What is Impact Investing?
Impact Investing allows the Foundation and its donors invest in businesses and opportunities in our community, bringing resources from Wall Street to Main Street. As investments are repaid, those funds can be reinvested in new projects, allowing every dollar to create impact again and again.
Loan Funds
In partnership with LAUNCH Chattanooga and Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union, we support entrepreneurs who face barriers to starting or growing a business in Chattanooga and Hamilton County. This work centers on business owners who may have limited access to traditional funding due to financial hardship, underrepresentation, or other structural challenges.
The program is designed to do more than provide capital. As entrepreneurs move through the process, they build new banking and business relationships and receive one-on-one guidance during their first year. The focus is on walking alongside business owners as they strengthen their operations, turn early support into momentum, and move toward broader opportunities down the road. Through this approach, the Foundation is helping small businesses grow and contributing to a more resilient local economy.
Affordable Housing
Chattanooga is facing a growing challenge with affordable housing. Rising housing costs, limited supply, and wages that haven’t kept pace are making it harder for many residents to find and keep stable housing. Nearly half of renters in our area spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing, putting strain on household stability, health, and economic opportunity.
To address this need, we’re putting capital to work to support the creation and preservation of long-term affordable housing. In 2024, we deployed $5 million through a line of credit from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, working in partnership with communitylenders and mission-driven housing partners. These investments are supported by staff oversight and local real estate expertise. In addition, our board has committed $400,000 in grant funding to strengthen this work. Together, these resources are building the Affordable Housing Fund, which is actively raising $2 million to expand access to safe, stable, and affordable homes across our area.
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