In increasing our maximum loan size, NCCLF is responding to a demonstrated need among our borrowers. Since 2005, our lending team has closed ten loans larger than $1 million, requiring us to find additional loan participants to fund critical projects. This increase in loan size will allow us greater flexibility in supporting the unique needs of nonprofit borrowers. Equally important, we will be able to finance larger and more comprehensive projects, benefitting a greater number of low-income families and underserved neighborhoods. “Northern California is one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country, and our clients have a growing need for more capital to fund their projects,” said Dutch Haarsma, NCCLF Senior Vice President and Director of Lending. “Responding to unmet credit need has always been a hallmark of the fund. In these difficult times, our loans are needed more now than ever.”

Extending our maximum loan term from five years to ten years will also benefit NCCLF’s nonprofit borrowers. We can now make long-term permanent loans, which can be repaid over an extended period through operating income or from a capital campaign. Very few organizations like NCCLF offer ten-year loan terms; NCCLF will be filling a financing gap faced by many nonprofits looking for long-term financial support. “Permanent financing is the key to financial feasibility for many nonprofit projects,” said Haarsma. “We are looking forward to helping more organizations sustainably build these important safety-net projects in our community.”

Amy Domini responds to a question from Scott Shafer. Photo courtesy of Manzanares Photography.

NCCLF President Mary A. Rogier presided over the evening’s activities. Kirke Wilson, Vice Chair of NCCLF’s Board of Directors, joined Mary to present the 2010 Community Impact Awards to one agency and two women who have made a critical difference in our neighborhoods and communities.

Joseph Smooke, Executive Director of the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center (BHNC), accepted the Award on behalf of his agency. BHNC promotes community action for justice and equality, focusing on affordable housing, meal programs, job training, health care management, and youth programs.

Jane Baker, a local artist and community activist, was honored for her leadership in helping to found NCCLF nearly 23 years ago, and for her long term commitment to socially responsible investing.

Jenny C. Flores, Vice President, Northern California Community Relations Division Manager with Citi, was our third honoree. In addition to Jenny’s many professional accomplishments through her work at Citi, we were pleased to recognize Jenny for her commitment and personal service to the community.

We paid tribute to George Williamson, who passed away in January, 2010, by presenting his wife and family with a Board Resolution on his many contributions to us and to our industry. George served with distinction on the NCCLF Board of Directors for over 15 years.

Retiring Board members Pamela Merchant and Jonathan Klein were also recognized. Both served on the NCCLF Board for many years and have each contributed much time and creativity to NCCLF. 

The evening ended with two superb performances by the young members of Youth Radio, an innovative NCCLF nonprofit client. A beautiful vocal performance and a high-powered, high-energy dance by members of Youth Radio’s dance group “Get Wit It” were enthusiastically received by the audience.

Members of Youth Radio's dance group perform at NCCLF's Spring Event. Photo courtesy of Manzanares Photography.

Housing CA works directly with affordable housing champions like Habitat for Humanity, who provided a home to the Montiero family after theirs was lost in a fire. Photo courtesy of Jerome Love.

Established in 1979, Housing California (HCA) is our state’s leading advocacy and research group for affordable housing. HCA’s mission is to increase the supply of decent, safe, accessible, and permanently affordable homes for homeless and low-income Californians. Headquartered in Sacramento, HCA also hosts the nation’s largest affordable housing conference. Historically, nearly two-thirds of HCA’s revenue is generated from the conferences it produces, but the economic downturn recently led to a drop in conference revenue. While HCA successfully met the challenge of this decline by attracting significantly increased grant support, the less predictable timing of grant disbursements left it with short-term liquidity needs. The organization turned to NCCLF for a line of credit to guard against any potential future cash flow management challenges. NCCLF is proud to provide security and peace of mind to this innovative organization as they continue to bring affordable housing issues to the forefront of California’s legislative process.

NCCLF has worked with the City of San Francisco’s Grants for the Arts program for many years, providing technical assistance and consulting to local arts organizations. Our team will continue to help nonprofits become fiscally fit in order to benefit from the loans offered by this new initiative. We are currently working with a number of organizations, including Intersection for the Arts, the Luggage Store Gallery, North of Market Neighborhood Improvement Corporation, and the Tenderloin Housing Clinic to help increase their capacity to qualify for the financial support that they require. For more information on this new initiative, please contact Amy B. Cohen, Director of Neighborhood Business Development at the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development at (415) 554-6649, or at amy.b.cohen@sfgov.org.

NFWSC supporters at the groundbreaking ceremony for Las Rosas Courts. Photo courtesy of NFWSC.

If it were an independent country, the state of California would have the 7th highest GDP in the world. Nevertheless, many of our senior citizens are poor. Over one-third of Californians 65 years and older live below 200% of the federal poverty line. Moreover, the maximum income for seniors to qualify for federal government assistance – $10,210 – is frequently less than half of the cost of basic necessities such as housing, food, healthcare, and transportation. Elderly farm workers in rural California are particularly vulnerable to current economic pressures; in addition to suffering from grueling work conditions and substandard living facilities, they are often passed over by hiring managers in favor of younger workers, making it difficult to support themselves as they grow older.

NCCLF is especially pleased to partner with the National Farm Workers Service Center (NFWSC), an organization which has worked to improve the lives of elderly farm worker and Latino families for the past 40 years. Founded in 1966 by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, NFWSC was initially conceived as a storefront drop-in center to meet the social service and health needs of farm workers in California’s Central Valley. Today, NFWSC helps farm worker families and underserved communities in five western states obtain affordable housing, quality public education and integrated health and wellness services. NFWSC builds and renovates multi-family apartment properties and single-family homes to make safe, amenity-rich affordable housing available to very low-income families and seniors.

La Casa Hernandez, a project of the NFWSC, which offers integrated health services for elderly Latino residents. Photo courtesy of NFWSC.

In late 2009 NCCLF provided NFWSC a $400,000 loan to refinance a vacant property in a currently unincorporated part of east Bakersfield. In partnership with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), NFWSC will develop this property into an affordable senior housing community, serving very low income households with incomes less than $22,300 for a family of two. Upon completion, it will provide homes for 48 senior families, as well as a community kitchen, computer lab and outdoor recreational area.

It will also feature NFWSC’s flagship health and community-building program for seniors, known as Senior Spirit, Mind and Body. Modeled after La Casa Hernandez, an existing NFWSC senior community in Delano, California, the Bakersfield site will offer elderly residents a spectrum of integrated health and wellness services. Seniors can participate in exercising, walking, and yoga clubs. They can also take classes in computer literacy, online financial management, physical and cyber-self-defense. Mental health counselors will be available to help residents learn healthy stress reduction and conflict resolution tools. Weekly bingo games, birthday celebrations and presentations by guest speakers from the greater Bakersfield community are expected to be especially popular.

The Bakersfield senior center also aims to connect residents to the larger community. “Our goal is to establish positive relationships between our seniors and people in the greater Bakersfield community – for example, with younger participants in our multi-family after-school programs,” said Gina Rodriguez, NFWSC’s National Community Services Director. “Giving seniors and young people opportunities to learn from each other minimizes depression and isolation among both groups and helps to create a more seamless, fully supportive community environment.”

This partnership with the National Farm Workers Service Center is one of NCCLF’s first affordable housing endeavors in rural California. We are excited to work with this effective organization on a project that embodies the spirit of the mission we share.

NCCLF Investor Sue Severin

Sue Severin was born and raised in the San Francisco area. She is a mother, community mobilizer, world traveler, international political activist, and an investor with NCCLF.

Sue received her Political Science degree from Stanford, and then moved to Washington, D.C., where she was on staff for the Richard Nixon Campaign for President. After his election, Sue stayed in Washington to work with a Republican congressman until such time as she found her values beginning to change. She became a Foreign Service employee and worked at the U.S. Embassy in Paris. After a few years, she decided it was time to work on domestic issues closer to her hometown. She enrolled at San Francisco State and earned her Master’s Degree in English, followed by a doctorate. Subsequently, she taught English and Speech at City College in San Francisco.

Sue and her family moved to Berkeley, where she became engaged in public health education; she returned to school and earned a Master’s Degree in Public Health at San Jose State University. It was also during this time in Berkeley that her interest in international justice and political activism became of paramount importance to her, and she accepted a position in Nicaragua to serve as Minister of Health for two years, until such time as the government there decided there would be no more “internacionalistas” serving in high level cabinet positions.

Returning to the Bay Area, Sue became a health educator in Marin County, where she developed a program designed to provide car seats county-wide for children who needed them. Now retired, Sue’s passion for social justice has escalated, and she has been an Election Observer in countries such as Mexico, El Salvador, East Timor, Nicaragua and Indonesia. Recently, Sue returned from another volunteer opportunity in Afghanistan – she has been travelling there regularly for the last five years – where she is deeply involved as a Bare Root Tree Planter, a program that has already assisted citizens with the planting of over 12,000 trees.

Sue has been involved with NCCLF since 2001, and we are very proud to have her as a member of our investment community.

A woman and child examine the sprouts emerging at a People's Grocery urban garden. Photo courtesy of People's Garden.

In an effort to provide solutions to “food injustice,” Brahm Ahmadi and Malaika Edwards formed the People’s Grocery in Oakland, California in 2003, with a mission to build a sustainable community food system. This cutting-edge organization has operated programs successfully in West Oakland since then, and is continually seeking methods to expand and improve the services offered to the residents of this area.

People’s Grocery has three primary strategic goals. The first is Food Enterprise Development, which emphasizes community-owned and operated healthy food markets and related businesses. The second, Community Outreach and Education, is designed to provide nutrition education, “green” career paths for youth, and food justice activities which encourage the community to eat healthy. Finally, the agency provides opportunities for the community to engage in urban agriculture projects. They currently operate three gardens, a greenhouse and, in Sunol, an urban farm.

People’s Grocery’s leadership team met with NCCLF’s Consulting Director, Joshua Simon, to refine their plans to expand their urban garden projects into a vacant property on Filbert Street in West Oakland. This expansion will allow People’s Grocery to have the first intensive urban agriculture site in a key inner city area. NCCLF awarded People’s Grocery a $15,000 grant to hire a consultant to study the feasibility of raising produce on this site as a source of products for the Grocery. After this study, People’s will develop a business plan. The funds were made available through the generosity of a fund created by an individual donor, which NCCLF manages. (These funds are restricted by the donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, for use in the East Bay for especially high-impact projects.)

Our work with People’s Grocery is a good example of how NCCLF responds to the unique needs of clients and neighborhoods. We are ready and reliably able to serve nonprofits working to transform low-income communities.

MEDA supporters at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Plaza Adelante. Photo courtesy of MEDA.

On March 6th, a sunny spring Saturday, 19th Street in San Francisco was filled with the energy and color for which the Mission District is famous. The Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) hosted a celebration to commemorate the opening of its new project, Plaza Adelante. Plaza Adelante (http://plazaadelante.org/) is the 21,000 square foot home for MEDA and a group of other nonprofits which include the Mission Asset Fund, Good Samaritan Family Resource Center, and CAMINOS Pathways Learning Center.

To introduce Plaza Adelante to the neighborhood, MEDA held a  community festival on 19th Street that included live music, food, games for kids, and a resource fair featuring over 25 community nonprofits. Public officials including Supervisors David Campos and Chris Daly, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, and State Senator Mark Leno spoke at a press conference and ribbon cutting to recognize the transformational power of the project.

Luis Granados, MEDA’s Executive Director, couldn’t have been happier. “We’re tremendously proud that so many of our neighbors and supporters came out today to celebrate the opening with us. Without them, this project never would have happened,” said Mr. Granados. “The reaction people have had to the project has been great. People have been eager to learn what is happening here and how they can be a part of it.”

Plaza Adelante is an ambitious project with a simple idea, yet critical in a shrinking economy: organizations combining forces under one roof to provide vital services such as homeownership counseling, microenterprise development, financial education, and computer and financial services training in order to maximize the benefit for families seeking ways to build prosperity.

Plaza Adelante is a new model of collaboration where groups share space, streamline administration, and cut down on overhead costs. This allows Plaza Adelante partners to spend more of their resources serving clients. A report by the San Francisco Community-Based Organizations Task Force entitled “Partnering with Nonprofits in Tough Times” came to many of the same conclusions, championing the consolidation of back shop operations and heightened collaboration that will support a more efficient non-profit sector.

In addition to the street festival, MEDA hosted two other events at Plaza Adelante which put the focus on the impact this project can have on San Francisco. On Thursday, March 4th, MEDA hosted a donor appreciation reception featuring a panel of speakers who discussed how Plaza Adelante’s asset development mission fits in with a broader community development agenda. Speakers included San Francisco Supervisor David Campos and Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting; also Heather McCullough, founder of Asset Building Strategies, and Theresa Fay-Bustillos of IdealPhilanthropy, LLC.

On Friday, March 5th, over 70 representatives from Mission District nonprofits convened at Plaza Adelante to participate in a panel discussion focused on the future of nonprofit collaborations in light of decreased funding opportunities. This panel of speakers included San Francisco Supervisors John Avalos and David Campos, as well as Doug Shoemaker, Director of the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing, Amanda Feinstein of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, and James Head of the San Francisco Foundation.

“With so much uncertainty in the economy and increased demand for our services, we have to be smarter about how we run nonprofits. We need to find ways to innovate with fewer resources and this project is working proactively toward that,” Mr. Granados said. Plaza Adelante’s services are critical to economic recovery, helping families earn, manage and save money, as well as assisting them in building assets for the long term. Critically, all of the center’s services will be offered in English and Spanish, ensuring that Latinos and immigrant families have maximum access to the space and programs.

The Northern California Community Loan Fund provided technical assistance and consulting services to MEDA, in addition to providing a facilities loan which enabled them to purchase the old furniture store and transform it into Plaza Adelante.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Green Room in the War Memorial
401 Van Ness, San Francisco, CA

You are invited! Join over 250 fellow community development professionals, investors, donors, clients and friends at NCCLF’s annual spring event on May 19. Like last year, the event will be held at the beautiful Green Room in the War Memorial building in  San Francisco. It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn about the socially responsible investing (SRI) movement from a true visionary and a founder of the SRI industry, Amy Domini. It’s also an enjoyable and informal opportunity to forge new relationships; to meet  people and reconnect with old friends.

SRI pioneer and expert Amy Domini will dialogue with Scott Shafer about the SRI movement in her on-stage interview. Ms. Domini co-developed the Domini 400 Social Index in 1990 so that individuals could match their values with their investments, and still make a profit. She authored the groundbreaking Ethical Investing in 1986, has written a number of other SRI-related books, and is currently the CEO for Domini Social Investments, a $1.8 billion financial investment firm.

Scott Shafer has been in radio news since the early 1980s, and is a well-respected host and reporter on The California Report (KQED, 88.5 FM) which is carried by 24 public radio stations throughout California.

Based on numbers from years past, we anticipate an attendance of between 250-275 people. One of the highlights of the evening is the presentation of the Community Impact Awards. These awards honor and celebrate community leaders, volunteers, and industry notables who have made significant contributions to the community development/revitalization field in the 46 Northern California counties we continue to serve.

We are proud to announce our 2010 Community Impact Awardees: Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center; Jane Baker, one of the founders of NCCLF and a nationally known artist; and Jenny C. Flores, Division Manager, Northern California Community Relations with Citi. We will also be acknowledging individuals who recently resigned from our Board of Directors after many years of service: Pamela J. Merchant, Vickie Scott Grove, Frank Bravo, and Jonathan Klein.

Another important portion of our program will be a tribute to George Williamson, who passed away earlier this year. George played an instrumental part in the early development of the Loan Fund, and served as a valued member and thoughtful leader of our Board – including a period of time as Board Chair – for many years. We will miss him.

As always, NCCLF needs and welcomes financial support to enable our work to continue. This year we are offering five levels of corporate event sponsorship, as well as an individual sponsorship category. The categories and their benefits are:

$25,000 Presenting Sponsorship

• Sole sponsorship of event and speaking opportunity at welcome.
• Prominent event signage near podium.
• Announcement of Presenting Sponsorship and placement of company logo on our website through the summer of 2010.
• Presenting Sponsorship credit included in all media releases and announcements.
• Prominent sponsorship logo/information on event invitations and full page ad in event program.
• Complementary admission to the event for up to 20 employees and friends.

$10,000 Infrastructure Sponsorship

• Special signage and recognition at our event.
• Announcement of sponsorship and logo on our website.
• Sponsorship credit included in all media releases.
• Prominent sponsorship on invitations and 4.5 x 7.5 ad in event program.
• Complementary admission to the event for up to 10 employees and friends.

$5,000 Brick Sponsorship

• Special signage and recognition at our event.
• Announcement of sponsorship and logo on our website.
• Sponsorship credit included in all media releases.
• Sponsorship on invitations and a 3.5 x 4.5 ad in our event program.
• Complementary admission to the event for up to five employees and friends.

$3,000 Pillar Sponsorship

• Recognition at event on signage and mention from the podium during event.
• Sponsorship credit included in all media releases.
• Name recognition on website.
• Sponsorship listed on invitations and a 2.125 x 3.5 ad in event program.
• Complementary admission for three employees or friends.

$1,000 Hard Hat Sponsorship

• Recognition at event on signage and mention from the podium during event.
• Name recognition on website.
• Recognition in event program.
• Complementary admission for two employees or friends.

$1,000 Individual Sponsorship

• Recognition at event on signage and mention from the podium during event.
• Recognition in event program.
• Complementary admission for two included.

General Individual Tickets:       $100.00 each
Individual Nonprofit Tickets:   $50.00 each
Purchase Tickets Online

2010 Event Sponsors to 5/1/10

$10,000 Infrastructure Sponsor

Union Bank

Northern Trust, NA

$5,000 Brick Sponsor

Bank of America

Citi

San Francisco Business Times

Wells Fargo Bank

$3,000 Pillar Sponsor

Borel Private Bank & Trust

City National Bank

Mechanics Bank

SCM Advisors

United Labor Bank

$1,000 Hard Hat Sponsors

Federal Reserve Bank

Green, Radovsky, Maloney, Share & Hennigh

Presidio Bank

Silicon Valley Bank

Sterling Bank & Trust

Wells Fargo Insurance Services

For further information on sponsorship and advertisements in the program, please contact Sherry Simmons, Director of Resource Development at 415-392-8215 x307, or by email, ssimmons@ncclf.org. This program will be a sell-out and space is limited, so please get your requests in as soon as possible.