Inaugural Impact Investments Address Forestry Priorities
Mission-related investments focus on attainable housing, forestry jobs and uses for low-value wood.
GREENVILLE, S.C. – September 25, 2024 – Attainable housing in rural communities, forestry jobs and uses for low-value wood are the focus of three awards totaling $3.5 million for the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Community’s (Endowment) first-ever mission related investments.
“Mission-related investments enable the Endowment to support the health and vitality of the nation’s working forests and forest-reliant communities while safeguarding our capital and generating positive financial returns,” explained Pete Madden, president and chief executive officer of the Endowment. “By allocating a small portion of our funds typically invested in traditional stocks and bonds, we are strategically investing in businesses and funds that directly benefit forestry and rural communities.”
Since its inception in 2006, the Endowment employs creative ways to extend its impact. Initially focused on grant-making, it has evolved to incorporate low-interest loans, equity investments and loan guarantees. In 2021, the Endowment’s Board of Directors approved a pilot program to explore expanding the organization’s impact through mission related investments. The Endowment engaged the consulting firm Gordian Knot Strategies to guide the process and in 2022, the Board approved funding for the inaugural mission-related investments.
“These investments strike at the heart of significant challenges faced by rural, forest-rich communities,” Madden continued. “They also build on the Future Forest Economy Initiative, a previous partnership between the Endowment, the Northern Forest Center and the U.S. Economic Development Administration to increase production, commercialization and use of wood products in the Northeast and New York.”
The three inaugural investments are:
- Northern Forest Center, Inc. – $1,000,000: The investment will help the Northern Forest Center move closer to its $30 million goal for the Northern Forest Fund, which finances the development of attainable housing across 10 communities in the Northern region. The region includes areas in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York. The investment will help the Center address housing shortages by funding projects that make housing affordable for median-income earners in these rural areas.
- WholeTrees Structures – $1,000,000: The funding from the Endowment will enable WholeTrees Structures to grow its sales force and expand its nationwide production capabilities to meet increased market demand for Solid Structural Timber (SST). In part, the re-opening of a previously dormant forest products facility in partnership with Seven Islands Land Company, the State of Maine, and other stakeholders. This infusion of capital will also build market confidence in SST, which is in strong demand for commercial construction and represents a high-value use of timber sourced from well-managed forests, the impact of which will benefit forest-reliant communities nationwide.
- Tanbark MFP – $1,500,000: This investment will support Tanbark’s expansion of its manufacturing capabilities for fiber packaging, allowing them to operate on a larger scale. Their packaging is a byproduct of working forests and helps eliminate plastic waste.
It is anticipated that additional funding for mission-related investments will be available in the winter of 2024/2025. If you would like to be on the distribution list for the announcement of future rounds of impact investment funding and informational webinars, please complete this form.
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About the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities:
The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities is a not-for-profit public charity collaborating with partners in the public and private sectors to advance systemic, transformative, and sustainable change for the health and vitality of the nation’s working forests and forest-reliant communities.
