SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.V. — The Natural Capital Investment Fund (NCIFund) recently received a $300,000 loan from the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation in Charleston, WV. The loan will be used to expand NCIFund’s small business loan program which provides financing for equipment, working capital and real estate acquisition to start-up and early-stage small businesses in underserved communities in the Foundation’s service area. The $300,000 loan is the first investment NCIFund has received from the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation as part of its strategy to support entrepreneurship and main street redevelopment initiatives in its service area. Proceeds of the loan will be used to support NCIFund’s small business lending and downtown redevelopment initiatives in Boone, Clay, Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln and Putnam Counties.

“The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation is thrilled to partner with NCIFund to invest additional resources into our community,” said Michelle Foster, President and CEO of the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation. “We look forward to stimulating job creation and business expansions as we work to revitalize the region.”

The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation’s funding will accelerate NCIFund’s work in southern WV and build on its 18-year successful track record of providing loans and business advisory services to businesses and non-profits that demonstrate positive community, economic and environmental impacts in underserved communities.

“We thank the Foundation for their leadership around community economic development in southern WV,” said Marten Jenkins, president of NCIFund. “We look forward to working closely with the Foundation to advance entrepreneurship and revitalize downtown neighborhoods in Charleston and across their six-county service area.”

About Natural Capital Investment Fund
Natural Capital Investment Fund supports entrepreneurs who are creating jobs and triple-bottom-line businesses in underserved communities in Central Appalachia and the Southeast. NCIFund is a business loan fund with expertise in agriculture, eco-tourism, alternative energy, forest products and community facilities. Founded in 2001, NCIFund is a U.S. Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) affiliated with The Conservation Fund. www.ncifund.org.

About the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation
The Foundation was created in 1962 by and for the people of the Greater Kanawha Valley area to help individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofits improve the lives within the community now and for generations to come. We assist donors in creating charitable funds, each with its own philanthropic purpose, and provide grants to nonprofits that meet the needs of the community.

Media Contacts:
Marten Jenkins, NCIFund, 304-876-2815 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Eric Wuestewald, The Conservation Fund, 703-908-5813, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.