Impact Investing

"This loan allowed us to say yes to this amazing grant opportunity that otherwise would have been out of reach for our small organization." 

- Marlene Farrell, Executive Director, Sustainable NCW

CFNCW is resolved to build our community up for the long-term. Through the launch of our Community Investment program in 2025, our vision is to see Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties thrive with access to low-cost capital that empowers organizations to leverage assets that may otherwise be out of reach.

Unlike traditional grants that are given once, these are loans to nonprofit organizations tackling North Central Washington's most pressing needs. When these loans are repaid, those same dollars become available to support new community initiatives, creating a renewable cycle of local investment and growth.

The Impact Investing Program's first initiative, Access to Rural Capital (ARC), is already proving what's possible. We've seen a bike education cooperative unlock state funding they couldn't access without upfront capital. An affordable housing project in Winthrop that would have stalled without bridge financing. A legal aid organization that could renovate their permanent home while waiting for state funding to arrive.

ARC is just the beginning. As this first initiative demonstrates success, we're exploring what other community investment tools might serve our region's evolving needs. We're not talking about Wall Street investments. We're talking about Main Street solutions - all made possible because your dollars can work, return, and work again.

Map for Impact Investing Page

  • Invest for Impact

    An unrestricted bequest enabled the Community Foundation to fulfill a strategic goal in creating an Impact Investing program. Using a portion of the foundation's unrestricted dollars, CFNCW will be a partner in investment opportunities across the region that will benefit economic, charitable and social projects, providing another avenue to access capital. 

  • Benefit Community

    CFNCW's Impact Investing Program goal is to provide access to low cost capital that enables local, community-based projects to leverage additional investment for community benefit. 

  • Finance Opportunities

    Once an applicant is approved, the low interest loan is disbursed immediately to finance the project. Loan repayment is between 1 and 5 years with interest accruing annually at a below market rate. 

  • Return and Repeat

    Investment returns generated from the low-interest loans are reinvested in the program to provide capital for future community investment opportunities. 

ARC Loans in Action

Community Stories

Bike CoOp Middle School Workshop 2 2025

The Bike CoOp - Sustainable NCW

In less than a year and a half, Sustainable NCW has grown our Sustainable Bike CoOp from a courageous vision to a substantial bike repair education program. We offered after school workshops at four middle schools and have engaged with almost 900 residents so far at workshops and various community events about bike repair, bike safety, refurbished bikes and more. Ideas and volunteer time goes a long way, but funding, especially for hard goods like a truck and trailer to deliver the bike repair tools, stands, and spare bikes to schools and events, is essential.

We applied for and received a Department of Ecology Air Quality in Overburdened Communities grant, which is reimbursement-based. The Access to Rural Capital loan from the Community Foundation allowed us to say yes to this amazing grant opportunity that otherwise would have been out of reach for our small organization. Our very limited reserves would have prohibited us from purchasing equipment while we wait a month or more for reimbursement.

We are so grateful for the Community Foundation's partnership with us on this journey. And now, we have been able to leverage this first grant and fruitful pilot program to win a second grant (that is a cooperative bike education program for Sustainable NCW and Wenatchee CAFE) that extends our vision even further, engaging more youth with a much more in depth curriculum on biking as alternative transportation, bike safety, bike repair and youth empowerment. 

-Marlene Farrell, Executive Director, Sustainable NCW

The Bike CoOp by Sustainable NCW
Wildrose Design

Wildrose by Housing Authority of Okanogan County

The Housing Authority of Okanogan County (HAOC) recently was a recipient of the CCNCW Impact Investing/bridge loan program. The short-term bridge loan served as the catalyst to fill the pre-development financing gap the agency experienced for the development of the Wildrose Multifamily Affordable Housing project in Winthrop, WA.

HAOC had successfully secured funding for the development of Wildrose, but unfortunately, the agency is unable to access the funds until the design, permit, and bidding process for a General Contractor is in hand. HAOC, being a small agency, invested the maximum amount in pre-development costs that the agency was financially able to afford. A gap of $200,000 was needed, and without that funding, the development of Wildrose would have been delayed, risking the loss of the already awarded grants for the project's construction.

The Impact Investing/Bridge Loan Program came to the rescue at the right time, and we are happy to say that we are currently expecting to break ground by mid-September of this year. Our hope is that we will have 22 new families calling Wildrose "home" by the spring of 2028.

 

 

Building affordable housing is never easy, and it is never for the faint of heart, and one can never do it alone. The challenges intensify when the project is located in a frontier community such as Winthrop, WA. We are so thankful for strong partners such as the Methow Housing Trust, who donated the land to the HAOC where Wildrose will be built, and has provided to our development team extraordinary support during the process, the Town of Winthrop, who helped us secure the Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program (CHIP) grant and many other partners. We are also deeply thankful to CCNCW for coming alongside our agency and providing us with the opportunity to apply for the Impact Investing/bridge loan program. Once granted, the bridge loan enabled us to proceed with the construction of Wildrose Multifamily Affordable Housing. Oh, and did we mention how easy it was to apply for this loan program? Beth Stipe and her staff are so dedicated to the CCNCW's mission, and they are there to help you be successful with your application.

-Nancy Nash-Mendez, Executive Director of Housing Authority of Okanogan County

Wildrose by Housing Authority of Okanogan County
VASNewBuilding2025

Justice for Generations: A Permanent Home for Legal Aid

06/17/2025

When you're in the middle of a big capital project like ours-renovating a permanent legal aid home for our community-timing is everything.

We were thrilled to receive a $300,000 state grant, but those funds don't arrive until fall. Construction couldn't wait. Thanks to CFNCW's bridge loan, we didn't have to pause or scale back. We could keep going, confident we'd repay the loan once the state funds came through.

Without CFNCW, we'd be scrambling-trying to fill the gap just to open our doors in July.

 

 

This building will let us serve more people in the kind of space our community, clients, and volunteers truly need and deserve.

It takes a village to do something like this-and CFNCW once again stepped in when it mattered most.

We are so grateful.

-Eloise Barshes, Executive Director, Chelan-Douglas Volunteer Attorney Services

Legal Aid Office by Chelan-Douglas VAS
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Xitlali Cruz

SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT

I am currently pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Computer Science at Stanford. Since the beginning of my freshman year I have been involved with clubs such as Stanford’s Space Initiative (SSI) and the Society of Latinx Engineers (SOLE). In SSI I built a rocket and launched it.

ThomasSmith

Aero Methow Rescue Service

GRANT RECIPIENT

Due to being rural, remote, and geographically isolated, we must be prepared to do more than respond to emergencies. We have become a healthcare partner who fills gaps in service. The grant allowed our board the time and ability to work with a Strategic Planner to modify our plan to address those gaps.

2019RIGOutreach-RosieYardSigns-Crop

Chelan Douglas Volunteer Attorney Services

GRANT RECIPIENT

The grant provided funds to hire a Housing Justice and Outreach Coordinator to visit rural and underserved areas. Rosie’s bilingual and bicultural skills and experience have increased equity of service. Rosie is building partnerships with local organizations through events such as the Columbia Valley Community Health’s Back to School Drive, as well as posting yard signs.

Tenoch Mandujano

Tenoch Mandujano

Scholarship Recipient

My father was a migrant agricultural worker who eventually started his own cherry and apple orchard. He told me if I wanted to live a better life, I had to get an education. I plan on starting a career with the Chelan PUD with a passion for renewable energy and in turn give back to my parents and community for supporting my dreams.

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