Impact Investing

Program Overview

West Side United’s Impact Investing initiative is a strategic effort to mobilize capital toward community development projects that drive measurable social and economic returns. Rather than relying solely on grants or philanthropy, the initiative focuses on using low-interest loans deployed via Community Development Financial Institutions to support mission-aligned businesses and infrastructure on Chicago’s West Side.

The central premise is that investment—not just aid—is essential for reversing decades of disinvestment in West Side neighborhoods. Impact investing allows West Side United to support community-based projects that generate local jobs, increase access to critical services (like healthcare or groceries), and build long-term community wealth.

This approach supports not only traditional businesses but also affordable housing development, workforce infrastructure, and community ownership models, particularly those that align with West Side United’s focus on healthcare, economic vitality, and racial equity.

Key Partners and Impacts

Key partners in the Impact Investing strategy include:

• Anchor institutions and investment partners, who invest institutional dollars with partner Community Development Financial Institutions to deliver loans.

• Community Development Financial Institutions, such as CCLF, which identify and screen borrowers and deliver our investments as low-interest community loans.

• Financial institutions, who ensure our investments and partner CDFIs are on strong footing.

Impact investing has already yielded significant outcomes:

• Capital mobilization, like the $19.4 million our investors have lent to CDFIs for West Side projects since 2018.

• Job creation and economic multiplier effects from loans to small businesses, which have resulted in over 1,100 jobs created or preserved through these investments.

• Opening access to capital to small businesses and nonprofits that have not had the opportunity to borrow through traditional banking institutions.

Long-Term Vision

The long-term vision for West Side United’s Impact Investing work is to create a sustainable, community-controlled pipeline of capital that funds development in historically excluded neighborhoods. This includes:

• Creating a revolving investment fund to continually support new projects.

• Encouraging more anchor institutions and corporate partners to commit to local investing.

• Supporting models of community ownership and wealth-building, such as co-ops, community land trusts, or social enterprises.

Ultimately, West Side United envisions a future where impact-driven capital is consistently available for projects that prioritize health equity, economic inclusion, and racial justice—and where West Side communities are not just recipients of investment, but owners and decision-makers in their own futures.