Upward mobility & direct community investment
Gardner Capital’s Loan Matching Program
Launched in 2020, the GCRE Upward Mobility Fund provides low interest soft loans, grants, venture and seed capital to initiatives that focus on upward mobility, renewable energy, EV adoption, or initiatives focused on investment in otherwise underserved markets. The Fund is expected to commit more than $500,000 annually for programs that align with the Funds investment goals and guidelines.
Gardner Capital’s Strategic Relationship With Kiva
Gardner Capital, a private equity firm and alternative investment platform specializing in multifamily housing and renewable energy development and investment, is partnering with Kiva through Gardner Capital’s GCRE Upward Mobility Fund to accelerate minority-led small business access to finance in Texas.
The partnership will initially focus on supporting BIPOC small business owners in the Dallas and Houston markets, and provide a revolving fund to match loans raised on Kiva’s crowd-funding platform – both increasing the total funding available and accelerating the speed of funding loans for entrepreneurs.
“We are truly thankful for the opportunity to begin our partnership with Kiva through our initial loan matching fund – this is just the start of what we expect to be a truly long term partnership and one that we can grow substantially with additional funds in the coming years,” said Michael Gardner, Founder of the GCRE Upward Mobility Fund and CEO of Gardner Capital. “We are committed to providing additional funding for new loan matching programs with Kiva on an annual basis.”
This recent commitment from the GCRE Upward Mobility Fund is a part of Gardner Capital’s broader commitment to provide more than $5mm in capital to support upward mobility in financially excluded or historically underserved communities through a variety of programs and partnerships including direct equity investments, venture and seed capital, low interest soft funding, grants, and other funding.
For more information, visit www.kiva.org.