Honey production sweetens snow leopard conservation in Kyrgyzstan

The Brooklyn Cooperative Federal Credit Union provides small business loans to local Black and Brown businesses, through average investments of $24,000. This small, community lender provides more funding to local businesses than larger national banks like Citibank, Wells Fargo and Bank of America, helping support local businesses and finance community development.

Threatened wildlife co-exists with poverty stricken communities who inhabit the Arizona-Mexico border region. Borderlands Restoration's conservation scientists are hoping to alleviate poverty while repairing the local environment by providing jobs that help preserve and renew the environment.

The Nusantra Fund provides financial support directly to community-led projects in Indonesia. The aim is to improve the livelihoods of Indigenous and local people while tackling climate change impacts and protecting biodiversity.

Women in central India are being recruited and professionally trained as wildlife safari guides and naturalists. Government hiring initiatives and Pugdundee Safaris' ProNat program have provided rural women with stable, well-paying careers while improving the safari experience for tourists and increasing conservation compliance in tiger reserves.

A community land trust in Fresno's Tower District used a combination of CDFI financing, foundation grants, and donations to acquire its first commercial property, bringing an indie bookstore to a neighborhood where high rents previously made that impossible. The land trust has also produced a new community park and favorable city zoning changes, demonstrating how CLTs can extend beyond affordable housing to support broader community development.

The Laudato Si' Leadership Training program, a collaboration between the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, uses church teachings on the environment to facilitate actions that address climate change and other socio-ecological issues in the region.

Faced with inadequate internet service that was driving away businesses, the remote West Texas town of Monahans launched a community-driven initiative to build its own fiber optic broadband network. The town cobbled together $3.2 million from a variety of sources, including federal CARES Act funds and venture capital, to create an underground fiber network that serves about 2,000 homes and businesses, with plans to expand.

The Heurich House Museum in Washington, D.C., has created two targeted initiatives—the Urban Manufacturing Incubator and the DC Makers' Guild—to support local small-scale artisan businesses facing barriers to growth such as high rent fees and limited visibility. These programs provide mentorship, business coaching, market entry opportunities, like various mini markets throughout the year, and advocacy support to improve market conditions for these small businesses.

Invest STL’s Rooted program provides financial and investment help to community members by giving them money and pairing them with a financial advisor who helps them build generational wealth and avoid displacement by putting their money into wealth-building activities like property renovations and investment portfolios. 50 people have participated in the program so far, and early evidence shows they’re investing their money in responsible, meaningful ways, and gaining a deeper connection to their fellow community members.

Novia Scotia, Canada, created community economic development investment funds with a 35% tax credit to investors to help small businesses that need capital but don’t qualify for bank loans. The cooperative FarmWorks brings together investors and farmers using this funding method to provide loans that will directly support the local food network.