Oakstop Achieves Milestone: Black-Owned Coworking Space in Downtown Oakland

Oakstop has reached an incredible milestone by purchasing their first building, 1721 Broadway, in downtown Oakland. This acquisition marks a significant step in their mission to provide affordable workspace and cultural programming to local entrepreneurs and artists. Learn how this Black-owned coworking space is fostering stability, growth, and long-term social and economic impact.

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Investor Spotlight: Ilana Schatz and David Lingren

Ilana and David began investing with Community Vision—then still named the Northern California Community Loan Fund—in 2004. After several years of involvement as investors, Ilana stepped into a new role with Community Vision as a member of the Board of Directors in 2010, bringing 30 years of experience in community program development. 
During her eight-year tenure on the board, Ilana served on both the Development and Food Programs committees. As a passionate advocate for building more equitable food systems, Ilana helped guide and support Community Vision’s food-related investments and programs. 

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The School of Arts and Culture: Creative Place-Keeping in East San Jose

The threat of displacement in East San Jose neighborhoods is all too real. But a local nonprofit, the School of Arts and Culture (SOAC) at the Mexican Heritage Plaza (La Plaza), is reimagining space and creative place-keeping in their community. With a vision to boost economic vitality, expand cultural programming and bring much needed services to the community, SOAC is acquiring and transforming a mostly vacant line of storefronts in their community.

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The Entrepreneurs of Color Fund: Driving Growth for Bay Area BIPOC-Owned Small Businesses

Community Vision is excited to be part of the Entrepreneurs of Color Fund (EOCF) expansion to Oakland. The EOCF is a collective commitment of $2.5 million over two years by JPMorgan Chase and The Rockefeller Foundation, collaborating with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and CDFIs like Community Vision, to increase access to capital, mentorship and technical assistance for local entrepreneurs of color.

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West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service Center: A Place to Call Home

Located in San Francisco’s Filipino Cultural Heritage District, West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service Center (West Bay) is the oldest Filipino-led organization in Northern California. The nonprofit has served San Francisco’s Filipino immigrant and Asian Pacific Islander communities in the South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood for more than 50 years.

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Investor Spotlight: Nicole Middleton Holloway

Investor Spotlight: Nicole Middleton Holloway, CFP Over the past 35 years, Community Vision has moved hundreds of millions of dollars into community-led organizations dedicated to the thriving of their neighborhoods. This has been possible in large part because of our diverse community of investors. For this Investor Spotlight, we are excited to feature Nicole Middleton…

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Bay Area Racial Equity Fund

In October 2020 American Nonprofits, Community Vision and Nonprofit Finance Fund joined forces to launch the Bay Area Racial Equity Fund (BayREF).

The aim was to support leadership and power building in BIPOC communities, who continue to be hit hardest by the pandemic, through reparative capital and strategic financial advising.

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Black Cultural Zone: Building Power and Partnerships in East Oakland

In 2014, the Eastside Arts Alliance along with local nonprofit partners formed the East Oakland Black Cultural Zone Collaborative (the Collaborative). The Collaborative grew out of a community-driven solution to the decades of disinvestment in East Oakland neighborhoods and the displacement of long-term residents and businesses.

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The Central Valley Empowerment Alliance (CVEA): Strengthening Central California’s Communities

The Central Valley Empowerment Alliance (CVEA) was established as a nonprofit in 2019 by Mari Perez-Ruiz, who grew up in Visalia among a migrant farmworker community. CVEA serves  residents who live in Kern, Tulare, Kings, Fresno, and Madera counties by promoting access to affordable housing, quality education, food, and health care, as well as creating civic engagement and leadership development opportunities. 

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US Supreme Court Overturns Liberty and Bodily Autonomy

Today, the United States Supreme Court took the dreaded step to overrule Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey with its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. The reality is that we now have free states and non-free states when it comes to bodily autonomy. Such an action runs counter to advancing dignity, equal justice and self-determination. Cornerstone values that generations have sought to achieve.

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