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The Richmond Fed will host a virtual Investment Connection pitch session on October 4 focusing on projects that, if funded, can support communities in rural areas of the Fifth District.

Investment Connection helps nonprofits, economic development organizations, funders and bankers establish relationships that can lead to collaborations that meet community needs. Participating organizations get to share a specific initiative that might meet a particular financial institution’s funding goals, resulting in an impactful partnership.

The upcoming live program will kick off at 10 a.m. ET and will feature community-based organizations located in Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland and West Virginia. The organizations (listed below) will provide overviews of their CRA-eligible proposals to an audience of potential funders, including banks, foundations, CDFIs and other institutions. 

Investment Connection Pitch Session Presenters 

• Piedmont Housing Alliance (PHA) of Charlottesville, Virginia, wants to foster home ownership among lower-income residents by acquiring and renovating existing homes and developing new homes under the Community Land Trust model.
• Habitat for Humanity – Georgetown County South Carolina, Inc. wants to use housing opportunity credits to build a 30-home development that can be accessed by families earning in the 30%–80% Area Median Income range.
• Junior Achievement of the Triad of Greensboro, North Carolina, wants to expand its reach with K–8 students to cultivate their entrepreneurial mindsets, prepare them for jobs of the future and develop skills that foster financial independence.
• Horizon Goodwill Industries of Hagerstown, Maryland, wants to secure funding for a full-scale grocery store in the city to allow for walkable access to fresh, affordable and healthy foods.
• Unleash Tygart of Grafton, West Virginia, wants to develop a mixed-use facility that offers space for nonprofits to create a one-stop-shop for at-risk Taylor County residents, rental space for retail and private businesses, and rental spaces for meetings, video production and cooperative working spaces.

This Investment Connection program also serves as the kickoff event for the Bank’s 2021 Rural America Week (Oct. 4–6), a three-day rollout of live and recorded web-based content that will be presented at 10 a.m. ET each day.

The digital programming will include virtual discussions, content and presentations focused on the unique challenges and opportunities facing rural communities in the Federal Reserve’s Fifth District and beyond. Topics of discussion for each day are as follows:

• October 4: Investment Connection Live!
• October 5: Spotlighting Successes in Rural Communities
• October 6: Emerging Solutions to Pandemic Disruptions in Education

Interested individuals can register solely for the Investment Connection Live! pitch session or for the entire three days of Rural America Week.