CASE STUDIES

Note: you can read a more in-depth case study here.

Community Investment Management (CIM) is an institutional impact investment manager that provides strategic debt capital to demonstrate and scale responsible innovation in lending for underserved communities. Realizing that the types of businesses they serve could be better assisted through fairer lending practices, they incubated the Responsible Business Lending Coalition (RBLC), which advocates for ethical lending practices in the United States. With early successes in policy reforms in California and New York, the RBLC has reshaped small business lending by championing transparency, fairness, and accountability. The coalition’s efforts, driven by leaders like CIM’s Jacob Haar and RBLC’s Louis Caditz-Peck, resulted in the creation of the Small Business Borrower’s Bill of Rights, promoting fair treatment and responsible lending. Despite resource constraints, the RBLC’s strategic planning and collaboration with policymakers and industry leaders have led to significant legislative victories and a stronger regulatory framework.

Opportunity zones were created as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 to encourage long-term investments in low-income urban and rural communities nationwide. Jim Sorenson, a prominent impact investor, was an early advocate for opportunity zones, recognizing its potential multiplier effect to attract substantial private investment to underserved areas. 

Sorenson’s advocacy included collaborating with policymakers and leveraging his network to build bipartisan support for the legislation. His influence and efforts helped shape the policy framework, ensuring it aligned with the goals of fostering economic development and job creation in distressed communities. 

The impact of this legislation was substantial. It allowed him to channel investments into opportunity zones, aligning financial returns with social and environmental benefits. By investing in these zones, Sorenson not only aimed to generate profits but also to drive transformative change in communities most in need.