Invest Appalachia

Thanks to Anne Field and Forbes for this write-up! "It took many years of analysis, community collaboration, and research, but in 2019, they formed Invest Appalachia to launch a fund, which recently had its final close with $35.5 million in commitments. Its multiple goals: transforming the region by increasing racial and socioeconomic equity, building community wealth, local ownership, and quality jobs, and advancing climate resilience and long-term sustainability. “We were created to address gaps and barriers to investment in the region,” says Andrew Crosson, CEO of Invest Appalachia, which is based in Ashville, NC. “But it was important to take it slow and do it right." "The fund, which targets Appalachian counties across Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, and Tennessee, focuses on a handful of areas: clean energy; community health; food and agriculture; and place-oriented development like downtown redevelopment and the reuse of historical and industrial buildings. Funding targets everything from working capital for private businesses to commercial real estate, health-care facilities, and solar projects. “These are all things that present an investment opportunity and drive inclusive development,” says Crosson. The secret sauce is a blended capital model that mixes loans with credit enhancements and other philanthropic money... But it also taps the region’s ecosystem of existing capital providers, such as Community Development Financial Institutions." https://lnkd.in/e4B34GAf

Thanks to the Appalachian #SolarFinanceFund, the Cabell County Public Library is saving on electricity costs and redirecting those funds to enhance community services and programs. 🌍📚 Learn how this project is fostering economic growth. https://lnkd.in/emACZi8R #SustainableLibraries

A great couple of days in Bristol, VA/TN with the Appalachian Downtown Developers Initiative. Working on innovative ways to drive #capital into #downtown development projects and build a new cadre of #developers on #Appalachia! Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) #ARISE #mainstreet #rural #impactinvesting #philanthropy

Jennifer Hudson with Williamson Health & Wellness Center Inc. participated in the inaugural Community Investment "Framer" Training organized by Invest Appalachia and the WV HUB back in 2021, aiming to use her role with WHWC to catalyze more community investment in Williamson and the rest of Southern WV. About a year ago, she reached out to IA about an investment need - WHWC had purchased and renovated the old Williamson Memorial Hospital, and wanted to reopen it as a non-profit under WHWC's management. They needed a flexible and affordable loan to cover their startup and operating costs as they ramp up comprehensive, high-quality medical services for Southern WV - including an ER, in-patient substance use recovery, radiology, and more. IA reached out to Partner Community Capital™ to partner with us on the loan - they were able to access low-cost capital through the WVCAP program and lead the loan underwriting and closing. By the start of 2024, the Hospital's $2 Million loan, split between IA and PCAP, was approved and funded. The hospital is now open and scaling up its services, a beacon of hope and innovative model for meeting the health care needs of Williamson, Southern WV, and the broader Appalachian region. #partnership #investment #ruralhealth #appalachia #community

The application window for this Community Investment "Framer" Cohort has been extended for another week! Share this opportunity with any community-based partners who want to grow their knowledge and skills around investment.

Wondering what a "capital stack" is? Or want to understand how an investor thinks? Need help figuring out how your project could repay a loan? Want to be able to effectively pitch your project to an investor? Check out this testimonial on the value of the Community Investment "Framer" Training Cohort that Invest Appalachia developed and is implementing in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Applications are open for anyone in the 5th district (WV, VA, NC, MD, SC): https://bit.ly/3WYLPPH As "framer" graduate Jamila Jones with Innovative Community Solutions of WV says, "come with an open mind and be ready to work... you will probably learn more than you even thought you could."

Interested in learning more about how Participatory Facilitation can help you build your team's collaboration skills and hold more effective and meaningful meetings? Register at the link below to join The New School of Participatory Change's upcoming free informational webinar!

For inquiries, please visit https://lnkd.in/erh3r6TE

“We’re just trying to level the playing field, so every community has a fair shot at prosperity and economic opportunity.“ – Andrew Crosson, Chief Executive Officer, Invest Appalachia. Operating in the Appalachian counties of Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, and Tennessee, Invest Appalachia leverages relationships and investments from philanthropic, community finance, and community development partners for funds and technical assistance. As a collaborative initiative, Invest Appalachia blends different forms of capital to support economic development in underserved communities of Central Appalachia. Read on to explore how Invest Appalachia’s recent work with the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond's Rural Investment Collaborative is turning investment-worthy ideas into investment-ready ones. #Rural #Investment #CommunityBuilding https://lnkd.in/e-yG-rZH

Local news and community-based journalism is critical to the civic health and social fabric of a community, region, and country. It is also an industry that drives a virtuous economic cycle of informed consumers, local business development, and entrepreneurship. Yet, 78% of Central Appalachians live in so-called "news deserts" without consistent access to quality local journalism. That's why Invest Appalachia is proud to partner with the Appalachia Funders Network on a first-of-its-kind regional Press Forward Chapter, serving the Appalachian counties of KY, OH, WV, VA, TN, & NC. This chapter is part of the national Press Forward initiative supported by national funders including MacArthur Foundation RWJF Knight Foundation McKnight Foundation Ford Foundation and many others. Stay tuned for more exciting news on this front, including the launch of a Rural News Fund that will provide flexible investment capital to help support local newsrooms and community journalism organizations across Appalachia. #ruralnews #newsdeserts #civichealth #journalism #community #democracy #investment Media Growth Partners Eli Flournoy Athens County Independent Black By God THE WEST VIRGINIAN