Impact Investment Consultant

Background

Launched in 2022, the Camden Food Fund, a special project fund at the Community Foundation of South Jersey (CFSJ), was created to build wealth, increase capacity, and contribute to improved food security and health impacts for Camden residents through the creation of a community driven and guided impact investing food fund. The Camden Food Fund’s mission is to build the community from within and create a path to generational wealth and health by providing access to community focused loans, grants and technical assistance to food entrepreneurs in the Camden communities.

The Community Foundation envisions an eight-county region thriving where all neighbors aspire, succeed, participate, and give. The vision is realized as CFSJ inspires generosity, manages and deploys permanent charitable assets, and exercises collaborative leadership to create a more equitable region. Currently, CFSJ manages charitable assets of more than $100 million. In its 15-year existence, CFSJ has awarded $32.3M in grants to more than 5,000 nonprofits, $3.7M in scholarships, and consists of more than 120 component funds making this impact possible.

The Camden Food Fund provides capital to small new and existing food-based business owners who live in Camden, face obstacles to accessing capital to maintain or grow their businesses, and participate in or help to advance a healthy, equitable local food economy. Using a resident-centered approach to leadership, the Fund was designed in partnership with a Community Advisory Board (CAB) which set strategy to align the loan products, application process, technical assistance and other design components to meet the needs of food entrepreneurs. The CAB is supported by a volunteer Impact Investment Committee with the expertise to assess the financial viability and social impact of potential investments.

The Camden Food Fund has deployed $55,000 in an initial pilot of 4 loans. Pilot 1 focused on character based micro loans from $500-15,000. The Camden Food Fund partnered with Greenline Access Capital as the underwriter for pilot 1. A second pilot is planned to launch in Q2 of 2025. The second pilot will deploy $200,000 and increase the loan size available to $500-50,000. The Camden Food Fund’s pilot 1 has been made possible by support from: Campbell Foundation, Holman, PSE&G Foundation, Citizens Bank, Ocean First Bank Foundation. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s investment support pilot 2 launching early in 2025.

The Impact Investment Consultant will support the Camden Food Fund’s growth into receiving its first impact investment. All support for the CFF to date has been philanthropic. 2025 is key for the Camden Food Fund to sustain its impact and grow into a fully functioning impact investment fund. The Impact Investment Consultant must integrate quickly into the work for success early in 2025. A fund model developed by Locus and a process evaluation to be completed in the second quarter 2025 will be key tools for the Impact Investment Consultant to socialize the Camden Food Fund with potential funders and investors and help raise capital.

This consultant will work closely with CFSJ’s Community Impact Manager and a resource team of partners, such as Humanature, to raise the necessary assets to scale the Camden Food Fund. Many partners are involved in supporting the community advisory board and CFSJ in this fund design phase. These existing partners and the Impact Investing Consultant will support the shift to implementation of a sustainable fund.

Scope Of Services

The Community Foundation of South Jersey is seeking an Impact Investment Consultant to support the next phase of the CFF’s growth and maturation consistent with the following scope of services.

Curate And Implement a Multi-funder Integrated Capital Investment Strategy For Camden, NJ Responsive To Priorities Identified By The Community Advisory Board. Including

• Identify, establish, and steward relationships with key financial partners – including those in the market-rate and social capital investor communities, whether in the private or social sector capital– to leverage organizational investments with assets from other aligned investors.
• Support acquisition of potential partners and investors through direct marketing, structuring of suitable investment options, development of pitch materials, and participation in client prospecting meetings.
• Research, create strategic frameworks and tools, and manage a pipeline of investment opportunities.
  
  

Market, expand, and evolve CFF's lending portfolio to address market demand and provide equitable access to capital for Camden food entrepreneurs; collaborate with CFF's Community Advisory Board to ensure that the fund's portfolio grows in a way that is consistent with the mission, vision and values established by the CAB.

• Work with Community Advisory Board, CFSJ staff and external partners to respond to Camden’s small business ecosystem and capital flows by identifying investment opportunities.
• Use fund model to insure the sustainability of the CFF through resource allocation in future fund iterations.
• Support staff and partners with pilot process and systems improvement such as: underwriting, impact and risk assessment, deal structuring and closing processes, to help the CFF become an investible fund.
  
  

Monitor and analyze the financial performance of the lending portfolio, including loan quality, profitability, and impact metrics. This work will be in conjunction with the Impact Investment Committee.

• Work with Community Impact Manager to ensure compliance with internal policies and external regulatory requirements.
• Create simplified reports for CFSJ board and CAB.
• Manage the investment committee including all meetings, strategy development, and related tasks
  
  

Qualifications

Skills and competencies in finance, economics, real estate, urban planning, business administration, nonprofit management or related field, or equivalent work experience. Eight to ten years’ experience working in banking, finance, small business development, real estate, community economic development, philanthropy, or community development finance, impact investing. Track record of sourcing investments and developing pipelines". Understanding of impact investment processes and vehicles: PRI, MRI, fund guarantees, loan loss reserve, etc.

To Apply

Submit a 3-5 page response for how you would meet the proposed deliverables. Include a budget or fee schedule and resumes for key consultants. Submit documents by February 7th, 2025 through the Idealist.

Contract Details

• Candidates or firms will ideally support with about 10 hours of support a week.
• The budget for proposed deliverables is $55,000-$70,000.
• Contracted hours will not extend past December 31st of 2025.
• Some in person meetings will be required.
  
  

Salary: Consultant will bill monthly for deliverables.