To learn about some of the Equity Trust Fund borrowers, scroll down or select from one of the following choices to view particular types of loans.
Current borrowers
Past borrowers
Farms and food system loans
Community land trusts and other affordable housing
Borrowers from the Francis Fund for Southeastern Connecticut
This is a partial list that we will continue to update.…
Co-op Power is a consumer-owned renewable energy cooperative operating as a decentralized regional network of autonomous Local Organizing Councils (LOCs) to “create a multi-class, multi-racial movement for a sustainable and just energy future.” Equity Trust’s loan will help Co-op Power, through the Southern Vermont LOC, develop a 30.6 KWP solar electric (photovoltaic) system on the roof of the brand new Brattleboro Food Co-op building in downtown Brattleboro, VT. the Southern Vermont LOC, develop a 30.6 KWP solar electric (photovoltaic) system on the roof of the brand new Brattleboro Food Co-op building in downtown Brattleboro, VT.
The New London (Connecticut) Homeless Hospitality Center (NLHHC) is a non-profit whose mission is “to serve as a bridge out of homelessness by helping our guests pursue their self-selected path to permanent housing.” Begun as a coalition of citizens, faith communities, and service organizations, the Homeless Hospitality Center has operated a daytime hospitality center since 2007. Equity Trust has recently made …
White Earth Land Recovery Project (WELRP)’s mission is to facilitate recovery of the original land base of the White Earth Indian Reservation, in northern Minnesota, while preserving and restoring traditional land stewardship, language fluency, community development, and spiritual and cultural practices. A key strategy is to purchase back land from non-Indian owners, and receive donated land. Currently only 10% …
Pie Ranch, a non-profit in San Mateo County, California, combines farming and education to “inspire and connect rural and urban people to know the source of their food, and work together to bring greater health to the food system from seed to table.” Equity Trust’s land acquisition loan, one of our largest in recent years, supports the purchase and permanent protection of their farmland. Pie Ranch’s diverse production of fruits, vegetables, …
Riverland Farm is a certified organic CSA farm in Sunderland, Massachusetts growing a diverse array of certified organic vegetables for 400 member families, as well as for local grocery stores, and local producers of value added products. Equity Trust’s loan was used to renovate their tobacco barn to create a space for their farm office space and a vegetable washing, …
Equity Trust’s loan to the New Town Florist Club, in Gainsville, GA, enabled them to purchase four lots to build four CLT homes for low-income families as part of a long-term effort to strengthen and care for their community.
Sixty years ago, a group of African American women established the New Town Florist Club to provide aid to neighborhood families …
Jubilee House Community (JHC) is an non-sectarian faith based community that has that has been working in Nicaragua since 1994 through their nonprofit Center for Development in Central America. In addition to much other work, JHC has helped organize 1,600 small farmers into a cooperative business to market their organic crops. They’ve strengthened existing agricultural cooperatives, and developed new …
In Capay, CA, Jeff and Annie Main have spent over 20 years developing their organic farm, Good Humus Produce, on 20 acres that they first rented and then later purchased with the help of a USDA Rural Development loan. Their plantings include hedgerows of native trees that serve as windbreaks and a source of fuelwood, as well as 10 …
Holyoke Community Land Trust, in Holyoke, Massachusetts, provides quality homes to low-income families, with a commitment to increasing resident homeownership. Residents own their own homes, but the land beneath is held by the nonprofit, to ensure owner-occupancy and on-going affordability. Formed in 1992, after a recent several-year period of dormancy it was reinvigorated in early 2010. A cash-flow loan from …
Alice Acres Farm and Greenhouses, a diversified 20-acre farm in Gales Ferry, Connecticut, received a loan from Equity Trust 2009 to strengthen the farming operation. Alice Acres offers a great variety of plants, flowers, fruits, vegetables, and animals, as well as educational fieldtrips for schoolchildren. 2009 was farmer Pete Bargmann’s first year operating a CSA, but it was such …
Real Pickles, a small Western Massachusetts business producing organic raw pickled products, received an loan from the Equity Trust Fund in 2009 to help finance a the purchase and renovation of an energy efficient processing facility. The purchase is enabling Real Pickles to expand its business and continue contributing to the local food movement. Real Pickles buys all its …
Just Food is a non-profit organization that works to make fresh, locally grown food accessible to all New Yorkers by connecting communities and local farms with resources, support and one another. Since 1995, Just Food has promoted the creation and spread of sustainable food programs, including CSAs, community-run farmers’ markets, community gardens, and farm-to-food pantry programs. Just Food serves thousands …
H.O.M.E. (Homeworkers Organized for More Employment) in Orland, ME, was organized in 1970 when a local shoe manufacturer closed its doors. Under the leadership of Sister Lucy Poulin, H.O.M.E emerged as a craft collective to generate home-based work and market the products as a source of income for the women who had been doing skilled piecework for the company.
For …
Whippoorwill Farm, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farm serving some 400 families on Martha’s Vineyard, in Massachusetts. Whippoorwill grows organic produce and flowers for its members, for local restaurants, and for sale at farmers markets. Equity Trust provided a cash flow loan to help the farm manage as it adjusts marketing strategies to changes in the island economy and responds to other unexpected challenges that are common for farm …
Three Springs Community in North Fork, California, received a construction loan in 2010 to improve two houses on site. At Three Springs, community members live together, sharing resources and stewarding the land including a 2-acre garden, where they grow flowers and native plants that are sold at farmers markets and to local restaurants. Over the years, three Springs has hosted many visitors, including Willing Workers on Organic Farms volunteers, …
Southside Community Land Trust (SCLT) in Providence, Rhode Island, provides access to land, education and other resources so people in Greater Providence can grow food in environmentally sustainable ways and create community food systems where locally produced, affordable, and healthy food is available to all. SCLT manages a wide range of urban agriculture programs including youth and adult agricultural education, …
Windborne Farm operates a CSA in Ft. Jones, California that provides grain, beans, edible seeds, and cheese to 100 families. The crops are cultivated with a team of Fjord draft horses using biodynamic methods. Our loan financed start-up costs at a time when few people thought it would be possible to market grain using the CSA model. To our great satisfaction, Jennifer Green’s farm has become extremely successful and …
