Community Ventures Corporation, Inc.
Community Ventures (CV) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with statewide services, and has been providing microenterprise and small business training, technical assistance and affordable lending capital for over 30 years. CV is headquartered in Lexington, KY and operates satellite offices in Paris, Campbellsville, Louisville and Owensboro. CV operates the state’s only U.S. Small Business Administration Women’s Business Center and has assets in excess of $50 million and is a financially strong organization with a depth of experience in successfully implementing a number of federal programs, including those offered by HFFI. CV is using HFFI financing to expand capital access for small businesses in Kentucky through the Healthy Families in Kentucky loan fund. This includes a revolving loan fund with Good Foods Co-Op, a locally-owned and operated cooperative grocer in central Kentucky. Good Foods will use loan proceeds to fund the opening of a 9,000 square foot grocery store to provide healthy, affordable food options in a food desert. The loan will finance initial operating expenses. You can find more information here.
Source of money: HFFI CDFI-Financial Assistance Program
State & Local Policy Efforts
Are you working on a local or state policy effort in this state? Are you involved with a project supported by a federal Healthy Food Financing Initiative grant? Let us know at [email protected] or visit the Contact Us page to add to the Portal.
We encourage you to check out the following resources to learn more about or get involved with food access issues in your state:
- Research Your Community: Plug in your city, ZIP code, or state into this mapping tool to better understand key health, demographic, food access, and healthy retail characteristics in your community.
- Tap Into Your Local Food System: Read how you can get involved, including connecting with your local food policy council.
For a full understanding of Healthy Food Financing Initiatives from advocacy to implementation, see The Food Trust’s Healthy Food Financing Handbook.