Reinvestment Fund

Small actions can create great impact. 🌟 We invite you to get to know us a little better by watching our 2023 Year in Review video. See the accomplishments we've reached together with our partners and investors and the 278 businesses and nonprofits we work alongside towards our mission—to ensure everyone has access to essential opportunities: affordable homes, nutritious food, healthcare, quality education, and thriving local businesses that support jobs. We’re proud to be a part of this diverse collective that continues to dismantle systems that perpetuate social and economic inequality together. Click below to learn more. Join our community, make an impact. https://lnkd.in/dkMNMWw7

The Policy Solutions team led by Emily Dowdall at Reinvestment Fund knows how to build community through data information sharing. Our Executive Director, Wesley E. Myrick, was among the featured leaders asked to share about anchor institutions' role in community development. Our houses of worship can add even greater value to communities through our policy work. Many thanks to the KNGDM Group, the Student Freedom Initiative, and The Steinbridge Group for being amazing collaborators and to the moderator Christina Alexis.

Emily Dowdall, President of Policy Solutions at Reinvestment Fund joined WJXT Channel 4 Jacksonville, FL to discuss how we can address racial disparities in access to mortgage approvals. The full video can be found on our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/40kCN1k

📈 This week in Jacksonville was all about how data has the power to transform stories into action. It’s hard to sum up the energy we felt at our Community of Practice: Data Driven Housing Policy in the Southeast event in Jacksonville this week. Coming together with an incredible group of public officials, community development professionals, thought leaders, funders, and data analysts to connect, share insights, and exchange best practices left us feeling grateful and invigorated. The Community of Practice (COP) offers a unique space for stakeholders from a wide range of places—ranging from large cities to smaller communities—to collaborate on using data to create opportunity and drive change. Participants engaged in dynamic peer learning discussions, went on a guided tour of key community investments in Jacksonville, and attended expert panels on critical topics including data-driven housing strategies for community wellbeing, the role of HBCUs in housing, and the connection between housing and jobs. Small group conversations provided valuable insights into preserving affordability, stabilizing distressed markets, and understanding investor trends. Leah Rothstein's keynote on how to redress the legacy of segregation was a highlight of the event. We are grateful for everyone who shared their stories with us, making this event a powerful opportunity for collective growth, celebration of success, and learning. Each narrative contributed to a rich tapestry of experiences that we can take home and apply in our respective communities—and we look forward to continued collaborative action! And of course, thank you to our incredible host the Jessie Ball duPont Fund!

I wholeheartedly share Saul Behar’s sentiment: this Reinvestment Fund Policy Solutions convening has left me truly energized! I'm grateful for the insights gained from some of our nation’s most influential leaders, including elected officials, developers, community leaders, and presidents of outstanding organizations. Thank you all for your inspiring efforts to strengthen our collective community! Special thanks to our HBCU panelists, expert speakers, Brandon Gibson, Keith S., Wesley E. Myrick, and Kendrick Whittington!

Day 2 of Reinvestment Fund’s Community of Practice on Housing in the Southeast was so rich. * Kickoff Keynote by Leah Rothstein about ways we can combat government-sanctioned racial segregation in housing. * Breakout on housing as a social determinant of health. * Discussion about HBCUs as enduring anchor institutions. * Session on intervention effectiveness. * Closing underscoring the need for both public and private buy-in, and the role philanthropy can play in having the long view. Leaving Jacksonville proud of RF’s impact and grateful for wonderful new colleagues and opportunities for engagement and collaboration.

Excited to be a board participant at Reinvestment Fund’s Community of Practice convening around data-driven housing policy in the Southeast. Learned about RF’s Market Value Analysis ofJax, heard about using housing-related data to improve community health, and toured several investment sites: The Corner at Debs Store - former family grocery store brought back to life and expanded; Union Terminal Warehouse - huge warehouse turned affordable housing and maker space; former industrial area destined to become the Phoenix Arts & Innovation District; campus of Edward Waters University, part of RF’s HBCU Brilliance initiative; and Lift Ev’ry Voice & Sing Park honoring the Johnson brothers, composers of the Black National Anthem. So grateful for this opportunity to engage with passionate public and private sector advocates!

We’re thrilled to join Opportunity Finance Network, #CDFI practitioners, funders, investors, policymakers, and other industry stakeholders this week at the #OFN40 Conference in LA! Reinvestment Fund is leading four panels on topics essential to our mission: The Future of Food Systems Finance, Advancing Equity by Prioritizing Lived Experience, Anchor Institutions in Community Revitalization, and From Transaction to Transformation in a Challenging Market. Our panelists will include: Brendan Buttimer, EDFP, Anne Misak, Khaliff D. and Damien Wilson. 🌟 Check out the full agenda here: https://bit.ly/3ZYx4hm & stay posted next week for updates throughout the event!

🌱 Four New Jersey nonprofit organizations, each with a deep history in serving their communities, have been awarded grant funding through the New Jersey Innovative Healthy Food Retail Initiative (NJ IHFRI). Reinvestment Fund, in partnership with The Food Trust, and with generous support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has awarded $700,000 in grant funding for round one of the NJ IHFRI). The award supports innovative food business models that process, distribute, aggregate, market, or sell healthy, fresh, and affordable foods to underserved communities and markets in NJ.  We look forward to the exciting and innovative work ahead to improve access to healthy foods and expand economic growth in NJ communities! The first-round awardees include: ❇️ Clinton Hill Community Action, The Fresh Food Co-op – Newark, New Jersey ❇️ New Hope Community Ministries, The Harvest – Prospect Park, New Jersey ❇️ Norwescap, Phillipsburg Co-op: Marketplace & Community Hub – Philipsburg, New Jersey ❇️ Ranch Hope, Inc, Project H.O.P.E. – Salem, New Jersey Learn more about the NJ IHFRI and round two funding availability: https://lnkd.in/dpYhiYi6

Reinvestment Fund will be at OFN in Los Angeles next week. These four presentations give you an idea of the breadth of RF's work to build strong, healthy, and more equitable communities. I'm honored and excited to make my first OFN presentation with colleague Anne Misak. If you're heading out to LA, I'd love to catch up and learn more about what you're working on. Let's connect and share!