How One San Diego Philanthropist is Using Impact Investing to Create a Better Future [Interview]

Posted by Tyana Smith
On August 28, 2019
In Investors

As lead investors in our Homebuilding Investment Fund, Kara Ballester and her husband Andy were instrumental in jumpstarting our efforts to accelerate affordable housing with San Diego Habitat for Humanity. We wanted to know—what motivated Kara to invest in affordable homeownership, and what has her experience with impact investing been like? We like to kick […]

5 Things to Know About Getting an Impact-Based Loan for Your Business

Posted by Tyana Smith
On August 27, 2019
In Borrowers, Resources

There comes a time for many small businesses and nonprofits when you’re ready to grow and expand, but find yourself in an awkward, in between space—you’ve outgrown microfinance and often SBA loans, but don’t quite fit bank financing criteria. That’s where we come in. While you have great plans, you might need customized transaction structures […]

How Friends of Willow Tree Uses Creative Capital to Connect Students with Nature [Interview]

Posted by Tyana Smith
On August 18, 2019
In Borrowers

When we first met Bethany Chaffin, director of the education enrichment center Friends of Willow Tree, in 2018 she faced a challenging capital gap. Friends of Willow Tree needed a loan ahead of private and state payments to pay for staff, materials, and supplies at the start of the school year. After restructuring from an […]

How Can We Make Investing in Our Community a Great Investment? Flip the Traditional Finance Model on Its Head.

Posted by Tyana Smith
On July 22, 2019
In Investors, Resources

When we first launched Mission Driven Finance, we developed the Advance Fund with one primary question in mind: how can we make investing in our community a great investment? The answer we found is to reimagine and reinvent finance to put the community’s needs first. We discovered incredible businesses and nonprofits committed to their communities […]