RSF loans help mission-driven businesses and nonprofits access credit, purchase equipment, invest in real estate, and make other improvements that scale their impact and support their long-term success. Every loan we make is directly supported by people who invest in our Social Investment Fund and commit to a regenerative financial system that works for people and planet alike.
Social enterprise leaders, learn more about the loans RSF offers. Impact investors, learn more about investing with RSF. And read on for the stories of the newest social enterprises to join the RSF community!
Capture6: Capturing carbon while addressing water shortages
Capture6’s innovative technology addresses two environmental issues at once: their facilities convert saltwater into freshwater in water-scarce regions, while simultaneously capturing atmospheric CO2.
A $1.5 million loan from RSF is supporting Capture6’s Project Monarch development in the desert community of Palmdale, CA. When completed, Project Monarch and its wastewater component, Pure Water Antelope Valley, will purify up to 4.5 million gallons of water each day and capture 25,000 tons of atmospheric CO₂ each year.
“RSF’s support is instrumental in advancing Phase 2 of our Monarch facility, which will convert brine into usable freshwater while removing approximately 25,000 tons of CO₂ from the atmosphere annually, delivering up to 40% savings on brine disposal costs for local ratepayers, and creating hundreds of jobs across the Antelope Valley region. This non-recourse, project level financing…reflects the kind of innovative capital deployment that climate infrastructure demands.” — Ethan Cohen-Cole, CEO, Capture6
Ventura Energy: Bringing low-cost solar to a certified regenerative ranch in California
Ventura Energy develops, owns, and operates commercial and utility-scale solar across California, guiding each project from feasibility through permitting, construction, and operation. Its founder has helped bring more than 2 GW of solar online over the course of her career — enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes.
A $2.3 million loan from RSF is helping Ventura Energy develop a solar installation at a family-owned, certified-regenerative turkey ranch in California. Adding solar will bring the ranch’s energy practices in line with its regenerative ranching, deepening its commitment to sustainability.
Ventura partnered with the Ward Oaks Foundation, a nonprofit whose charitable work centers on innovation in renewable energy and affordable housing. The Foundation leveraged a federal tax credit to support this project, helping Ventura expand access to low-cost renewable power.
“This ranch has spent decades proving you can farm in a way that restores the land rather than depleting it, and powering their operation with clean energy is a natural extension of that work. RSF’s financing made it possible to do this on terms that work for a family business — exactly the kind of project I’ve spent my career trying to build more of.” — Clara Nagy McBane, Principal, Ventura Energy
Agriseeds: Adapting crops to a changing climate
As farming communities adapt to climate change, the seed varietals they’ve long depended on might no longer thrive in their new environments. US Agriseeds – A Namdhari’s Enterprise (Agriseeds) develops climate-smart, high-yield, and disease-resistant hybrid seed varieties that are well-suited for a variety of climates, giving farmers more options for successful crops.
Agriseeds’ hybrid varietals are more resistant to impacts of climate change, such as extreme heat and irregular rainfall, and to increasingly common crop diseases. In part because of this, farmers who use Agriseeds’ hybrids see yield increases of 20-30% and earn greater incomes over the course of the year. These hybrids also do not require significant changes in cultivation practices, making them accessible to small-scale growers and encouraging broader agricultural participation.
Agricultural businesses often have irregular cash flows throughout the year, with the majority of their income arriving at a single point in the growing season. For these businesses, consistent access to credit is essential. A $3 million line of credit from RSF will ensure that the business maintains a healthy cash flow for essential operations and research and development of new seed varietals.
“At US Agriseeds, our work begins years before a seed reaches a farmer’s field. RSF’s partnership helps us invest in the long-term science of breeding crops that deliver better outcomes for farmers, consumers, and the agricultural systems that support them.” – Sandeep Durga, Corporate Growth and Strategy Lead, US Agriseeds – A Namdhari’s Enterprise
Ecole Imagine: Lowering the mortgage costs of an innovative Waldorf school
From its beautiful campus in the heart of Val-David, a cultural village about 50 miles from Montreal, Ecole Imagine offers a holistic Waldorf education to more than 100 children. Many of the families who send their children to Ecole Imagine have moved to Val-David specifically for the school, and now form an integral part of the town’s thriving artistic and cultural community.
Ecole Imagine spent decades renovating their current campus, a heritage building constructed for the Sisters of Saint Anne in 1924. RSF’s $722,000 loan refinanced their mortgage, allowing them to pay less on interest and devote more funding to essential programs for the students they serve.
88 Acres: Deepening a commitment to allergen-free foods
Inspired by her husband’s history with food allergies, 88 Acres founder Nicole Ledoux was determined to create a food business for people who wanted healthy snacks free from common allergens. From the beginning, the business was committed to equity: they partnered with a neighborhood economic development group and a local food startup accelerator to build a small-scale bakery that provides neighborhood jobs in Boston.
Initial financing from RSF helped fund 88 Acres’ partnership with Delta Airlines. A second $750,000 loan infuses the business with additional credit to sustain them through a period of growth.
