A Message From Our President

Welcome to our FY 2021 annual report. This is a special edition, one that provides a look back on 2021 and commemorates our 35th year anniversary in 2022! 

In 1987, a small group of funders and investors founded what is now Community Vision Capital & Consulting. They gathered together with a bold vision, to advance economic and racial justice by investing in communities of color that had been intentionally disinvested. To bring into reality what seemed impossible: a reparative economy rooted in community-driven solutions.

Today, Community Vision is a financially strong, multifaceted organization. We are going into our 35th year with refined strategies that enhance our capacity to show up for the communities we serve, aligning justice with capital and technical assistance to advance community ownership of community assets. We do this through real estate guidance and financial management, innovative programs, catalytic capital, and flexible financing. Our goal is to build a restorative economy, which includes centering the success for Black, Indegenious, People of Color (BIPOC) led nonprofits, small businesses, and initiatives.

As we look back on 2021, we are excited to share success stories of how we leveraged long-standing relationships, deep expertise, and flexible, affordable capital to be a true partner in community self-determination. This year’s report highlights some of the work of these partnerships, including the African American Equity Impact Scorecard, CalCORE, and the REAL People’s Fund.

The stories highlighted in this report are the collective success stories of our leadership, team members, community partners, donors, funders, and investors. They reflect lessons we’ve learned, and the visions and wisdom of communities across California. To date–and through your commitment–Community Vision has funded $260 million in loans, $27 million in grants, $216 million in New Market Tax Credits, and provided 6,400 nonprofits and small businesses with consulting services. We’ve provided more than $1.3 million in credit enhancements, unlocking capital that would otherwise be unattainable, and we’ve leveraged an additional $1.8 billion across our portfolio in support of organizations and businesses that have been historically denied access to capital.

I offer my deep gratitude to our investors, donors, funders and the Community Vision team. Your commitment makes this work possible.

In Partnership,

Catherine Howard

President, Community Vision