About This Project
About the Appalachian Investment Ecosystem Initiative
The development of this project was made possible through a grant from the Appalachian Investment Ecosystem Initiative (AIEI). AIEI is a multiyear effort (2019–2022) to build on years of locally-led work to strengthen and fill gaps in the community investment ecosystem in Central Appalachia. A more effective ecosystem should be able to attract and absorb capital in ways that strengthen regional capacity and advance social and economic opportunity that in turn leads to better health and well-being in the long term. AIEI grew out of over a year of planning by a group of local, regional, and national stakeholders who continue to serve as an advisory group to the Initiative. This Theory of Change guides our work.
AIEI has also made grants to: produce a Downtown Revitalization Playbook for practitioners; design, recruit, and launch the Appalachian Investment Framers Action Cohort; build more investment “framing” capacity throughout the region; support development of a solar credit enhancement toolkit; and build collaborative tools to guide the deployment of investment capital by Invest Appalachia.
Locus Impact Investing is AIEI’s project lead. LOCUS is a national nonprofit consultancy and mission-driven investment advisory firm that partners with philanthropy and mission-driven 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. AIEI is supported by funding from Cassiopeia Foundation, Danville Regional Foundation, Greater Clark Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Thompson Charitable Foundation, UnitedHealthcare, and Wells Fargo.
Working together | Courtesy of Invest Appalachia
Acknowledgments
This story is for a national audience, but we hope it will also honor the past work and current efforts happening within the region. We are indebted to the hundreds of leaders, organizations, funders, and partners that are helping to build Central Appalachia’s community investing ecosystem. We could not include every organization that participated in the development of the ecosystem, and we know that many more partners will join us as the ecosystem continues to grow. Special thanks to those organizations that allowed us to use their stories and photos to bring our collective work to light.
We could not have completed this project without the dedicated support of the Center for Community Investment’s communications team, specifically Rebecca Steinitz, Janelle Julien, and MAD Creative, whose editing and design expertise were invaluable. Thank you for your commitment to the mission of community investment in Appalachia!
About the Authors
Sandra Mikush is an independent consultant who spent 25 years with the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, where she managed the Foundation’s impact investing program and led grantmaking strategy and support for economic transition in Appalachia. She was a cofounder of the Appalachia Funders Network and the Just Transition Fund. After retiring from the Foundation in 2017, Sandra stayed active in the development of Invest Appalachia.
Andrew Crosson is the founding CEO of Invest Appalachia. He previously worked at Rural Support Partners, where he spent the past decade supporting collaborative community development efforts across Appalachia. Andrew is a Center for Community Investment Field Catalyst and was a BALLE/Common Future Local Economy Fellow. He was born and raised on a family farm in the mountains of Western North Carolina, where he lives.
About the Center for Community Investment
The Center for Community Investment at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy works to ensure that all communities, especially those that have suffered from structural racism and policies that have left them economically and socially isolated, can unlock the capital they need to thrive.
Visit us at centerforcommunityinvestment.org or follow us on twitter.
About the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy seeks to improve quality of life through the effective use, taxation, and stewardship of land. A nonprofit private operating foundation, the Lincoln Institute researches and recommends creative approaches to land as a solution to economic, social and environmental challenges.
Visit us at lincolninst.edu or follow us on twitter.