Investors

Root Capital

Website: http://www.rootcapital.org.

Location: Cambridge, MA

Root Capital (formerly EcoLogic Finance) is a nonprofit offering affordable financial services to community-based businesses operating in environmentally sensitive areas of Latin America and select countries of Africa and Asia. Targeting the rural credit market, Root Capital provides loan capital to support low-income communities whose business activities foster environmental conservation and grassroots economic development. Founded in late 1999, Root Capital manages a portfolio of $25,000 to $500,000 loans to small- and medium-sized enterprises that do not meet traditional requirements to access loans from local financial institutions. Target sectors include agroforestry (shade-grown and sustainable agriculture), wild-harvested products, certified wood, sustainable fisheries, and ecotourism. By doing so, Root Capital uses lending as a tool to harness the existing entrepreneurial energy in isolated rural communities, enabling conservation and encouraging socially responsible business practices.

Calvert Foundation

The Calvert Social Investment Foundation (Calvert Foundation) was established with a simple goal: to help end poverty through investment. It serves as a facility for individuals and institutions, seeking to place capital on softer terms to finance affordable homes, fund small and micro businesses and to make available essential community services. Calvert Foundation works to provide investment capital to local partner non-profits that use common sense and compassion to help people in disadvantaged communities to work themselves out of poverty.  For more info, visit their website at www.calvertfoundation.org.

Green Development Fund

Green Development Foundation is a professional non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The main objective is to guide and facilitate the sustainable development of small producer organizations in rural areas of developing countries. They have identified several sectors, such as coffee and tourism, as viable and profitable products and services that can improve the living conditions of members of such organizations. Since 1998 they have worked to promote product development and community programs as a means to improve the livelihood of small producers combined with a rational use of the natural resources. For more info, visit their website at www.greendevelopment.nl.

National Cooperative Development Bank

NCB Development Corporation (NCBDC), an affiliate of National Cooperative Bank, is a national nonprofit organization that empowers America's underserved communities to progress. NCBDC creates access to capital and expert technical assistance otherwise unavailable for low- and moderate-income communities, often dealing with higher credit risk while maintaining financial strength. NCBDC combines both financial and development services to spark systemic change for delivering affordable facilities to communities including housing, health care, assisted living, education and economic development ventures. For Cooperative Coffees, NCBDC provides the financing to pay for the green beans at the beginning of the season so farmers will have the resources throughout the year. This is different than most other green bean purchasers who only pay at harvest. For more info, visit their website at http://www.ncbdc.org.