Meet the first five grantees of the Fibers Fund: Botanical Colors, Fibrevolution, MAHDIYYAH, Kept Studio, and ROOLĒ.
small business
WEPOWER Capital invests nearly $250k in St. Louis Black & Latinx-owned businesses
Since its launch, WEPOWER Capital has invested in 3 St. Louis Black and Latinx-owned companies: Bold Xchange, RooterMan by J3 Enterprises, and Cheryl’s Herbs.
Letters from Lauren: May 2023
We wrote this North Star into the company theory of change: “Financial systems that perpetuate poverty are flipped to systems that eradicate it.” Systems change sounds really cool, but admittedly can be hard to picture. It is thrilling to see it coming into clearer focus, hopefully for you too.
World Education Services announces lead commitment in Mission Driven Finance Capital Partners
With this investment to accelerate impact for communities across the country, World Education Services will help close capital gaps to close opportunity gaps.
SAFSF and Fibershed Announce the Launch of the Fibers Fund
SAFSF and Fibershed announced the launch of the Integrated Capital Fibers Fund with Mission Driven Finance, recognizing that natural fiber and dye crops can and should play a key role in vibrant, economically viable regenerative agriculture.
Sorenson Impact Summit 2023: The role of catalytic capital
Catalytic capital works to unlock investments that would not otherwise be possible — expanding opportunity, strengthening communities, and fueling innovation that benefits both people and the planet.
Everytable Secures $8M to Fund Trailblazing Social Equity Franchise Program
The Social Equity Franchise (SEF) Fund, managed by Mission Driven Finance, supports Everytable’s SEF program, which endeavors to close the opportunity gap for entrepreneurs seeking capital on their path to franchise ownership.
Mission Driven Finance selected as an ImpactAssets 50™ 2023 Manager
For the fourth year in a row, Mission Driven Finance is selected for the ImpactAssets IA 50 list, the impact investing industry’s first publicly available, searchable resource of fund managers zeroes in on some of the industry’s most impactful managers.
Letters from Lauren: March 2023
It’s a lot of fun and a lot of work reconnecting capital and community. We’re thrilled to have new teammates that are up for doing both. Please help me welcome newcomers from the last few months of busy recruiting.
Letters from Lauren: January/February 2023
This year has started off with strange weather (certainly here in California) and many disheartening reports of violence and discord, but we still believe that centering community in finance can help change those trajectories.
Meet the 2023 members of the Advance Advisory Committee
These regional community champions ensure the flow of Advance Strategy capital to underserved and overlooked communities.
Letters from Lauren: December 2022
As we approach the end of the year, the Mission Driven Finance team is thrilled for how far we’ve come and where we’re going in 2023.
USC MSSE Jacobson Family Sustainable Impact Lecture Series: Engaging Communities as an ESG Pillar
Lauren Grattan participated in this conversation addressing the topic, “How Businesses are Centering Community in Social Impact.”
Letters from Lauren: October/November 2022
October saw a good chunk of our team traveling for conferences and connecting with our community in person.
5 things to know about impact-based loans
If your business is too big for microfinance and SBA loan but too small for traditional banks, our impact-based loans can fill the gap.
Letters from Lauren: September/October 2022
In the last few months, four strategies with client-partners made the first investments into the community, we welcomed new partnerships and portfolio companies, and the second cohort of community finance fellows graduated.
Where to find the MDF team this 2022 conference season
While COVID-19 continues to circulate, our team is fully vaccinated and getting back to conferences and convenings.
Letters from Lauren: August 2022
This quarter marks a huge milestone in Mission Driven Finance’s history—we have now flowed over $50 million in “assets into community” (AIC) across more than 100 loan transactions!