Impact Stories

Our Initiative Initiated in 2013, the Virginia Fresh Food Loan Fund (VFFLF) is a $10 million revolving loan fund that enables VCC to provide technical assistance and lending capital to food-based projects in Virginia from farmers to produce aggregators to retailers. To date, VFFLF is supported by Healthy Food Finance Initiative (HFFI) grants provided by the CDFI Fund of the US Dept. of Treasury. Combined with robust partnerships, HFFI grants enable VCC to offer resources …

Invest Appalachia (IA), a regional social investment fund built by and for the people of Appalachia, has a clear goal: to accelerate and expand community investment across Central Appalachia. To do so, IA builds on the region’s existing strengths, working side-by-side with partners who are rooted in place and understand their communities. After six years of collaborative stakeholder design, Invest Appalachia is now a fully operational platform positioned to do just that. In November 2022, …

In Virginia’s Piedmont Region, a few miles east of Charlottesville, fleets of trucks loaded to the brim roar around the corner toward van der Linde Recycling and Container Rentals. They are received on a loop by a large crew in fluorescent colors, steel-toed boots, and respirator masks. Enormous amounts of metal, plastic, rock, and the remains of other construction projects across the state are ready to be sorted and repurposed. This is the work of …

Set within the colorful exuberance of the Arts and Culture District in Richmond, Virginia, 1708 Gallery sits in between busy restaurants, hotels, and museums. While the sounds of the newest exhibit resonate throughout the long and lofty space, plans within the office are unfolding for a bold new project. The idea of a live-in artist residency program has long captured the imaginations of the 44-year-old nonprofit’s leaders and community. The organization’s mission is to create …

Nestled near the Downtown Mall in the bustling heart of Charlottesville, Virginia, stands a community of 150 families called Friendship Court. Echoes of children at play bounce across the buildings in between the sounds of excavators and delivery trucks. Construction workers and engineers are up early, working to build not only new homes, but the foundation of a new chapter for this community.  Many others are working alongside the builders to bring the vision to …

Addiction is a lifelong disease and recovery is an ongoing process. The founders and leaders of the McShin Foundation were driven by their own journeys through recovery to start the 17-year-old organization with a mission to provide alcohol and substance use recovery to individuals in the Richmond Region.  Founded in a church basement in 2004, McShin now provides a 15,000-square-foot residence and more than 100 beds across various homes for people in recovery in the …

Virginia Community Capital and LOCUS Impact Investing are excited to launch Reimagine Together, a storytelling series to celebrate VCC’s 15-year anniversary. Throughout the summer and into the fall, VCC will be sharing stories of mission-driven projects and partnerships from throughout our history. Thanks to the help of many likeminded collaborators, these multimedia stories will cover the community impact we’ve supported in various areas, including affordable housing, job creation, entrepreneurship, healthy food access, impact investing, and more. We’ll discuss how the …

OPPORTUNITY In August 2019, Cristo Rey Richmond High School opened its doors to 95 students, marking the realization of a mission to provide a private-school education to students of limited economic means. It’s the kind of environment many families in Richmond simply can’t afford. The education, which sets high school students up for success in college, is paid for mostly by corporate support and donations, which greatly reduce the tuition impact on families. Part of …

OPPORTUNITY In July 2019, the Town of Bluefield’s Industrial Development Authority (IDA) bought an empty building in the heart of its idyllic Southwest Virginia downtown. The vision: Turn the 5,400-square-foot commercial building — once home to a carpet store, dance theater, fitness center, and medical equipment company — into a small business and retail incubator to accelerate business growth. Bluefield, a community of 5,400 in Tazewell County, has put a focus on sparking new ventures and …

Opportunity Converting a former candy factory into a 43-unit multifamily housing project – with expansive water views of the Pasquotank River – could contribute to economic development in downtown Elizabeth City, N.C. Built in 1921 as the modern home of The Weatherly Candy Factory, the building once witnessed the production of up to 2 million pounds of candy annually. The Weatherly family founded the business in 1890, with generations overseeing it until its closing about …