Investments

Our focus is the local regenerative economy – sustainable food, farming and forestry, and renewable energy. We are particularly focused on investments in BIPOC communities.

Click to see investments made by Highlands and/or our related organizations.


Current Investments

Akiptan, Inc

Akiptan is the Lakota word for “working together, in a cooperative effort.” Akiptan strives to provide fair financing to Native American agriculture operations throughout Indian Country. As a Native CDFI, Akiptan offers financing for startups, operating capital, ownership, capital purchases, etc Akiptan not only provides fair lending, but also works with the clients to create future goals for their operations and a plan on how to get there.

Beneficial Returns

Impact Investing with Philanthropic Capital: Revenue-producing and cost-saving equipment loans to social enterprises eliminating poverty in Latin America and South East Asia. Focus on sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, waste reduction, livelihoods, and water.

Beyond Good

​Heirloom chocolate directly sourced and processed in Madagascar. Farming methods preserve habitat for lemurs and other biologic diversity.

Boston Impact Initiative

Fund focused on economic justice, investing in opportunity for all people; especially those most oppressed or abandoned by our current economic system—to lead a dignified and productive life.  Supports the creation of resilient local economies by using a range of integrated capital tools.

Building 38

Current tenants are a mix of non-profits ranging from social justice to the environment, tech start-up, and finance.

CA BIPOC Farmer and Land Steward Relief Fund

Building upon collaboration through their intersecting work with farmers of color, relationships in the CA Farmer Justice Collaborative, and a CA Farmers of Color convening in Dec 2019, Kitchen Table Advisors  is helping build a CA BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color) farmer and land steward relief fund to meet the needs of this moment.  (contact Anthony to correct this text, see if he has a logo) HighlandsSRI/Grant/via DAF [Still Fundraising]

California Farmlink

Links independent farmers and ranchers with the land, financing and information they need for a sustainable future.  Supporting beginning, limited-resource, immigrant and other underserved farmers, FarmLink helps farmers to build strong business skills, access fair financing, and establish secure land tenure.

Capital Good Fund

Capital Good Fund is a social justice organization that uses financial services as a tool to promote the values of:
  • The rights, dignity and well-being of all
  • Equal access to equal opportunity
  • Uplifting and empowering marginalized groups

Cavallo Point Lodge

A green and socially responsible ethos at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge, this luxury hotel offers exquisite dining at Murray Circle and Farley Bar, soothing treatments at the Healing Arts Center & Spa, interactive classes at the Cooking School, diverse meeting and event venues, and shopping at the Mercantile.

Citizen Potawatomi CDC

The mission of the Citizen Potawatomi Community Development Corporation is to finance, promote, educate, and inspire the entrepreneurial growth, economic opportunity, and financial well-being of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Tribal Community and other under-served Native populations through Financial Education, Access to Capital, Business Development Services, Innovative Capacity Building Practices, and Community Development Initiatives.

ConnectUP! MN

Connecting underestimated entrepreneurs, local investors and the entrepreneur community, via two-day, culturally grounded gatherings of curated underestimated entrepreneurs and investors that:
  • learn and share with each other,
  • engage in relationship-building,
  • provide best and next practices from the field, and
  • engage in active problem solving to build;
Thriving, diverse, and sustainable enterprises and co-design an ecosystem that prioritizes equitable access to resources, capital and networks. HighlandsSRI/Grant via DAF

Cook Inlet Housing

Cook Inlet Lending Center (CILC), a Cook Inlet Housing Authority non-profit social enterprise, is a Native Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that helps Alaska Native/American Indians as well as low to modest income families to purchase homes in Alaska who experience a lack of access to affordable financial products and services.

Dirt Capital Partners

Purchasing farmland primarily in the east coast to provide long-term affordable lease/purchase relationships with young organic farmers.

EcoEnterprises Fund

Offers tailored growth capital and strategic guidance to innovative impact businesses in order to scale and optimize their financial, environmental and social performance, primarily in Central and South America.

Ecofiltro

Ecofiltro manufactures ceramic water filters with locally produced materials to work toward their goal of reaching 1 million Guatemalan families in rural areas with clean water by the year 2020.

Ecotrust Forest Management

Real asset investment manager that invests in working landscapes, including forests, farms, and ranches across the Americas to create long-term financial value and enduring environmental and social impact. Affiliated Org/Equity in Fund

First Nations Community Financial

First Nations Community Financial (FNCF) provides opportunities for members of the Native Community. It also makes available financial education and coaching, credit counseling, technical support and other programs and services exclusively for Community members. It is one of four Native CDFI’s that partner to create WIBA-Wisconsin Indian Business Alliance, and currently partners with the Ho-chunk Nation and Ho-Chunk Housing and Community Development Agency to provide a wide range of services and financial products, including mortgage lending, for the Communities and its members.

First Nations Oweesta Corporation

Supports economic growth in Native American communities across the nation through the creation, development, and capitalization of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs).

Four Directions Development Corporation

Improving the social and economic conditions of the four Native American tribes in Maine — the Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot — through education and investment in affordable housing, tribal business ventures, and Native entrepreneurship. Achieved by increasing homeownership among tribal members, improving the quality of housing for Native American people, increasing the number of Native-owned businesses, raising the levels of financial literacy among tribal members, building the business skills of Native American entrepreneurs, and attracting and leveraging capital to Indian Country.

Hawaiian Community Assets

Hawaii Community Lending (HCL) is a certified native Community Development Financial Institution that provides access to credit and capital to underserved communities in Hawaii with a particular focus on Native Hawaiians.  HCL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hawaiian Community Assets, Hawaii’s largest nonprofit, HUD-approved housing counseling agency.  Together, the organizations build the capacity of low- and moderate-income communities to achieve and sustain economic self-sufficiency by creating opportunities for economic empowerment that help stabilize family life and a more sustainable community.

Heavenly Organics

Organic raw honey – transforming lives, preserving bees and protecting the environment.

High Mowing

Over 600 heirloom, open-pollinated and hybrid varieties of vegetable, fruit, herb and flower seed for home gardeners and commercial growers. Many of the varieties are sourced directly from independent, passionate organic seed farmers, including from the 40 acre working farm in northern Vermont. Highlands SRI/Loan/Direct [Investment period closed (?)]

Hudson Valley Harvest

Local food distributor based in New York’s Hudson Valley, working with small and medium farms to source vegetables, herbs, fruit, meat, eggs, dairy, grains, flours, beans, honey, maple syrup, and more.

ILCC

“Strengthening Native Communities and Cultures through Land Acquisition.” Indian Land Capital Company’s (ILCC) mission is to help Native nations recover, manage and gain jurisdiction over 90 million acres of alienated tribal land; to assist Native nations in consolidating undivided interests in land with fractionated ownership; to eliminate “checkerboarding” (mixed patterns of land ownership and jurisdictions) on Indian reservations; to strengthen tribal communities and sovereignty.

Iluméxico

Solar off-grid systems for clean, affordable and user-friendly energy, benefitting marginalized communities in isolated rural areas of Mexico.

Indigenous

Organic and fair-trade clothing committed to partnerships with culturally diverse artisans.

Kiwa

Global brand of premium vegetable chips made from unique natural ingredients harvested by low-income farmers. Kiwa works directly with farmers in eight of Ecuador’s 23 provinces and northern regions of Peru.

Lotus Foods

Organic, Heirloom, and Fair Trade specialty rice grown on family farms with respect for women, water, soils, and communities.

Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon

Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon (MESO) formed as a grassroots initiative in 2005 under the umbrella of The Black United Fund of Oregon to assist small businesses that were experiencing challenges in the wake of gentrification, new development, and increased rents in North/Northeast Portland. MESO is a designated SBA microlender, an IDA fiduciary, a USDA RMAP (Rural Micro-entrepreneur Assistance Program) lender, and a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). We fill a much-needed niche, working with small businesses through every stage – from asset building and credit preparedness to first loans and business launches to dozens of business expansions every year. HighlandsSRI/Loan AND Grant via DAF

NACDC Financial Services

Providing alternative financing opportunities and financial literacy education for Native American individuals, youth, agricultural businesses and small businesses in and near the seven Indian Reservations of Montana.

Native 360 Loan Fund

Native360 Loan Fund’s mission is to provide affordable credit, capital, technical assistance and related programs to help build strong and self-sufficient Native American business owners and families. Serving members of all tribes in its Nebraska, Iowa and southeast South Dakota service area.

Native American Natural Foods/ Tanka Bars

Native-owned and managed, NANF is a Certified B-Corp, and a leading innovator of traditional regenerative foods on Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota.  NANF literally invented the category - and developed the market - for their buffalo meat snacks (Tanka Bars) based on a traditional method of preserving meat. Delicious and healthy, Tanka bars are available here: https://tanka-brand.myshopify.com/collections and through Amazon. Check with Dawn – logo? HighlandsSRI/Equity/via DAF AND Loan via Native American Bank [Second Equity Closing ??]

Native Capital Access

Native CDFI providing community development, small business and affordable housing loans for tribes and Native entrepreneurs working to build tribal economies in the U.S. Southwest.

Native CDFIs via our affiliate, Tamalpais Trust

As a philanthropic organization and community investor with a very small staff, Tamalpais Trust had limited resources to perform due diligence for potential loans, yet wanted to develop direct relationships with a variety of Native CDFIs. [pods name="investment" orderby="sort_order DESC" limit="-1" pagination="true" template="Investment Icon with Modal" where="category.name='Native CDFIs'" ][/pods]

Native Conservancy

The Native Conservancy was established in 2003 to empower Alaska Native peoples to permanently protect and preserve endangered habitats on their ancestral homelands. We strive to maintain and secure titles to Native lands in conservation trusts to strengthen our inherent rights of sovereignty, subsistence and spirituality.   HighlandsSRI/Grant/via DAF [Still Fundraising]

Navajo Power Home

Navajo Power Home was established with the vision to bring power to all Navajo homes that are searching for a high-quality, consistent electricity service. Navajo Power Home is a collaboration between Navajo Power, a utility-scale solar developer, and iluméxico, a solar service provider for off-grid households in Mexico and Colombia.

New Day Enterprises

Soil-grown microgreens, sustainably produced and equitably distributed. These high nutrient “functional” foods enhance human health, while regenerating local economies and the communities in which they are produced.

Organically Grown Company

Organic produce marketer and regional retail distributor, offering small farms an alternative market where sellers can command fair prices for crops. One of the first companies in the U.S. to be owned by a purpose-driven perpetual trust.

Oweesta Native CDFI Investment Package

Hawaiian Community Assets Cook Inlet Housing First Nations Community Financial Tiwa Lending Services Native 360 Loan Fund NACDC Financial Services Four Directions Development Corporation White Earth Investment Initiative

Perfect Earth Foods

Organic Rice and Chia pastas ethically produced and sourced from smallholder farmers in Thailand. Perfect Earth is dedicated to growing and providing the highest quality organic food that is both good for the planet and good for those that call it home.

Raven Indigenous Capital

The Raven Indigenous Impact Fund focuses on bringing flexible patient capital to invest with Indigenous social enterprises and community-owned enterprises in Canada that are at an early-and-growth stage. The Fund screens Enterprises through a unique Indigenous impact lens, enabling them to access resources and opportunities needed to succeed through a trusted partner. The Fund represents a sustainable, values-driven approach to poverty reduction and community resilience that will directly contribute to the development of an Indigenous middle class. Affiliated Organization/Equity  [Round still open?]

Rush Creek Lodge

Green building and ongoing environmental practices in Yosemite, with an employment program serving high-potential young adults from urban backgrounds who work in various departments at the lodge as paid seasonal interns.

Sfoglini Pasta

Artisan pastas made with fresh, local ingredients from New York City green markets and local farms.

Standing Rock CDC

Building a sustainable future that will empower Indigenous Peoples to create change consistent with Lakȟóta and Dakȟóta values: Community Development, Food Sovereignty, Youth Development, Language and Culture, Partner Initiatives and Fiscal Sponsorship.

Staramaki

Natural straws and stirrers made from wheat stalks, produced by Staramaki Social Co-op in Greece and offering labor inclusion opportunities for vulnerable groups of people.

SunFunder

Unlocking capital for solar energy in emerging markets, with an initial focus on village-scale energy systems in rural Africa.

The Runway Project

Helping African American Entrepreneurs take flight, by solving the 'friends & family' seed funding gap for African American Entrepreneurs. $19K This is the divide between the Net Worth of the average black household ($11,000) and the $30,000 you need to start a business from scratch. The Runway Project aims to bridge that gap and create solutions that help entrepreneurs take off. Investing in Runway Project is as simple as taking out a Certificate of Deposit – at Berkshire Bank in Boston or Self-Help Credit Union in Oakland. HighlandsSRI/Certificate of Deposit AND Grant via DAF

Thoreau Center for Sustainability

The Thoreau Center is home to non-profit organizations involved in environmental, educational and social justice issues. It is a national model for its use of recycled and environmentally responsible materials

Thunder Valley CDC

A Lakota-run grassroots Community Development Corporation on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The 34 acre development uses a multifaceted approach to ultimately create a vibrant and healthy community as a means to alleviate poverty and create systemic change.

Tiwa Lending Services

A non-profit entity whose mission is to promote the economic growth of the Isleta Pueblo Community by creating homeownership and small business opportunities for the Isleta community. TLS operates under the governance of a 5-member Board of Directors made up of Isleta tribal members and business professionals. TLS currently operates out of the Tribal Administration Office in Isleta, New Mexico.

Veritable Vegetable

Woman-owned organic produce distributor, purchaser, transporter, and supplier of high quality organic fruits and vegetables.​ ​

White Earth Investment Initiative

Focused on helping create new jobs, improving community life, and providing assistance to Native American Communities in Minnesota, particularly the White Earth Indian Reservation. Through homebuyer education, individual homeownership advising, financial counseling, business lending, tax preparation support and other efforts, White Earth Investment Initiative provides financial tools and knowledge to individuals, families, communities, and businesses.

Winona’s Hemp

Winona’s Hemp and the Anishinaabe Agricultural  Institute are working to restore foodways, rematriate seeds, and make a new economy; one based on local food, energy and fiber.  Native-owned and managed, Winona’s Hemp for the cloth of the future and Anishinaabe Agriculture - focused on regenerative and post petroleum or reduced petroleum agriculture and restoration of traditional varieties of our food. HighlandsSRI/Grant/via DAF [Still Fundraising]