Apply a racial lens, and other lessons from Living Cities’ impact investments

Investing in economic security... Living Cities has deployed $57 million into 33 transactions from two structured debt funds to drive outcomes for low-income people in America.
In a new series with ImpactAlpha... Living Cities will explore how foundations and financial institutions can deploy capital to better create jobs, income and wealth in America’s cities.
First up... the biggest lessons from Living Cities’ 10 years of impact investing.

Virginia’s new seed fund targets underrepresented entrepreneurs

Spurring tech entrepreneurship... Virginia Founders Fund, a partnership between the commonwealth and the nonprofit Center for Innovative Technology, is to spurs entrepreneurship in software, hardware and life sciences.
The fund’s first two investments… are in EdConnective, a training and coaching startup for teachers, and Status Identity, an enterprise security service.

Local Crate raises $1.4 million for its locally sourced mealkits

Regional investors include… The Syndicate Fund, Matchstick Ventures, M25 Group, and Router Ventures.
The company’s... 100% recyclable packaging reportedly uses 80% less packaging than similar services.

Philadelphia’s poised for another championship: Civic revival and inclusive prosperity

Philadelphia... is one four cities selected for an identity makeover as part of the “Global Cities Initiative” from JPMorgan Chase and the Brookings Institute.

Already... the city is among the best U.S. cities for women in tech, top cities to start a social enterprise and a finalist for Amazon’s new headquarters.
Seeking... more differentiation, visibility, and recognition to compete for business and talent.

Atlanta community foundation launches impact fund

Assets are growing... The community foundation has about $1 billion in assets.
Housing as a community impact theme... GoATL’s first investment is a $750,000 loan to Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership for affordable housing.

How community foundations can unlock the possibilities of place-based impact investing

ImpactAlpha, April 12 – Place-based impact investing is about partnerships, best implemented when regional funders work together to solve complex challenges in the place they call home. Some of the most valuable stakeholders in this work are community foundations, organizations that work every day to create positive outcomes for their region. Sometimes called “community fairy

“Sapphire” fund invests $7.5 million in Southern Bancorp

More than a bank… Southern Bancorp serves low-income families with traditional banking services.
Emerged markets… SFRE Fund has committed $44 million since 2015 to “values-aligned” banks.