Rebuilding Together St. Louis helps a resident of the Baden neighborhood repair her home of thirty years. Giving the homeowner a sense of pride and gratitude.
Beyond Housing and Ameren Team Up to Improve 400 Homes in North County
Beyond Housing partner up with Ameren Missouri to reduce residents utility bills at no cost, while also upgrading other home improvements based on resident needs. So far, the energy efficiency program has supported 400 homes in North County St. Louis,
St. Louis CDFI Coalition 2020 Data Report
The CDFI Coalition released its annual data report with the support of nine CBN members! Take a moment to see how much lending our local CDFIs are doing in St. Louis' disinvestment communities which is $160M.
Speaker Series Inclusion Series Features President and CEO Chris Krehmeyer
The St. Louis Inclusion Speaker Series presented by CBN member International Institute St. Louis has insightful guests every single week and is honoring President and CEO Chris Krehmeyer to share his thoughts on housing and inclusive growth. Watch the full discussion here!
Sal Martinez Featured in "Communities Forward" Podcast
Rise's "Communities Forward" podcast continues with Sal Martinez explaining his journey of becoming a community leader and what he has learned and understood to be the challenges and opportunities for growth in St. Louis.
Brand Foundation New Expansion
CBN member Brand Foundation is excited to share their team's expansion efforts into the Atlanta market and believes this will create opportunities for shared learning between the City of St. Louis and City of Atlanta startup ecosystems!
Park Central Development and the Landmark Association of St. Louis on Historical Landmark
On Aug. 24, Park Central Development and the Landmarks Association of St. Louis conducted the official dedication for the Oscar Waring House, located in the Grove neighborhood, as a City of St. Louis Historical Landmark. Oscar Waring was the first Black Principal of Historic Sumner High School and was a remarkable scholar.
International Institute of St. Louis Committed to Helping Afghan Refugees
As the International Institute of St. Louis prepares to welcome up to 1,000 Afghan refugees, they are seeking community members and organizations to help by sharing cash gifts, in-kind donations, and time and expertise.
St. Louis Development Corporation Announces New Chief of Staff
Daffney Moore has been selected as St. Louis Development Corporation's (SLDC) Chief of Staff and strategic advisor/counsel to Executive Director, Neal Richardson. This role is essential for equitable growth and prosperity for the City of St. Louis.
Rise's Director of Community Planning and Implementation Receives Award
Brian Hurd, the Director of Community Planning and Implementation for Rise Community Development in St. Louis, will receive a Design Achievement Award from the Iowa State University College of Design at Iowa State’s Homecoming celebration in October. Congratulations, Brian!
Tower Grove Neighboorhood CDC Launches ARCH by HomeScreen
TGNCDC has launched ARCH by HomeScreen. ARCH, an acronym for At-risk Renters’ Connection to Housing, is a platform that expands TGNCDC’s tenant screening platform, HomeScreen, to nonprofit organizations searching for rental properties for their clients. At its core, ARCH is an apartment listing service and since launching, they have onboarded 60 landlords and 79 nonprofit users from 31 nonprofit organizations.
If any nonprofit organization is in need of this service, please contact Ella Gross at ella@towergrovecdc.org to get set up with an ARCH by HomeScreen account
SLACO Gratitude and Annual Report
Dear Friends of SLACO,
What gratitude we feel for each and every one of you. Your support means the world to us in any climate, but the steadfast commitment of our SLACO community throughout the pandemic -- that was truly something special. We share our 2020 Annual Report with you today not just as a collection of facts and numbers, but as living testimony to the work that SLACO does at the direction of our membership.
There are many takeaways from 2020, but the most important is that we took care of kids. We turned our afterschool program into a full-time remote learning school, because we are unwilling to let our children fall behind. We find great joy and thankfulness in the fact that we were able to help our kids keep learning, and safely – not one child in our care caught COVID-19.
Now that our staff is fully vaccinated and infection rates are falling in the St. Louis region, we look forward to getting back out into the community and to seeing you at in-person events. For all that you do for our community, our families, and our children: Thank you. May you see the differences you made in the annual report we’re sharing here.
With gratitude,
Kevin B. McKinney
Executive Director, SLACO
Rise Launches Communities Forward Podcast
Rise’s new President and Executive Director Terrell Carter is rebooting a podcast called, “Communities Forward”. The podcast will share all of the positive work done in St. Louis by organizations, educators, artist, and individuals making an impact in their communities!
Rise Launches CDFI to Help Minority & Women-Owned Contractors
Rise’s Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) is launching at a time when the demand for flexible, responsive capital in the St. Louis community development sector continues to grow. Rise CDFI supports Rise’s existing work in neighborhoods where appraisal gaps constrain traditional lenders, and a lack of coordinated community-driven plans and investment strategies have led to inefficient and insufficient development while perpetuating the racial wealth gap.
Colleen Hafner, Rise’s CDFI Director
Rise’s Experience With Lending
This is not Rise’s first experience with lending- since 1993, Rise has operated its Predevelopment Loan Fund. Most nonprofit community-based organizations do not have the ability to pay the upfront costs necessary to get a development project to the point where construction loan funding becomes available. To address this need, Rise offers predevelopment loans to nonprofit neighborhood organizations, enabling them to start planning and building toward a vision of improved neighborhood vitality.
Operation of Rise CDFI
Colleen Hafner, formerly a Project Manager at Rise, has stepped into a new role as Rise’s CDFI Director. She has over 14 years of experience in the housing and community development field. Colleen is passionate about increasing access to capital as a way to build a more equitable St. Louis community for all.
Rise CDFI is initially offering two funds providing three loan products as well as an array of developmental services to our borrowers. These two funds are the Minority Contractor Loan Fund and the Small Developer Loan Fund.
Minority Contractor Loan Fund
The Minority Contractor Loan offers term loans and lines of credit tied to specific construction contracts. Currently, Rise originates these loans at 6% interest with origination fees of 100 basis points. In general, no other fees (application fees, etc.) are charged. We will make loans as small as $20,000, and tailor the amount and term length to the specific contract requirements, timelines, and cash flow needs of the borrower.
Rise CDFI pairs all loans with development services to enhance the borrower’s short-term and long-term business goals and financial success. Rise has a significant history of providing capacity-building technical assistance to small nonprofit businesses. These services include staff and board development, financial management, strategic planning, and much more. Building off this framework, Rise provides and coordinates services to minority- and women-owned contractor borrowers, meeting each firm where they are and aligning capital with the tools to grow.
Small Developer Loan Fund
The Small Developer Loan Fund builds upon Rise’s long-time experience lending capital for predevelopment expenses by adding construction lending for neighborhood-based residential and mixed-use development. They see this product as meeting a need for affordable loans that support the rehab of “naturally occurring affordable housing.” That is unsubsidized residential development in neighborhoods where acquisition/rehab (particularly for the re-use of vacant property) can be done at a range of affordability on a purely market basis. They can also lend on developments using subsidies such as CDBG, HOME, and Affordable Housing Trust Funds.
Rise’s unique development expertise means thoughtful and realistic loan underwriting and providing borrowers with the capacity-building tools they desire to grow their business and increase their impact in a given community. The ultimate goal is to build wealth for, by, and within a neighborhood – leaving each block in a stronger place than before.
Rise CDFI is a member of the St. Louis CDFI Coalition, a partnership among eight CDFIs that offer an array of capital, development, and consulting services and share a common mission to empower a comprehensively healthy St. Louis community through support for nonprofits, small businesses, and communities facing disinvestment.
This story was adapted and reposted from the Rise website.
Midland States Bank Promotes David Noble to Market President
Midland States Bank has announced that David Noble, formerly their Director of Community Economic Development, will now be serving in an expanded role as Market President for the St. Louis region. In his new role, David will “provide leadership to the commercial banking team, establish and maintain ongoing relationships, and support cross-functional relationships that promote customer relationship development, including business connections to consumer and wealth management product sets.”
David serves as Treasurer on CBN’s Board of Directors and has been a longtime resident of the St. Louis area. Congratulations, David!
Ameren and Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis Partner on First of "Neighborhood Solar" Energy Facilities
Ameren has come with the first-ever project on Humanity Saint Louis parking lot located in Dutchtown South neighborhood. The plan is to be net carbon zero by 2050.
Justine PETERSEN launches North of Delmar Bulletin
Justine PETERSEN is rolling out North of Delmar Bulletin as a commitment to unite the division of Delmar. Starting with a bulletin of resources for opportunity and growth.
Park Central Development Establishes the Delmar Tax Relief Fund
Park Central Development Tax Relief Fund helps combat displacement and addresses quality of life for families in the Delmar area. It also helps provide minor home repairs and clean air for families.
Rebuilding Together St. Louis Helps Coordinate Donated Time from Electrical Workers to Fix Low-Income Homes
Volunteer electricians from across St. Louis joined together to make vital electrical repairs on 16 homes. Electrical hazard work, combined with projects to be completed by volunteer teams from Rebuilding Together St. Louis, is helping low-income homeowners stay safe in their homes.
Park Central Development Launches Golden Access Program for Black and Brown Parents
The Golden Access Program is a placed-based grassroots approach to deliver critical product and educational resources that gives holistic alternatives to black & brown mothers, babies and single fathers with newborns. Workshops are free to attend and are held virtually thru Zoom. Program participants will receive a “New Family Baby Basket” filled with $100 worth of baby & new mom goodies and a $50 gift card to Golden Grocers.
Learn more and Register for Free
