Developers of color have historically faced significant barriers resulting from generations of structural racism and disinvestment. This investment will go toward Momentus Capital’s efforts to help developers grow their businesses.
SEPTEMBER 13, 2022 (Arlington, VA/San Diego, CA) –Momentus Capital announced today that U.S. Bank has purchased a $5 million Racial Equity Bond from Capital Impact Partners, part of the Momentus Capital family of companies. It is the first time that Capital Impact Partners has offered a bond like this; the use of funds is restricted to ensure investors’ funds go to developers of color and the work is achieving its intended racial equity impact.
This investment will help support Momentus Capital’s continued work toward helping real estate developers of color in an industry where they are starkly underrepresented to create generational wealth, construct developments that are aligned with community needs, and build more affordable housing.
14th annual list honors a wide-ranging group of individuals across an array of industries
August 9, 2022 (Arlington, VA and San Diego, CA) – Ellis Carr, the president and CEO of Capital Impact Partners and CDC Small Business Finance — each part of the Momentus Capital branded family of organizations — has been selected by Fast Company in the business publication’s 14th annual list of the Most Creative People in Business.
The list, announced today, recognizes individuals making a cultural impact via bold achievements that have never been accomplished before in their chosen fields, from entertainment to healthcare to food. Fast Company editors and writers research candidates for the list throughout the year, scouting every business sector, including technology, medicine, engineering, marketing, entertainment, design, and social good, to find those who are leading with creativity during one of the most challenging times in history.
Fast Company highlighted Carr and the Momentus Capital branded family of organizations — which includesCapital Impact Partners,CDC Small Business Finance, andVentures Lending Technologies — for creating the Equitable Development Initiative, a national program that helps developers of color overcome systemic issues and lead affordable real estate projects.
“I’m excited for the recognition, but I’m even more excited that publications like Fast Company recognize the need to be creative in working with communities to solve systemic issues. This work helps local leaders and entrepreneurs advance solutions that build strong and vibrant economies,” Mr. Carr said. “The Equitable Development Initiative team at Momentus Capital, and the experts who contribute their time and mentorship, have created an invaluable resource for developers of color and the communities they serve.”
The Equitable Development Initiative launched in Detroit in 2018, expanded into the Washington metropolitan area in 2019, the San Francisco Bay Area in 2021, and the Dallas metropolitan area in 2022. So far, more than 200 developers of color have completed the Equitable Development Initiative or are currently participating. Many of the alumni have since gone on to create their own organizations, build local developments, and foster peer-to-peer networks.
Historically, the real estate industry has been dominated by larger national and global firms. Developers of color face significant barriers to entering the real estate space due to the lack of access to capital, equity and experience – the result of generations of structural racism and disinvestment.
The Equitable Development Initiative provides developers with broad-based training – in areas such as project budgeting, real estate finance, project and contractor management, legal services and community engagement – as well as local mentorship, network building, and pathways for them to access funding.
“We’re helping real estate developers of color grow their businesses in an industry where they are severely underrepresented, which helps these developers build generational wealth,” said Mr. Carr. “These developers are able to build more affordable housing, create more jobs, and provide communities with the opportunities they deserve to succeed and thrive.”
The success of the Equitable Development Initiative has also led to additional programs and partnerships to support developers farther along in their career but still facing barriers. In 2022, Momentus Capital partnered with the Amazon Housing Equity Fund to launch the Housing Equity Accelerator Fellowship for 15 developers of color in the Washington region. Also this year, Momentus Capital joined up with three other community development financial institutions and the Wells Fargo Foundation to launch GDHD, working with 39 developers of color around the country.
These programs exemplify how Momentus Capital is delivering a continuum of financial capital, knowledge capital, and social capital to transform how the financial sector serves local leaders who are building inclusive, equitable communities and creating generational wealth.
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About the Most Creative People in Business List
The individuals honored in Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business list have all accomplished something truly innovative within the past 12 months or so. Additionally, no one on this list has ever been profiled in the pages of Fast Company before. Together, they represent the future of business.
“Most Creative People represents Fast Company at its best,” says Brendan Vaughan, Fast Company’s Editor-in-Chief. “These dozens of human stories showcase how creativity is one of the most underrated ways to transform business.”
Introduced in 2009, the Most Creative People list quickly established itself as one of Fast Company’s most esteemed franchises. Each year, the magazine’s editors present an all-new list of people chosen according to a proprietary methodology.
Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business issue (September 2022) is available online now here and on newsstands beginning August 16. Join the Most Creative People conversation using #FCMostCreative.
About Fast Company
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.
About Momentus Capital
Momentus Capital is transforming how capital and investments flow into communities to provide people access to the capital and opportunities they deserve.
Through our family of mission-driven organizations including Capital Impact Partners, CDC Small Business Finance, and Ventures Lending Technologies, we are working to reinvent traditional financial systems that have failed to address systemic issues of inequality, economic empowerment, and the widening racial wealth gap.
Each organization under the Momentus Capital brand will continue operating as a separate entity committed to serving its key market and clients, albeit with additional resources and product offerings.
We offer a continuum of financial, knowledge, and social capital to help local leaders build inclusive and equitable communities and create generational wealth. This includes a comprehensive package of loan products, impact investment opportunities, training and business advising programs, and technology services that advance locally-led solutions.
Leveraging 80 years of combined experience, a portfolio of nearly $3 billion, and strong community engagement, the family of companies has delivered more than $23 billion in financing, created and preserved 250,000 jobs, and served 12,000 small businesses and five million people across their history.
With headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, and San Diego, California, Momentus Capital operates nationally with a focus on larger urban areas and cities in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
August 2, 2022 (Arlington, VA) – Capital Impact Partners announced today that Aflac Incorporated has publicly announced a $15 million investment in Capital Impact Investment Notes (“Notes”).
“As a compassionate company that is innately driven by our commitment to the policyholders and communities we serve, we are continually seeking investment opportunities that champion underserved communities,” said Teresa McTague, Chief Investment Officer of Aflac U.S. and Aflac Global Investments’ Global Head of ESG Investment Strategies. “The opportunity presented by Capital Impact Partners aligned very well with the Socioeconomic Advancement and Empowerment category under our Sustainability Bond Framework. We were thrilled to identify and act upon this caliber of investment opportunity through Capital Impact Partners. Our investment and partnership is far more than transactional to us; it embodies our vision of making a direct and measurable difference in the lives of many, which exemplifies core values our company treasures.”
“We are thrilled to join in celebrating Aflac Incorporated’s commitment toward our mission,” said Natalie Gunn, Chief Financial Officer of Capital Impact Partners. “We’ve shown over the past 40 years just how effective impact investing can be. We’re able to deliver a strong financial performance while fulfilling our mission of creating social and economic justice in disinvested communities throughout the United States.”
The Momentus Capital branded family of organizations is a founding member of the new coalition dedicated to addressing economic disparities and accelerating economic opportunities.
July 28, 2022 (Arlington, VA and San Diego, CA) – The Momentus Capital branded family of organizations is honored to serve as one of the founding members of newly created Economic Opportunity Coalition (EOC).
Vice President Kamala Harris announced today historic efforts to catalyze and align both public and private investments — including formation of the new EOC — to address economic disparities and accelerate economic opportunity in communities of color and other underserved communities.
The EOC is made up of 23 companies and foundations, including 14 companies ranked in the Fortune 500. Their goal is to focus commitments in a few areas that will move the needle — aligning their major investments in communities of color with investments made by the Biden-Harris Administration.
“Momentus Capital is uniquely positioned to serve a significant role representing mission-driven financial institutions on the Economic Opportunity Coalition,” said Ellis Carr, president and CEO Capital Impact Partners and CDC Small Business Finance, each part of the Momentus Capital branded family of organizations. “Our team has extensive experience with small business and community development, and the ability to offer a continuum of capital at every growth stage to support economic mobility and wealth creation.”
“We are thankful to the Biden-Harris Administration for its support of the Economic Opportunity Coalition. Working together in this public-private partnership will help create social and economic justice in disinvested communities,” Mr. Carr added. “This coalition will bolster the work that Momentus Capital is doing to provide communities with the opportunities they deserve to succeed and thrive. We can accomplish much more, and much faster, by combining our efforts strategically than we would by acting separately.”
The founding members of the EOC include Ariel Investments, Bank of America, BNY Mellon, Capital One, Citi, Discover, Ford Foundation, Goldman Sachs, Google, Key Bank, Kresge Foundation, Mastercard, McDonald’s, McKinsey & Company, Micron, Momentus Capital, Moody’s, Netflix, PayPal, PNC, The Rockefeller Foundation, TIAA, and Upstart.
The EOC will coordinate across public, private and social sector organizations. It will develop and deploy products that solve challenges in getting resources where they are needed most, and it will drive toward outcomes for meaningful action.
The coalition members have made significant commitments across each of the four focus areas, including a number of investments since the group formed earlier this year:
Investing in community development financial institutions (CDFIs) and minority depository institutions (MDIs)
Supporting entrepreneurship and minority-owned businesses
Expanding inclusive and equitable access to credit and other financial services facilitating financial health
Making infrastructure investments that create more community wealth
These commitments, which represent only a small fraction of total commitments from the EOC, show the immense resources these founding members bring to the table, but they acknowledge they must do more.
Over the coming months, the EOC will build on investments the Biden-Harris Administration has made and develop new solutions that reimagine how capital, technology, and talent are deployed in underserved communities. They will be built with and for the community, leveraging existing strengths and assets to address the root causes of economic inequality.
The Momentus Capital branded family of organizations is already working to transform how investments and capital flow into communities. This includes:
Financial capital: a range of flexible debt and equity products to meet Momentus Capital’s partners’ needs, as well as access to new markets and potential investors
Knowledge capital: business advising, assistance, and training to develop the skills and insights that can help partners advance their enterprises
Social capital: connections to networks and people that can help Momentus Capital’s partners succeed
Among the recent programs and initiatives from the Momentus Capital family of companies:
Launching an Impact Investing group to jumpstart growth-stage businesses that will impact their communities. Equity investments make up less than 2% of CDFI portfolios in the United States. This will fill a crucial gap for companies like this that need more than traditional debt products.
Coming Soon! Momentus Capital is developing an investment bank to better connect investors with community organizations through community-centric securities offerings.
Activate Detroit, a new loan product that is empowering Black entrepreneurs by focusing on character-based evaluations, rather than credit scores.
Impower, which helps business owners who have been denied a commercial real estate loan, assisting them with the opportunity to build wealth, create jobs and stay in the communities they serve.
Expanding access to Ventures+, a proprietary loan processing and portfolio management tool that has become one of the top resources for small business and community lenders. This has helped other local lenders create an impact in their communities by providing access to high-level services they would otherwise be unlikely to manage on their own.
Leveraging 80 years of combined experience, a portfolio of nearly $3 billion, and strong community engagement, the Momentus Capital family of companies has delivered more than $23 billion in financing, created and preserved 250,000 jobs, and served 12,000 small businesses and five million people across their history.
Momentus Capital is transforming how capital and investments flow into communities to provide people access to the capital and opportunities they deserve.
Through our family of mission-driven organizations including Capital Impact Partners, CDC Small Business Finance, and Ventures Lending Technologies, we are working to reinvent traditional financial systems that have failed to address systemic issues of inequality, economic empowerment, and the widening racial wealth gap.
Each organization under the Momentus Capital brand will continue operating as a separate entity committed to serving its key market and clients, albeit with additional resources and product offerings.
We offer a continuum of financial, knowledge, and social capital to help local leaders build inclusive and equitable communities and create generational wealth. This includes a comprehensive package of loan products, impact investment opportunities, training and business advising programs, and technology services that advance locally-led solutions.
Leveraging 80 years of combined experience, a portfolio of nearly $3 billion, and strong community engagement, the family of companies has delivered more than $23 billion in financing, created and preserved 250,000 jobs, and served 12,000 small businesses and five million people across their history.
With headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, and San Diego, California, Momentus Capital operates nationally with a focus on larger urban areas and cities in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
Capital Impact Partners, CDC Small Business Finance, and Ventures Lending Technologies bring more than 80 years of combined small business and community development experience to the Momentus Capital family of organizations. JULY 21, 2022 (Arlington, VA/San Diego, CA) – The financial sector can play a greater role in helping build inclusive and equitable communities — by providing people with access to the capital and opportunities they deserve. Opening up these doors is fundamental for local leaders and entrepreneurs to contribute not only to their communities, but to our shared economy.
In a first-of-its-kind announcement, Capital Impact Partners, CDC Small Business Finance, and Ventures Lending Technologies are coming together as Momentus Capital to create the transformational change needed in the financial sector to achieve this vision.
For too long, many people — especially people of color — have been overlooked, ignored, or systematically excluded from the current system. Residents from all walks of life deserve to have equitable access to the things that contribute to their health and wealth: a vibrant local economy with good jobs; high-quality social services; and a voice in what happens in their community.
“Small business owners, developers, and other local leaders are the engines of job creation and economic activity in communities across the country. When these leaders have the opportunity to succeed, their communities, their residents — and our country — thrive,” said Ellis Carr, president and CEO of Momentus Capital. “We need bold thinking and a holistic approach to unleash solutions for underestimated communities. Momentus Capital was created to meet that challenge.”
Capital Impact Partners joins forces with LIIF and Reinvestment Fund for a program sponsored by the Wells Fargo Foundation in support of community-rooted real estate developers and creating more affordable housing
June 29, 2022 (Arlington, VA) – Capital Impact Partners is partnering with Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) and Reinvestment Fund to expand its commitment to helping community-rooted real estate developers grow their businesses in an industry where they have long been underrepresented.
Through a $30 million grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation, the three mission-driven Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) will implement GDHD, a new program that will connect housing developers of color with lower-cost, flexible capital, as well as the training, mentorship, and resources needed to grow and scale their businesses. GDHD also seeks to increase the supply of homes that are affordable in several key regions across the country.
The much-needed support provided by this free program will have a significant impact on the developers’ ability to build, own, and operate high-quality affordable housing across the United States.
“This program confronts the systemic barriers that have kept developers of color behind many of their peers, barriers that have also limited the ability for communities of color to thrive,” said Ellis Carr, president and CEO of Capital Impact Partners and CDC Small Business Finance. “We are proud to work with Wells Fargo, Low Income Investment Fund, Reinvestment Fund, and Raza Development Fund to help both the people who will develop projects in communities across the United States – and the community members who will further benefit from many of those same projects.”
“We want to increase racial equity in real estate development, ultimately creating a more inclusive housing ecosystem,” said Bill Daley, vice chairman of public affairs at Wells Fargo. “One stark reality is that people of color are significantly underfunded and underrepresented in the real estate industry. Through GDHD, we can help strengthen diverse housing developers, enabling them to grow their businesses, and at the same time, offer communities more affordable options for renters and homeowners.”
GDHD Cohort
The cohort will include 27 real estate developers, both nonprofit and for-profit. Capital Impact Partners, LIIF, and Reinvestment Fund will work with these developers, who are based out of California; Georgia; Texas; and the Baltimore, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., metropolitan regions.
“Low Income Investment Fund is committed to addressing the institutional and structural racism that created the persistent inequities people of color grapple with by mobilizing capital to those historically excluded from wealth building opportunities,” said Kimberly Latimer-Nelligan, president of Low Income Investment Fund, which is headquartered in San Francisco. “In that commitment, we made it a priority to partner with organizations looking to make the same impact. We look forward to supporting this cohort as they build equitable and opportunity-rich communities.”
“Reinvestment Fund is acutely aware of the challenges that developers of color face in fair access to capital and wealth-building opportunities in the housing industry and has committed to examining and addressing the practices that have contributed to these disparities,” said Amanda High, the chief impact, development and innovation officer at Reinvestment Fund, which has offices in Atlanta, Baltimore and Philadelphia. “We are delighted to partner with other capital providers through this program to not only support a cohort of diverse developers but spur systemic changes that will help more developers of color and their communities grow and thrive.”
Gina Merritt, Northern Real Estate Urban Ventures LLC, Washington, D.C.
Siree Morris, MCI Property Management and Construction, Newark, New Jersey
Cherie Ong, Good Places LLC, Atlanta
Logan O’Phelan, Holos Communities, Los Angeles
Kathy Payton, Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation, Houston
Kyle Rawlins, BIG Oakland, Oakland, California
Rob Richardson, IBF Development, Washington, D.C.
Cherene Sandidge, Sandidge Urban Group, Hercules, California
Yvonne Stennett, Community League of the Heights, New York City
Michael Thorpe, Mt. Vernon Manor CDC, Philadelphia
Lorraine Wilson-Drake, Wilson-Drake Development LLC, Philadelphia
The cohort will feature a monthly curriculum that includes:
Peer learning sessions
Advisory services
Dedicated mentorship
National and regional events to provide essential knowledge and networks to support business growth
The developers will also have access to enterprise-level grants that will fund investments in their infrastructure, staff, and other resources that will help them increase the capacity of their organizations, as well as $100 million that Capital Impact Partners, Low Income Investment Fund, and Reinvestment Fund have committed toward innovative financial products funding the affordable housing pipeline in focused geographic areas.
An Expanded Commitment
Programs like these are incredibly important given the gaps in representation for real estate developers of color, including:
Just 2 percent of real estate development companies are Black-led, according to Enterprise Community Partners.
Real estate firms led by people of color control only 1.5 percent of real estate assets that are under management, according to Enterprise.
Just 4.4 percent of commercial real estate professionals are Black, according to a 2013 survey by NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association.
Just 5 percent of the Urban Land Institute’s members are Black, according to a 2020 report.
Developers of color face multiple challenges and obstacles in their field not experienced as frequently by White peers when it comes to:
Business connections, family wealth, or the backing of a network of investors.
Access to development opportunities, or ‘a seat at the table’
Capital limitations that are exacerbated as traditional underwriting standards work against Black and Brown developers
Capacity
Market and ecosystem factors
GDHD expands on each of the partners’ programming supporting developers of color to participate in real estate development in their regions.
Reinvestment Fund has financed investment vehicles in Philadelphia and Baltimore to support undercapitalized housing developers, particularly those historically underrepresented in development.
Through capital and commitment, Capital Impact Partners helps people build communities of opportunity that break barriers to success. We work to champion key issues of equity and social and economic justice by deploying mission-driven financing, capacity-building programs, and impact investing opportunities.A nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution, Capital Impact has disbursed more than $2.5 billion since 1982. In 2020, Capital Impact launched a new enterprise with CDC Small Business Finance under one leadership team and national strategy to reinvent traditional and mainstream financial systems. Our goal is to ensure these systems equitably serve communities of color to drive community-led solutions that support economic mobility and wealth creation.Our leadership in delivering financial and social impact has resulted in Capital Impact being rated by S&P Global and recognized by Aeris for our performance. Headquartered in Arlington, VA, Capital Impact Partners operates nationally, with local offices in Austin, TX, Detroit, MI, New York, NY, and Oakland, CA.Learn more at www.capitalimpact.org and investedincommunities.org.
About Low Income Investment Fund
Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) is a national community development financial institution (CDFI), headquartered in San Francisco with offices in New York City, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., that invests in communities of opportunity, equity and well-being. As a CDFI, LIIF supports projects that have high social value but lack access to traditional financial institutions. Since 1984, LIIF has deployed more than $2.7 billion to serve more than two million people in communities across the country from its five offices. An S&P-rated organization, LIIF funds healthy communities by providing innovative capital solutions. Learn more at liifund.org.
About Reinvestment Fund
Reinvestment Fund is a mission-driven financial institution committed to making communities work for all people. We bring financial and analytical tools to partnerships that work to ensure that everyone has access to essential opportunities: affordable places to live, access to nutritious food and health care, schools where their children can flourish, and strong, local businesses that support jobs. We use data to understand markets, communities, and impediments to opportunity—and how investment and policy decisions can have the most powerful impact. Since our inception in 1985, Reinvestment Fund has provided over $2.7 billion in financing to strengthen neighborhoods, scale social enterprises, and build resilient communities. Learn more at reinvestment.com.
The first publicly available, searchable resource of impact investing fund managers zeroes in on some of the industry’s most impactful managers.
May 18, 2022 (Arlington, VA) – For the fifth straight year, Capital Impact Partners has been selected for the ImpactAssets 50 – a free, annual database for impact investors, family offices, corporate and family foundations, and institutional investors that features a diversified listing of private capital fund managers delivering social and environmental impact as well as financial returns.
Capital Impact, a leading mission-driven Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), began offering its Capital Impact Investment Notes in 2017. The Investment Notes allow retail and institutional investors the opportunity to invest in the organization’s nationwide efforts to create social impact for disinvested communities.
The NonProfit Times selects Capital Impact Partners as #8 medium-sized nonprofit, #23 overall
May 18, 2022 (Arlington, VA) – For the second straight year, Capital Impact Partners has been selected as one of the 50 Best Nonprofits To Work For by The NonProfit Times, the leading publication for nonprofit managers.
In these national rankings, Capital Impact was #8 in the medium-sized category (organizations with 50-249 employees) and #23 overall.
Program is sponsored by a grant from the Amazon Housing Equity Fund and will support real estate developers of color focused on bringing more affordable housing to the Washington metropolitan region.
April 28, 2022 (Arlington, VA) – Today, Capital Impact Partners announced the inaugural class of its Housing Equity Accelerator Fellowship. The group consists of 15 of the region’s emerging real estate developers of color.
The goals of this new program, funded by a grant of more than $5 million from the Amazon Housing Equity Fund, include increasing the number of real estate developers of color in an industry where they are under-represented, and helping to grow the affordable housing stock in this region.
Dallas becomes the fourth region for Capital Impact Partners’ Equitable Development Initiative, which helps developers of color overcome systemic issues and lead affordable real estate projects
April 7, 2022 (Dallas, TX/Arlington, VA) – A new program will break down the barriers for real estate developers of color in the Dallas area, helping them be more involved in the region’s booming real estate market – and, in turn, to create more affordable housing.
The Equitable Development Initiative is led by Capital Impact Partners and has trained nearly 200 developers of color since 2018 in three major metropolitan areas. The Dallas region will become the fourth.
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