Help us honor Dave's legacy!
Join us to honor Dave Mengebier, our outgoing CEO, by leaving a legacy for our region with a gift to our Focus Fund Endowment!
Impact Investing
Supporting Local Businesses through Local Partnerships
With over 30 years of experience, we are trusted stewards of resources for our communities. We invest and direct funds responsibly and use assets to leverage other resources for greater impact.
Impact investing is one of the tools that allow us expand our sources of community support. It involves deploying a portion of our assets locally to achieve both a social and financial return.
Our Impact Investing Strategy
Our impact investmenting strategy allows us to expand our sources of community impact and provides an effective tool to support strengthening our local economy, helping the business and nonprofit community secure federal and state government financial support, and enhancing our ability to have community impact in the region.
Many consumers, business owners, and real estate developers with limited resources don’t have access to traditional lending vehicles that provide affordable rates, which is where impact investing through community development financial institutions (CDFIs) can step in to help fill the gap.
Investments and impact since 2022
THE NUMBERS
$0M
invested from our endowment portfolio
0
loans made by our CDFI partners
0
entities receiving small business loans
$0M+
leveraged beyond our initial investments
0
jobs created or retained
0
counties represented in small business loans
Local Small Businesses & Organizations Supported
- Bos Wine
- Support Description: Working capital
- County Represented: Antrim
- CDFI Partner: Venture North Funding & Development
- Function Rehabilitation
- Support Description: Refinance and pay off high interest loan, working capital
- County Represented: Grand Traverse
- CDFI Partner: Northern Initiatives
- Grocer's Daughter Chocolate
- Support Description: Capital for facilities expansion & bridge loan to secure inventory
- County Represented: Leelanau
- CDFI Partner: Venture North Funding & Development
- Homestretch Nonprofit Housing Corporation
- Support Description: 10 apartments at or below 80% AMI in Traverse City & 12 apartments at or below 80% AMI in Frankfort
- County Represented: Grand Traverse, Benzie
- CDFI Partner: IFF
- Lake Ann Manufacturing LLC
- Support Description: Specialized equipment purchase and installation
- County Represented: Benzie
- CDFI Partner: Venture North Funding & Development
- Michigan Farm Co-Op
- Support Description: Bridge loan while awaiting federal grant
- County Represented: Grand Traverse
- CDFI Partner: Venture North Funding & Development
- Mission Proper
- Support Description: New business development
- County Represented: Grand Traverse
- CDFI Partner: Venture North Funding & Development
- NoBo Mrkt, LLC.
- Support Description: Start up capital for micro food hall
- County Represented: Grand Traverse
- CDFI Partner: Northern Initiatives
- Northland Precision
- Support Description: Working capital for business
- County Represented: Grand Traverse
- CDFI Partner: Northern Initiatives
- Rising Phoenix Business Services, LLC
- Support Description: Working capital for business
- County Represented: Grand Traverse
- CDFI Partner: Northern Initiatives
- TC Golf Carts
- Support Description: Business expansion
- County Represented: Grand Traverse
- CDFI Partner: Venture North Funding & Development
- TNT Lighting & Electric Services
- Support Description: Business purchase
- County Represented: Grand Traverse
- CDFI Partner: Venture North Funding & Development
Our Partners