Our Impact
For over 40 years we have worked with impact investors and community donors to provide people, businesses, nonprofits, cities, and towns with the financial, human, and civic resources they need to build strong communities.
Creating Momentum
We got our start in 1983 when we helped Meredith Trailer Park, a 13-home community facing closure, become Meredith Center Cooperative — New Hampshire’s first resident-owned community (ROC).
That first investment, from the New Hampshire Sisters of Mercy, touched off what has grown into a national ROC movement. Since then, we have helped purchase or preserve over 11,000 affordable manufactured homes, helped grow hundreds of businesses and nonprofits, and supported clean energy projects that create self-reliance.
Tangible Results
We are happy to share some of the real world change we have helped create.
$14M+
INVESTED IN LOCAL FARM AND FOOD BUSINESSES
95%
OF OUR INVESTOR CAPITAL IS DEPLOYED IN THE COMMUNITY
2.19
IN ECONOMIC IMPACT IS GENERATED FOR EVERY DOLLAR WE LEND
100%
INVESTOR REPAYMENT RATE OVER OUR 40+ YEAR HISTORY
1,000
MINIMUM AMOUNT TO BECOME AN IMPACT INVESTOR IN YOUR COMMUNITY
$20
average monthly savings per household from community solar projects
Community Success Stories
People are at the heart of our work. Their stories shine a light on the intangible impacts that they create and experience when they have access to resources.
National & Local Honors
Throughout our history we have received dozens of prestigious awards. This recognition helps fuel our passion for leading the national neighbors-investing-in-neighbors movement. Below are some highlights:
Rural Development Under Secretary's Award, 2023
This award was presented to our President and CEO, Steve Saltzman, by the USDA for his efforts to expand meat and poultry processing across the country.
2023 Sustainability Award
New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility recognized us for our work in the area of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Business of the Year — Business Assistance Organization category, 2019
Award for our business investment program from Business NH Magazine and NH Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.
SHE Change Award, 2017
Awarded by the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation for the Business of Child Care initiative, which helps child care and early education directors better understand and manage their centers’ finances.
Rep. James Leach Award, 2014
Presented by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition for the most outstanding rural nonprofit organization that best promotes fair and equal access to credit and capital and promotes wealth-building in traditionally underserved populations.
NEXT Award for Opportunity Finance, 2009
Presented by the Opportunity Finance Network, this is the most prestigious honor in the CDFI field, recognizing us for providing fair, fixed-rate mortgage loans to help people in resident-owned communities build value in their manufactured homes.
Our Strategic Goals
We believe in opportunity for all. To provide systematically excluded people with opportunities to build more prosperous lives, we have developed a Strategic Plan. We invite you to learn about our strategic goals below.
1
Impact
Expand lending to meet the growing demands for capital
2
Investment
Expand and diversify the number of people and institutions donating and investing
3
Capacity
Cultivate and invest in excellence and innovation in products and processes
4
Governance
Active Board engagement in attracting the resources needed for robust growth
Expanding Impact Through Partnerships
We work with aligned nonprofits, affordable housing developers, government agencies, and other institutions to create greater impact than we can accomplish on our own.
Impact Through Government Partnerships
You may have noticed that we sometimes receive government funds and wondered how they affect our revenue and create impact.
Federal, state, and local governments offer many grant programs that fund ideas and projects that provide public services and stimulate the economy. These funds rarely pay for our programs or provide us with money to loan. That comes from our investors and donors.
Instead, most government grants and loans pass through us and into the community. We’re allowed to use a small amount to cover some (but not all) of our administrative costs. As a trusted nonprofit financial institution, we are chosen by state and federal government departments to administer the funds, but our costs to do so aren’t always fully covered.
The impact of these pass-through funds is tremendous. Over recent years, we have administered nearly $200 million to help Granite Staters with energy savings, weatherization, low-cost lending, sustainable food systems, and business growth.
We continue to actively pursue state and federal dollars to help N.H. homeowners, ROCs, businesses, nonprofits, and communities reduce energy costs and create economic revitalization.
Get the details about the government grants and loans we administer and disburse.
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