Invest Appalachia (IA) is a regional impact investment platform designed by and for the people of Central Appalachia. IA provides blended investment capital to strengthen business opportunities, build equitable local wealth, advance critical sectors, and increase quality of life for everyone in Central Appalachia. IA was initiated through the Appalachia Funders Network and developed by a collaborative group of regional leaders representing CDFIs, public and private philanthropic entities, local institutions, and community organizations. Invest Appalachia will provide flexible capital to intermediaries, community projects, social enterprise businesses, critical infrastructure, and other efforts that that support healthy & resilient communities, wealth-building jobs, and inclusive market development. As a blended capital fund, IA is able to bring both investment and catalytic capital to support mission-aligned projects. IA’s capital is designed to advance key sectors and community infrastructure within the Central Appalachia region in partnership with – and frequently subordinate to – existing financial intermediaries. IA will partner with other sources of investment, including community lenders, commercial lenders, public financing, and philanthropy, to create the capital blend or “stack” of different forms of capital tailored to each project.
LOCUS believes that philanthropy and mission-driven investors should work alongside communities to grow economies that work for all. We partner with these impact investors to redefine their role as capital providers, activate investments and endowments for community impact, and use their capital as a tool to drive equitable prosperity.
LOCUS is a national nonprofit consultancy and mission-driven investment advisory firm.We meet our partners where they are and help them realize the vision of where they want to be. LOCUS works with our partners to educate stakeholders and develop strategies; to identify and assess investments through transaction support such as sourcing, structuring and due diligence; to service and manage investment portfolios; and to design, structure and manage investment funds and collaborative investment infrastructure.
Success in this mission requires that we track the impact of our work, modify our approach to produce greater impact, and share our learning with partners and the field. Towards that end, LOCUS tracks and reports on three impact goals:
1. More impact investors and capital committed to place.
2. More effective and equitable local impact investing practice.
3. More impact capital deployed in communities.
