Justice has always been at the heart of our work at the Vermont Community Loan Fund. Guided by our vision of access to capital for all Vermonters, we’ve always dedicated ourselves to the fight for a more socially and economically just Vermont.
As popular concern about the climate crisis has grown, the relationships between social justice, economic justice and environmental justice have only become more apparent. It’s well-documented that the climate crisis has disproportionately greater impacts upon those living in lower-income/-wealth communities, communities of color and the other marginalized populations the Loan Fund seeks to serve. Lower-wealth households struggle to accumulate the financial resources to prepare for and recover from natural disasters. They’re also more likely to live and work in geographies or buildings with greater exposure to the hazards brought about by extreme weather events. Lower-wealth communities are less likely to receive federal aid in response to natural disasters, and receive disproportionately less aid than higher-wealth communities, when they get anything at all. Lower-wealth households are more likely to have climate crisis-related health problems exacerbated by higher rates of chronic conditions and increased exposure to pollutants.
As a mission-driven lender & impact investment fund, and as a leader in the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) industry, the Vermont Community Loan Fund is committed to doing our part in the fight for environmental justice. We included this statement of intent in our current Strategic Plan, adopted in September 2018:
VCLF will value activities and opportunities in its business and lending operations that lead to beneficial impacts on the natural environment and strive to mitigate negative environmental impacts.
Since then, the Loan Fund’s Board and staff have been working to identify the first wave of strategies we’ll undertake:
1. VCLF has signed a letter of commitment to join the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials North America. Beginning in the new year, we’ll use their methodology to perform a greenhouse gas emissions/carbon impact analysis of our loan portfolio. Understanding our work’s carbon impact will help us identify opportunities to work more effectively and transparently to mitigate our carbon footprint. As one of the early adopters of the PCAF methodology in North America, we’re excited play a part in helping to develop it for future use by the CDFI industry and mainstream financial institutions alike.
2. VCLF is committed to using our voice and our standing in the CDFI industry to amplify the conversation about how CDFIs and our partners can fight for environmental justice. VCLF staff are involved in a new climate justice working group that began at this fall’s annual conference of the Opportunity Finance Network, the CDFI industry’s largest trade association.
3. VCLF has expressed our concerns about the climate crisis to the mainstream financial institutions and other CDFI allies with whom we work. We’ll continue to encourage use of our industry’s collective voice to promote climate justice action from our partners.
4. Whenever possible, VCLF strives to minimize our paper use. In 2019, we’ve launched a paperless process for investing with us via DocuSign, and we’re committed to expanding that practice to our lending and internal operations as well.
To the Loan Fund’s investors, borrowers, donors, allies, peers & partners: THANK YOU for the part you play in our work, past, present & future. YOU are the community in the Vermont Community Loan Fund. We’ll continue to keep you informed of our progress and strategies as we move forward in the fight for social, economic & environmental justice. Thank you for making our work possible.
Justice has always been at the heart of our work at the Vermont Community Loan Fund. Guided by our vision of access to capital for all Vermonters, we’ve always dedicated ourselves to the fight for a more socially and economically just Vermont.
As popular concern about the climate crisis has grown, the relationships between social justice, economic justice and environmental justice have only become more apparent. It’s well-documented that the climate crisis has disproportionately greater impacts upon those living in lower-income/-wealth communities, communities of color and the other marginalized populations the Loan Fund seeks to serve. Lower-wealth households struggle to accumulate the financial resources to prepare for and recover from natural disasters. They’re also more likely to live and work in geographies or buildings with greater exposure to the hazards brought about by extreme weather events. Lower-wealth communities are less likely to receive federal aid in response to natural disasters, and receive disproportionately less aid than higher-wealth communities, when they get anything at all. Lower-wealth households are more likely to have climate crisis-related health problems exacerbated by higher rates of chronic conditions and increased exposure to pollutants.
As a mission-driven lender & impact investment fund, and as a leader in the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) industry, the Vermont Community Loan Fund is committed to doing our part in the fight for environmental justice. We included this statement of intent in our current Strategic Plan, adopted in September 2018:
VCLF will value activities and opportunities in its business and lending operations that lead to beneficial impacts on the natural environment and strive to mitigate negative environmental impacts.
Since then, the Loan Fund’s Board and staff have been working to identify the first wave of strategies we’ll undertake:
1. VCLF has signed a letter of commitment to join the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials North America. Beginning in the new year, we’ll use their methodology to perform a greenhouse gas emissions/carbon impact analysis of our loan portfolio. Understanding our work’s carbon impact will help us identify opportunities to work more effectively and transparently to mitigate our carbon footprint. As one of the early adopters of the PCAF methodology in North America, we’re excited play a part in helping to develop it for future use by the CDFI industry and mainstream financial institutions alike.
2. VCLF is committed to using our voice and our standing in the CDFI industry to amplify the conversation about how CDFIs and our partners can fight for environmental justice. VCLF staff are involved in a new climate justice working group that began at this fall’s annual conference of the Opportunity Finance Network, the CDFI industry’s largest trade association.
3. VCLF has expressed our concerns about the climate crisis to the mainstream financial institutions and other CDFI allies with whom we work. We’ll continue to encourage use of our industry’s collective voice to promote climate justice action from our partners.
4. Whenever possible, VCLF strives to minimize our paper use. In 2019, we’ve launched a paperless process for investing with us via DocuSign, and we’re committed to expanding that practice to our lending and internal operations as well.
To the Loan Fund’s investors, borrowers, donors, allies, peers & partners: THANK YOU for the part you play in our work, past, present & future. YOU are the community in the Vermont Community Loan Fund. We’ll continue to keep you informed of our progress and strategies as we move forward in the fight for social, economic & environmental justice. Thank you for making our work possible.