Boston Impact Initiative

🍂 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐁𝐈𝐈 🍂 During this time of gratitude, all of us here at BII would like to thank our partners, supporters, fund managers, portfolio companies, and their workers for their ongoing commitment to creating a more equitable economy. We hope you all enjoy the holiday with your family and friends!

🌟 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 🌟 This month, we are celebrating the Native American and Indigenous entrepreneurs and fund managers who are working tirelessly to build wealth and create lasting change in their communities throughout the Americas. We were honored to have several Native American and Indigenous leaders attend our recent National Fund Manager Cohort Convening, including Elyse Dempsey, left, of Roanhorse Consulting and Jaime Gloshay of Common Future. 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦- 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴-𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 $50 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺. Join us in supporting these businesses this month and all year long. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth

Congratulations to Keyur Patel, Portfolio Manager at BII, on successfully completing the prestigious NETI Fellowship! This 9-month program brought together leaders from across the region to develop innovative strategies for supporting local businesses through employee ownership and thoughtful exit planning. Keyur’s dedication and accomplishments reflect his commitment to advancing equitable economic solutions, and we couldn’t be prouder of his contributions. At Boston Impact Initiative, we are thrilled to support such impactful work and drive positive change! 💼 Learn more about the fellowship and its impact: https://lnkd.in/ga7NpNQg #KeyurPatel #BostonImpactInitiative #NETIFellowship #EmployeeOwnership #EconomicEquity

BII is committed to closing the racial wealth gap through innovative community-focused initiatives. Our portfolio company, Valley Home Insulation, is transforming lives by providing free energy audits and insulation to Latino families in Massachusetts. Supporting businesses like VHI contributes to a more equitable economy and sustainable future. Join us in this vital work by donating today. #RacialWealthGap#CommunityImpact #Sustainability #BII #smallbusiness https://lnkd.in/e47N--Dg

✨ Let’s Build an Equitable Economy Together ✨ As 2024 winds down, your support can empower even more entrepreneurs in 2025. Entrepreneurs like Dr. Natasha Holmes, CEO of And Still We Rise, LLC Locked out of traditional funding, Dr. Holmes faced predatory loans that stalled her dreams. Then BII stepped in. With access to flexible capital, she transformed her mental health practice into a thriving company, hiring 50 more employees and serving over 1,000 individuals in 2023 alone. 💡 Your gift can help create more success stories like this. Together, we can uplift entrepreneurs of color and strengthen their communities. 👉 Give today: https://lnkd.in/e47N--Dg 🌟 Because when entrepreneurs thrive, communities rise. 🌟 #YearEndGiving #EquityInAction #ImpactInvesting #SupportEntrepreneurs #bostonimpactinitative

🌍 We are proud to spotlight our portfolio company, El Planeta led by javier marin, for its dedication to accessible health education. Through the Salud podcast, El Planeta is bringing culturally relevant, Spanish-language health information to Hispanic communities across the Northeast, tackling issues from COVID-19 and diabetes to mental health and more. 🎙️ El Planeta’s work is bridging critical healthcare gaps, empowering nearly a million Latinos in Massachusetts with accurate, relatable content. Check out the full article to learn more about this impactful initiative: https://lnkd.in/gJ9jE47Q #BostonImpactInitiative #ElPlaneta #HealthEquity #LatinoHealth #SocialImpact

Hats off to the Coalition for an Equitable Economy on its Inaugural Premiere Collaborators Award Ceremony, celebrating Massachusetts leaders advancing an equitable economy. Much gratitude for recognizing BII as a capital innovator and our CEO, Betty Francisco. Since its founding in 2020, CEE has been a powerful force, bringing together entrepreneurs, financing organizations, activists, and advocates invested in providing equitable access to capital and resources for Black, Latino and Indigenous communities to create a fair and inclusive economy for all. Congratulations to our ED Tracye Whitfield and team for organizing a beautiful event and inspiring gathering that reminds us that we’re shorter together. Glynn Lloyd, Nicole Obi, Amine Benali, Jeff Hamilton, Joe Kriesberg, Lawrence Andrews

Here’s a closer look at last week’s BII Fund Manager Cohort Alumni convening in Boston! It was so inspiring to spend three days with such a determined and innovative group of people who are all dedicated to moving capital into their communities. Together, we laughed, cried, learned, and forged strong relationships that will support our movement of community-based impact investors. Thank you, again, to our attendees and supporters for making this possible! Photos: Aiyah Josiah-Faeduwor, MBA,MCP, @arewefreelance

We extend our utmost gratitude to Regina Sarpong for her work at BII over the last year and a half. She is a joy to work with and will certainly be missed. We wish her good luck in her next adventure!

We are deeply grateful to the BII Fund Manager Cohort Alumni from across North America who joined us for a 3-day convening in Boston last week! We spent time getting to know Nubian Square, Roxbury; learning from each other about a variety of topics like Liberatory Economics, Trauma-Informed Investing Practices, and Telling our Stories; and sharing our research on what our movement needs to grow with funders and supporters. More updates and photos to come! Thank you to all who attended and to the supporters who made our convening possible: Center for Cultural Innovation, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Foley Hoag LLP, eBay Foundation.