Impact (then Calvert Foundation) launched an impact note available to …
Photo credit: Divert
Muni Impact | May 1, 2023
Green muni bond in California provides $63 million to waste-to-fuel provider Divert
ImpactAlpha, May 1 – Massachusetts-based Divert culls food waste from US-based food retailers and converts it to natural gas through anaerobic digestion. A …
Arizona State University
Impact Muni Bonds | April 27, 2023
$75 million green bond to fund sustainable academic facilities at Arizona State University
Editor’s note: ImpactAlpha has partnered with HIP Investor to highlight upcoming bond issues with social and/or environmental significance. Disclaimer: Nothing in this post or on …
Photo by Brandon Jacoby on Unsplash
Impact Investing | April 25, 2023
In an inflationary environment, are bond buyers still interested in CDFIs?
Over the last few years, impact investors have sought out community development financial institutions (CDFIs) as vehicles to connect their capital to pandemic …
Photo by Roodgally Senatus, ImpactAlpha.
Catalytic Capital | April 25, 2023
Dollaride scores $500,000 from Elemental Excelerator to electrify urban mobility
ImpactAlpha, April 25 — Brooklyn-based Dollaride initially launched in 2018 to digitalize New York’s informal network of dollar van drivers and riders. With …
Creative Economy | April 21, 2023
How cultural impact bonds can finance creative sectors to drive economic growth
The cultural and creative sectors are a key driver of global growth and an essential component of smart cities. Culture impact bonds could …
Lourdes Germán | Photo credit: Public Finance Initiative
Agents of Impact | April 21, 2023
Lourdes Germán, Public Finance Initiative: Tilting the $4 trillion muni market toward racial equity
ImpactAlpha, Apr. 21 – Attorney and academic Lourdes Germán recognized early the power of public finance. She has spent years working at firms including …
Affordable housing in Charlotte, NC
Impact Muni Bonds | April 19, 2023
$150 million social bond to fund affordable home ownership in North Carolina
Editor’s note: ImpactAlpha has partnered with HIP Investor to highlight upcoming bond issues with social and/or environmental significance. Disclaimer: Nothing in this post or on …
Dealflow | April 14, 2023
ImpactAlpha Deal Spotlight: COVID recovery funding
ImpactAlpha, April 14 — Community development financial institutions and minority depository institutions played a crucial role in channeling COVID-relief funding to small businesses …
Kansas City Streetcar
Impact Muni Bonds | April 12, 2023
$66 million bond in Kansas City to fund sustainable light rail to improve mobility
Editor’s note: ImpactAlpha has partnered with HIP Investor to highlight upcoming bond issues with social and/or environmental significance. Disclaimer: Nothing in this post or on …
Muni Impact | April 6, 2023
Mass migration, stranded communities and ‘chronic’ climate disruptions challenge the muni market
ImpactAlpha, April 6 – The municipal bond market has barely begun to grapple with the risks posed by climate change, despite an escalating …