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Loans to support sustainable agriculture and food system ventures

RSF supports social enterprises working to help build a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient food and agricultural system. We offer funding opportunities for ventures that are:

  • Increasing access to healthy food while regenerating health, culture, communities and the environment
  • Cultivating equitable local food systems
  • Developing regenerative agricultural practices that support healthy carbon cycles
  • Strengthening fair trade supply chains
  • Providing equitable access to farmland
  • Helping fight food insecurity
  • Contributing to more sustainable food systems across regions

Apply for a loan from RSF

Loan options

RSF offers mortgage loans, construction loans, equipment loans, and working capital lines of credit, to social enterprises that are helping to build stronger regional food systems, fiber systems, and supply chains that revitalize local economies and increase food security and access.

Get started

Complete our simple loan application to get the process started.

Apply today
Qualifications

The types of food system ventures that are eligible for financing from RSF are incorporated in the U.S. or Canada and must be able to show a demonstrated commitment to creating positive change. General criteria for borrowers includes:

Annual revenue of at least $750,000

Excellent history of repayment on debt

Two or more years of operating history

Ability to provide collateral (which may include pledges or guarantees)

Operating cash flow positive or can demonstrate a path to an operating cash flow surplus in 12-24 months

Needs ranging from $200,000 to $5 million

Working with RSF

Borrowing from RSF to support your mission-driven enterprise will be a different experience as we take a relationship-based approach with all of our clients. We work exclusively with impact-focused organizations and impact investors are our capital source. Our loans have supported the sustainability, development and scale of food hubs and other agricultural sector organizations that are bringing healthy food into communities.

We also know it takes more than capital to scale impact. Aside from loans, RSF’s integrated capital approach means we also provide network connections, advisory support and other forms of non-financial resources.

The Common Market

The Common Market is a non-profit regional food distributor with a mission to connect communities with good food from sustainable family farms. Their vision is to build a nation of vibrant regional food systems where interdependent urban and rural communities thrive through relationships that strengthen the health and wealth of all people. RSF has been supporting The Common Market since 2010 with a mortgage loan and lines of credit to help them achieve their mission and expand into new markets.

Cooperative Coffees

To ensure that small-scale farmers and cooperatives earn more per bean, Cooperative Coffees aims to be the top payer in its supply chain. As a fairtrade certified importing cooperative of over 20 local roasters across the U.S. and Canada, they are paving the way for a more transparent and fair coffee-buying ecosystem by offering visibility into every contract the co-op has ever executed, including the price paid to farmers. RSF first issued a line of credit to Cooperative Coffees in 2018.

Lending practices

RSF prioritizes lending to organizations that demonstrate broad, meaningful community benefits. We seek to partner with ventures that are committed to serving historically marginalized people of color, women, indigenous communities, and rural and low-income regions.

Loan process

Timing and steps to receive a loan

Learn more
Frequently asked questions
  • Does RSF Include fisheries within its food systems lens? 

    Yes, RSF does lend to organizations that provide processing, marketing, and distribution services for aquaculture. Unfortunately RSF does not currently provide loans directly to fisherpeople because we do not have the necessary expertise to serve that market. 

  • Does RSF measure and report on impact?

    Yes, RSF uses the RSF Impact Assessment (RIA) to collect qualitative and quantitative impact information from borrower partners. The RIA is part of a multi-year effort to gather impact information which will be used to inform RSF management decisions, report RSF’s community impact in aggregate, and support individual borrower impact goals. The assessment seeks to embed Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) principles throughout the assessment as a priority focus on understanding borrower impact in communities. 

    RIA questions fall into six categories: Impact Model, Community and Field Building, Organizational Structure and Employee Experience, Resource Management and Supply Chain, Leadership and Organizational Culture, and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI). 

    The assessment survey takes about an hour to complete and we ask that it be updated annually so we can track and support progress over time. 

More questions?

Contact

Michael Jones
Vice President, Lending Business Development
ali.robinson@rsfsocialfinance.org
415-561-6194