local impact pool

Impact Investing at ECCF

For nonprofits doing vital work across our region, relying solely on grants and donations for their capital needs can be unpredictable. They often need alternative, sustainable funding sources to scale their operations, power their missions and support their longevity. But access to this capital often poses a challenge.

That’s why ECCF has taken a bold step with our new impact portfolio – The Local Impact Pool. This innovative approach directly aligns investment strategy with mission by making flexible, patient and risk-tolerant investments in projects that:

Reduce the housing shortage,
Spur inclusive economic growth,
Contribute to solutions to the climate crisis, and
Advance the arts and creative economies.

Assets in the Local Impact Pool will be deployed to nonprofits in our region, returned to ECCF and redeployed many times over. This is innovative philanthropy that will strengthen and supplement our grantmaking efforts, generating significant positive outcomes right here at home.

ECCF’s Local Impact Pool’s entire portfolio will focus on organizations that support residents in Essex County. From bridging funding gaps, to scaling revenue generating programs and investing in cutting-edge, high-impact solutions, this hyper-local approach to fixed-income investing underscores ECCF’s commitment to our local community.

Recoverable Grants at ECCF

Amplify Your Impact.

For Donor Advised Fundholders looking to participate in ECCF’s Local Impact Pool, a Recoverable Grant at ECCF may be right for you.

ECCF’s Recoverable Grants Program offers an innovative way for fundholders to leverage the assets in their donor advised fund (DAF) and support the longer-term financing needs of local nonprofits. Rather than providing a one-time gift that permanently leaves your fund, a recoverable grant is granted for a particular period then returned to your DAF when certain agreed upon conditions are met.

This granting structure creates a sustainable cycle of giving for you and for the nonprofit community: you lend your charitable capital, nonprofits use it to advance their work and when the term is over, up to 100% of the original grant is returned to your fund to be granted again.

Recoverable Grants at ECCF are invested through our impact portfolio – The Local Impact Pool – making flexible, patient and risk-tolerant investments in nonprofits in Essex County. Impact investing is a powerful catalyst for progress and we welcome fundholders to join us.

Contact Heidi Ellard at h.ellard@eccf.org to see if a recoverable grant can augment your charitable giving strategy.

What is a Recoverable Grant?

A Recoverable Grant is a charitable granting structure that allows a traditional grant to behave like a loan. This structure offers fundholders the opportunity to “recover” the originally granted charitable dollars back into their donor advised fund account, as long as preset metrics of the grant objectives are achieved.

With a Recoverable Grant at ECCF, you can make long-term grants that bridge funding gaps, fill capital needs or support new projects or programs that a nonprofit is trying to implement. Combined with a traditional grantmaking strategy, a Recoverable Grant can enhance your charitable portfolio and amplify impact in the nonprofit sector in Essex County.