Lending a Hand in Growing Green Jobs
We are the only nonprofit with a dual mission to promote a healthy environment and economy. Whether it’s salsa or sustainable lumber, we see opportunity in small and emerging businesses that work with local natural resources and bring new jobs to rural areas. The Natural Capital Investment Fund (NCIF) began making loans to small businesses in West Virginia in 2001, expanding to North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee in 2007. In each place, NCIF connects people who may be overlooked by traditional lenders with the capital they need to start and expand their businesses.
In recent months, we have helped deploy $125 million in U.S. Treasury funds for rural communities in four states, and we received a $250,000 grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation to assist fledgling businesses in West Virginia.
“The National Capital Investment Fund will continue to be a leader in growing green jobs and businesses that complement The Conservation Fund’s land and water conservation work,” said NCIF director Marten Jenkins.