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With the help of caring investors like you, our
portfolio has helped:
- build 10,044 affordable homes
- create 226,259 jobs for low-income people
- finance 13,286 nonprofit facilities such as daycare centers, schools and nursing homes
...through investment in 216 organizations in all 50 US states and 106 countries.
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Calvert Foundation Takes On Predatory Lending
Some investors worry about the damage being done to their communities by predatory lending and escalating mortgage foreclosures. But other individual and institutional investors concerned about these wealth-stripping crises are actually doing something about them. Through our Community Investment Note, you can target dollars to support affordable-housing nonprofits in your region of the US.
Last month we saluted five of the community-based organizations that we support on the front lines of the affordable-housing fight against predatory lenders and mortgage foreclosures. Learn more on our website about how you can support affordable housing.
> Fight predatory lending by investing in communities.
MicroVest and Calvert Foundation Make First Direct Microfinance Investment in Africa
MicroVest and Calvert Foundation jointly invested $1.5 million in Sinapi Aba Trust (SAT), a microfinance institution in Ghana. Anthony Fosu, CEO of SAT, noted that this loan is the largest loan his organization has received from international commercial funding sources. “These funds will help us to scale up outreach by providing micro-loans to an additional 50,000 disadvantaged entrepreneurs who otherwise would not have access to financial services,” he said. Given that SAT currently works with over 52,000 individuals, this will double the organization's capabilities to help small businesses. (More information about SAT is included below.)
> Read the full press release.
Calvert Foundation's Local Impact
This month we invite you to take a closer look at two of our borrowing organizations. See how they are changing their local communities, and how each of these organizations and communities benefits from your community investment dollars.
Sinapi Aba Trust
With more than 52,000 clients and 18 branches, Sinapi Aba Trust (SAT) is one of Ghana’s leading microfinance institutions. SAT assists the entrepreneurial endeavors of the active poor by providing financial support to microenterprises traditionally neglected by financial institutions. Since its founding in 1994, SAT has enjoyed great success in its fight against poverty and amassed a gross loan portfolio of $8.5 million - a growth rate of 150%.
In addition to its positive economic impact, SAT offers its clients (92% of whom are women) a host of valuable services, such as education, training, technical advice and strategic partnerships, which ultimately help meet the many needs of its communities. A youth apprenticeship program seeks to reduce unemployment by equipping young people with vocational skills, while a community development campaign helps to mobilize resources and plan projects. Counseling services raise awareness around the perils of HIV/AIDS, and government partnerships improve the effectiveness of social relief efforts. SAT has received well-deserved recognition for its commitment to the people of Ghana, winning several awards from prestigious institutions in the social investment industry.
> Learn more about SAT.
Latino Community Credit Union
Durham, NC-based Latino Community Credit Union (LCCU) serves immigrants and low-income individuals, both of which are frequently ignored by the financial services industry. In addition to standard financial services, LCCU goes above and beyond the charge of traditional banks, offering its clients education on critical money matters such as buying a home, establishing credit and saving for their children's education. These programs garnered LCCU the Dora Maxwell Award for Financial Education, a well-deserved honor for an organization that assists individuals like Danny (pictured), who relies on the credit union for both personal and professional services.
> View LCCU's Investment Profile.
The Baltimore Sun features Calvert Giving Fund
Columnist Eileen Ambrose talks about Calvert Giving Fund, the only 100% socially responsible donor advised fund, as an excellent way to make a meaningful use of an inheritance by maintaining a loved one's legacy. "Consider a donor-advised fund, sort of a private foundation for the little guy," she writes.
> Read the full article.
How can I see the local impact of my community investment?
First, I would recommend exploring the geographic impact map available on our website to learn more about the projects in your country, region or state. We partner with nonprofits and social enterprises in all 50 US states and 106 countries. You are sure to find community investment dollars hard at work not too far away from you. Next, I encourage you to browse the community investment profiles and web pages of these organizations to see how they are transforming communities and lives. I think you will find that many of these projects are the ones you read about in your local newspaper and hear people discuss at work and community gatherings. Take pride in the fact that your funds are supporting these wide-reaching efforts to alleviate poverty around the world! Thank you for your continued support of community investment.
> Ask Calvert Foundation's Executive Director Shari Berenbach a question!
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