Interview on The Regenerative Real Estate Podcast

On the Regenerative Real Estate Podcast, Neal Collins interviews Blake Jones about Kachuwa Impact Fund. Click here to find the podcast recording, which can also be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.

Podcast description:

Blake Jones is a founder of several cooperative enterprises, including Namaste Solar and Kachuwa Impact Fund. He’s a pioneer in his marrying of the cooperative model and impact investing. Kachuwa Impact Fund is democratically owned and operated by its members. They invest in companies that have a positive impact on the environment and society, and real estate that does the same—such as organic farms and affordable housing. They invest in Main Street as opposed to Wall Street, and impact is their number one priority with financial return being second.

In this episode, Blake and show host Neal discuss Blake’s journey from working in the oil and gas industry to shifting his interest to renewable energy, and eventually becoming fascinated by the cooperative enterprise model. They dive into the concept of impact cooperative investment funds, discussing how these funds differ from traditional investment models and why they are essential for supporting mission-driven enterprises and real estate. It’s a fairly new concept and Blake shares details of how the fund works in practice—how they vet potential investments and investors, how they approach liquidity and patience, and how members’ voting power is not tied to their investment amount. Blake shares valuable insights from his experience with Kachuwa and other cooperative enterprise, as well as some valuable tips for anyone interested in impact investing cooperatives.

Kachuwa makes Transformative 25 list

PRESS RELEASE 

Catalytic Funds raise over $1.13 Billion for Non-extractive Finance 

Kachuwa Impact Fund was honored to be one of the funds selected for the Transformative 25 (T25) list in 2024. See full press release below.

On May 1, 2024, Collective Action for Just Finance will release the Transformative 25 (T25), its fourth annual list of impact first community informed capital funds, banks, and initiatives transforming the finance sector towards one that enriches people and the planet. 

“If you care about racial inequality, the climate crisis, and how finance is wrecking our democracy, the Transformative 25 list is a must-follow,” said Leslie Christian, CFA, Senior Investment Advisor, Northstar Asset Management. 

T25 funds employ a mix of holistic strategies such as diverse leadership, integrated capital, creative financial tools, regenerative returns, values-aligned mission, and democratic ownership and governance to drive transformative change in finance. 

The T25 Selection Committee includes 23 members from multiple sectors who reviewed a diverse group of funds that drive innovative solutions to address wealth inequality, the climate crisis, unbanked entrepreneurs and families, and racial and gender discrimination. The funds provide holistic solutions and wealth building assistance to entrepreneurs, cooperatives, Native communities, the underhoused, and underemployed. 

Diverse Leadership is Key

The T25 Committee notes that diverse leadership teams are able to identify overlooked investment opportunities and create the kind of informed and culturally relevant support that unbanked and underbanked communities need.

“If you want to make a difference in racial and gender equity in finance, this is where you want to look,” said Jennifer Astone, Founder, Transformative 25 List, Ecosystem Director, Collective Action for Just Finance. “The T25 list is deeply informed by social justice movements. The leaders of these funds are pushing the world of finance to be accountable to borrowers and to communities.” 

Ninety-six percent of the 2024 funds identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Color-led (BIPOC-led), meaning they reported 50% or more of the fund’s leadership self-identifies as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. 

For the second year in a row, five (19%) Indigenous-led funds showcased in the T25 list demonstrate how Indigenous communities around the world are building economic power and self-determination. 

Seventy-five percent of the funds self-identify as women-led (cis and trans), femme-led or gender-expansive led (50% or more leadership).

Non-extractive Finance Attracts $1.13 Billion

Cumulatively the 90 funds listed on the T25 since 2021 have raised $1.13 billion dollars in grant and investment capital for impact-first funds attracting capital from a wide range of investors and donors. “With well over a billion dollars in dealflow, the annual T25 list underscores that there are absolutely no excuses for investors who truly seek to make impact-first investments,” said Taj James, Co-founder, Full Spectrum Capital Partners and Movement Strategy Center and Steering Committee, Collective Action for Just Finance.

The List includes a range of funds and finance strategies including: 

• Dearfield Fund for Black Wealth provides down-payment assistance to first-time Black and African American homebuyers to close the racial wealth gap and build generational wealth.

• FINAPOP: Popular Financing for Healthy Food Production in Brazil finances cooperatives and associations producing healthy food in Agrarian Reform settlements with climate-friendly agroecology.

• People’s Solar Energy Fund advances energy democracy with non-extractive finance, technical assistance and peer-learning for community-owned solar developers in underserved communities in the United States.

• NDN Fund tailors loans to support Indigenous-led and community-based solutions for small-medium business and medium-large projects, grounded in Indigenous systems thinking and the interconnectedness of all things.

A public webinar announcing the list will be held on May 1 at 10 a.m. Pacific / 1 p.m. Eastern. Registration information follows: https://bit.ly/T25Launch2024

Collective Action for Just Finance | Transformative 25, a project of Possibility Labs, will publish the 2024 List and Report on May 1- https://iciaptos.com/the-transformative-25/

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Podcast Interview on Voice America

On her Voice America podcast about socially responsible businesses, Sharon Schneider interviews Blake Jones about his journey from co-founding Namaste Solar to co-founding Clean Energy Credit Union and Kachuwa Impact Fund. Click here to find the podcast recording.