Disaster Recovery

Foundations for Louisiana

Urban Advisors designed program related investments (PRI) on behalf of Foundation for Louisiana (FFL) to combat homelessness, blight, and capital access challenges for small businesses. The PRI strategy revealed a pathway for FFL to create both a sustainable operating model and impact investment thesis.  Notable projects under this strategy included financing along the O.C. Haley corridor.  As a result of the work with FFL, hundreds of working poor families and entrepreneurs have ongoing access to sustainable housing and working capital, playing their part in the revitalization of New Orleans and the surrounding areas.  Additionally, FFL is positioned to become the anchor organization for mission investment in the southern Louisiana corridor.

Detroit Entrepreneurs of Color

Detroit Development Foundation

Urban Advisors structured a $7 million Detroit-based impact investment loan fund focused on serving entrepreneurs of color.  The fund included a technical assistance program for current and prospective borrowers.  The loan fund sought to leverage existing capital resources within the city of Detroit.  Detroit Development Fund, a local CDFI, provided the lending platform; JPMorgan Chase and W.K. Kellogg Foundation provided the investment capital to reach the $7 million total.  As of December 2016, 45% of the loans supported minority women-owned businesses.

 Urban Advisors structured the Detroit Entrepreneurs of Color Fund so that entrepreneurs could share their business growth with the community through job creation, blight removal, and neighborhood revitalization.  

Refresh Project

Broad Refresh

Urban Advisors negotiated and structured the land acquisition transaction, which resulted in the securing of $20 million in total financing (New Market Tax Credits and senior debt) - was engaged by an institutional funder to assist Broad Community Connections in the pre-development of the ReFresh Project.  More specifically, Urban Advisors helped to as a requirement to develop the Refresh Project.  The ReFresh Project turned a formerly vacant building – located at the intersection of several historic neighborhoods, including Tremé, Faubourg St. John and Mid-City – into a 60,000 square foot ‘fresh food hub,’ revitalizing an area that was previously known as a ‘food desert.’ This is a traditionally underserved area, with high poverty and unemployment rates.

Tenants include:

• A 25,000 square foot Whole Foods supermarket, which will anchor the surrounding small business corridor
• A commercial kitchen and cafe operated by Liberty's Kitchen a nonprofit culinary workforce development organization focused on at risk youth
• A teaching and nutrition education kitchen operated by Tulane University
• Officespace for local charter school operator, nonprofit organizations and accessory parking   

EasyPay Merchant Cash Advance

Opportunity Fund

Urban Advisors structured a funding round for Opportunity Fund on behalf of an institutional funder.  Opportunity Fund is a micro lender and technical assistance provider that operates within the state of California and primarily serves the Hispanic community.  The funding round helped to capitalize the organization’s EasyPay alternative loan product, which enables borrowers to access its cost-effective Merchant Cash Advance product.  Borrowers are primarily retailers, especially restaurants, with high small dollar volume.  As of August 2017, the overall organization is projected to invest $500 million to drive economic mobility for 50,000 underserved entrepreneurs, students and working families by 2020.