We are committed to financial products and services that dismantle systemic racism and lead us toward a Vermont that's equitable for ALL Vermonters.

JUSTICE FORWARD FUND UPDATE, March 31st, 2023

In September 2021, VCLF’s Board of Directors authorized us to launch the Justice Forward Fund, with a $1 million goal for new lending during its initial pilot phase. With almost $750,000 in loans and commitments to new Justice Forward Fund borrowers since then, we’re nearing the conclusion of that pilot phase.

This is an important time in the Justice Forward Fund’s evolution. Over the next couple of months, we’ll be talking to borrowers, partners and stakeholders to learn about their JFF experience. We’ll take a look at our lending and underwriting criteria, and the technical assistance we provide to borrowers along the way. We’ll think about the changes we can make to help the JFF best meet its mission. Most of all, we want Justice Forward Fund borrowers to have access to capital to meet their needs, find sustainable success, and build wealth.

The JFF will be taking a short pause in new lending as we go through this process of evaluation and evolution. Please submit your JFF application by April 17th to be considered for a loan during this pilot phase. Applications received after the 17th will be considered when the Justice Forward Fund resumes/relaunches later this year as a permanent program of the Vermont Community Loan Fund.


VCLF recognizes the injustice and inequity perpetrated by the legacy of systemic racism in financial systems, in America, and in Vermont. We are committed to building new ways to move capital to those who have been historically, systemically disenfranchised and denied access to opportunity.

VCLF's mission is to create access to capital for all Vermonters. Through the Justice Forward Fund, we direct a portion of our impact investment capital to serving Vermonters traditionally and generationally excluded from conventional financial markets and services:

    • Black Vermonters
    • Indigenous Vermonters; and
    • Vermonters of Color


In an effort to preserve and grow wealth within the communities we're seeking to serve, and make Justice Forward Fund financing as equitable and accessible as possible, the Fund has the following unique characteristics that differentiate it from other VCLF loan programs:

    • A streamlined loan application
    • No up-front fees
    • No credit score requirement
    • No collateral requirement
    • Interest rates between 0 - 3%

WE'RE HERE TO HELP: VCLF's Business Resource Center

Justice Forward Fund borrowers will also receive business development assistance, AT NO COST TO YOU, from VCLF’s Business Resource Center. We can help with business planning, money management, marketing & sales…whatever you need! Our staff works closely with borrowers every step of the way, from the inquiry stage throughout the lifetime of the loan, making sure you have access to all the tools you need for your enterprise to be successful. We're happy to meet with you at your location, over the phone or online, or at the Loan Fund's offices in Montpelier, at a time that's convenient for you.

If your project has other financing needs, or your project’s need is greater than $40,000 or otherwise ineligible for the Justice Forward Fund, VCLF may offer other flexible, affordable financing options through our other business loan programs, including the Food, Farms & Forests Fund, SPROUT, TRAILS or our general business loan program.

Do you need assistance with language access? Please ask us!
هل تحتاج إلى مساعدة في الوصول إلى اللغة؟ من فضلك اسألنا!
ဘာသာစကားအသုံးပြုခွင့်အတွက် အကူအညီ လိုအပ်ပါသလား။ ကျေးဇူးပြု၍ ကျွန်ုပ်တို့ကို မေးပါ။
您需要語言存取方面的協助嗎?請詢問我們!
آیا برای دسترسی به زبان به کمک نیاز دارید؟ لطفا از ما بپرسید!
Avez-vous besoin d'aide pour l'accès aux langues? S'il vous plaît demandez-nous!
Woba ukeneye imfashanyo y'ururimi? Mubaze rero!
के तपाईलाई भाषा पहुँचको लागि सहयोग चाहिन्छ? कृपया हामीलाई सोध्नुहोस्!
ایا تاسو د ژبې د لاسرسي لپاره مرستې ته اړتیا لرئ؟ مهرباني وکړئ له موږ څخه پوښتنه وکړئ!
Ma u baahan tahay in lagaa caawiyo gelitaanka luqadda? Fadlan na waydii!
¿Necesita ayuda con el acceso al idioma? ¡Por favor pregúntanos!
Je, unahitaji usaidizi kuhusu ufikiaji wa lugha? Tafadhali tuulize!
ኣብ ምብጻሕ ቋንቋ ሓገዝ የድልየካ ድዩ? በጃኹም ሕተቱና!
Вам потрібна допомога з доступом до мови? Будь ласка, запитайте нас!
Bạn có cần hỗ trợ về việc tiếp cận ngôn ngữ không? Hãy hỏi chúng tôi!

JUSTICE FORWARD FUND UPDATE, March 31st, 2023

In September 2021, VCLF’s Board of Directors authorized us to launch the Justice Forward Fund, with a $1 million goal for new lending during its initial pilot phase. With almost $750,000 in loans and commitments to new Justice Forward Fund borrowers since then, we’re nearing the conclusion of that pilot phase.

This is an important time in the Justice Forward Fund’s evolution. Over the next couple of months, we’ll be talking to borrowers, partners and stakeholders to learn about their JFF experience. We’ll take a look at our lending and underwriting criteria, and the technical assistance we provide to borrowers along the way. We’ll think about the changes we can make to help the JFF best meet its mission. Most of all, we want Justice Forward Fund borrowers to have access to capital to meet their needs, find sustainable success, and build wealth.

The JFF will be taking a short pause in new lending as we go through this process of evaluation and evolution. Please submit your JFF application by April 17th to be considered for a loan during this pilot phase. Applications received after the 17th will be considered when the Justice Forward Fund resumes/relaunches later this year as a permanent program of the Vermont Community Loan Fund.


VCLF recognizes the injustice and inequity perpetrated by the legacy of systemic racism in financial systems, in America, and in Vermont. We are committed to building new ways to move capital to those who have been historically, systemically disenfranchised and denied access to opportunity.

VCLF's mission is to create access to capital for all Vermonters. Through the Justice Forward Fund, we direct a portion of our impact investment capital to serving Vermonters traditionally and generationally excluded from conventional financial markets and services:

    • Black Vermonters
    • Indigenous Vermonters; and
    • Vermonters of Color


In an effort to preserve and grow wealth within the communities we're seeking to serve, and make Justice Forward Fund financing as equitable and accessible as possible, the Fund has the following unique characteristics that differentiate it from other VCLF loan programs:

    • A streamlined loan application
    • No up-front fees
    • No credit score requirement
    • No collateral requirement
    • Interest rates between 0 - 3%

WE'RE HERE TO HELP: VCLF's Business Resource Center

Justice Forward Fund borrowers will also receive business development assistance, AT NO COST TO YOU, from VCLF’s Business Resource Center. We can help with business planning, money management, marketing & sales…whatever you need! Our staff works closely with borrowers every step of the way, from the inquiry stage throughout the lifetime of the loan, making sure you have access to all the tools you need for your enterprise to be successful. We're happy to meet with you at your location, over the phone or online, or at the Loan Fund's offices in Montpelier, at a time that's convenient for you.

If your project has other financing needs, or your project’s need is greater than $40,000 or otherwise ineligible for the Justice Forward Fund, VCLF may offer other flexible, affordable financing options through our other business loan programs, including the Food, Farms & Forests Fund, SPROUT, TRAILS or our general business loan program.

Do you need assistance with language access? Please ask us!
هل تحتاج إلى مساعدة في الوصول إلى اللغة؟ من فضلك اسألنا!
ဘာသာစကားအသုံးပြုခွင့်အတွက် အကူအညီ လိုအပ်ပါသလား။ ကျေးဇူးပြု၍ ကျွန်ုပ်တို့ကို မေးပါ။
您需要語言存取方面的協助嗎?請詢問我們!
آیا برای دسترسی به زبان به کمک نیاز دارید؟ لطفا از ما بپرسید!
Avez-vous besoin d'aide pour l'accès aux langues? S'il vous plaît demandez-nous!
Woba ukeneye imfashanyo y'ururimi? Mubaze rero!
के तपाईलाई भाषा पहुँचको लागि सहयोग चाहिन्छ? कृपया हामीलाई सोध्नुहोस्!
ایا تاسو د ژبې د لاسرسي لپاره مرستې ته اړتیا لرئ؟ مهرباني وکړئ له موږ څخه پوښتنه وکړئ!
Ma u baahan tahay in lagaa caawiyo gelitaanka luqadda? Fadlan na waydii!
¿Necesita ayuda con el acceso al idioma? ¡Por favor pregúntanos!
Je, unahitaji usaidizi kuhusu ufikiaji wa lugha? Tafadhali tuulize!
ኣብ ምብጻሕ ቋንቋ ሓገዝ የድልየካ ድዩ? በጃኹም ሕተቱና!
Вам потрібна допомога з доступом до мови? Будь ласка, запитайте нас!
Bạn có cần hỗ trợ về việc tiếp cận ngôn ngữ không? Hãy hỏi chúng tôi!

LENDING AREA

The Justice Forward Fund is a statewide program.

ELIGIBILITY

The Justice Forward Fund serves Vermonters traditionally, systemically and/or generationally excluded from conventional financial markets and services:

  • Black Vermonters
  • Indigenous Vermonters, and
  • Vermonters of Color

The Justice Forward Fund serves Vermonters who have not yet had the opportunity to build wealth. Eligible borrowers include:

  • small businesses, including sole proprietors, where BIPOC Vermonters own at least 50% of the business
  • nonprofit organizations and community facilities, where (a) BIPOC Vermonters serve as leadership on the staff and/or Board of Directors, and/or (b) the organization's mission explicitly and directly serves BIPOC Vermonters
  • early care & learning businesses owned or led by BIPOC Vermonters, and
  • affordable housing developed, built and/or controlled by BIPOC Vermonters

Eligible businesses can be for- or nonprofit, but cannot be a passive real estate company.

ACCEPTABLE USES

  • Working capital
  • Equipment
  • Inventory
  • Facility construction or improvement
  • Lines of credit
  • Debt refinance

RATES AND TERMS

The Vermont Community Loan Fund is committed to preserving and growing wealth within communities of color in Vermont. Justice Forward Fund loans will have a reduced interest rate no more than 3.0%, with lower rates available based upon the borrower's net worth. Rates may adjust down to 0%:

INTERST RATEBORROWER NET WORTH
3.0%Greater than $36,150
2.5%Between $24,101 and $36,150
1.5%Between $18,076 and $24,100
0%Less than $18,075


LOAN AMOUNT

Justice Forward Fund loans will have a loan size between $1,000 and $40,000.

LENDING AREA

The Justice Forward Fund is a statewide program.

ELIGIBILITY

The Justice Forward Fund serves Vermonters traditionally, systemically and/or generationally excluded from conventional financial markets and services:

  • Black Vermonters
  • Indigenous Vermonters, and
  • Vermonters of Color

The Justice Forward Fund serves Vermonters who have not yet had the opportunity to build wealth. Eligible borrowers include:

  • small businesses, including sole proprietors, where BIPOC Vermonters own at least 50% of the business
  • nonprofit organizations and community facilities, where (a) BIPOC Vermonters serve as leadership on the staff and/or Board of Directors, and/or (b) the organization's mission explicitly and directly serves BIPOC Vermonters
  • early care & learning businesses owned or led by BIPOC Vermonters, and
  • affordable housing developed, built and/or controlled by BIPOC Vermonters

Eligible businesses can be for- or nonprofit, but cannot be a passive real estate company.

ACCEPTABLE USES

  • Working capital
  • Equipment
  • Inventory
  • Facility construction or improvement
  • Lines of credit
  • Debt refinance

RATES AND TERMS

The Vermont Community Loan Fund is committed to preserving and growing wealth within communities of color in Vermont. Justice Forward Fund loans will have a reduced interest rate no more than 3.0%, with lower rates available based upon the borrower's net worth. Rates may adjust down to 0%:

INTERST RATEBORROWER NET WORTH
3.0%Greater than $36,150
2.5%Between $24,101 and $36,150
1.5%Between $18,076 and $24,100
0%Less than $18,075


LOAN AMOUNT

Justice Forward Fund loans will have a loan size between $1,000 and $40,000.

Borrow

Borrow

Learn more about Borrowing with VCLF or contact us today to get started!

Invest

Invest

Learn more about Investing with VCLF or contact us today to get started!

We're using cookies to deliver you the best user experience. Learn More