Catherine Turyamureeba can’t forget the day she climbed into an Uber and uttered a few words providing directions to the driver. To her surprise, he immediately recognized her distinctive Ugandan accent. Catherine and her driver, Hannington Kasagga, shared that they’d both emigrated to Vermont from Uganda, as had Catherine’s sister, Barbara Asiimwe. A friendship - and then a business - was launched. Read More
Following the Vermont State Legislature’s $15 million dollar appropriation to establish a new revolving loan fund supporting educational workforce development, the Vermont Community Loan Fund has been selected by the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) to develop and launch this new initiative. Read More
New American entrepreneur Marina Smith made her dream of opening her own bridal showroom come true. But when the mall she leased from suddenly closed, she didn't know if she could finance a re-opening...until she met with the Loan Fund. Read More
From his 128-acre Black Dirt Farm in Stannard, farmer, composter and activist Tom Gilbert digs deep. He’s devoted decades to exploring sustainable agriculture, food systems and soil health, as he re-thinks farming from the ground up. .Read More
From the Loan Fund’s new home at 7 School Street in Montpelier, VCLF Director of Business Resources Elena Gustavson glances at the large, wall-mounted memo board in the all-new Learning Lab. It’s filled from top to bottom with calendar items for the next several months: dates for surveys, details from brainstorming sessions, conferences, presentation topics and more. “And there’s a lot more coming up,” Elena says, excitedly..Read More
In the second quarter of 2021, the Vermont Community Loan Fund made a record 47 loans totaling $1,912,189 and supporting hundreds of Vermont jobs, early care & learning programs and the families enrolled in them, financing affordable homes and supporting provision of essential services in Vermont’s communities. With a total of $3.9 million loaned year-to-date, VCLF has already surpassed our 2020 lending and impacts and is on track to have one of our most impactful years ever..Read More
Read all about the determined VCLF borrowers who confronted the challenges of COVID-19 and re-strategized, relocated, re-committed and resumed business in these extraordinary times. Learn how the VCLF lending team has been breaking all previous lending records with their tireless efforts, borrower outreach, PPP loans...and more!.Read More
Read about the resilience of your Vermont neighbors, and the Loan Fund’s work offering resources and creating opportunity, in our 2020 Annual Report “State of Recovery: Working Toward a More Resilient, More Equitable Vermont”..Read More