Program Related Investments

For more than 70 years, Berrien Community Foundation has invested in our community through grants to our local nonprofit partners doing transformational work. Our approach is simple – invest our assets and distribute a portion of the returns in the form of grants to support our nonprofit partners. We are proud of our grantmaking work and the wise investing it takes to grow those assets and allow us to continually give more. 

This year, the Berrien Community Foundation Board of Directors is embarking on a local impact investing initiative – Program Related Investments. We set aside 2% of our unrestricted assets to invest in promising local opportunities that complement existing grant strategies to address pressing local challenges. The underlying purpose of a Program Related Investment (PRI) is to provide investment capital to local for-profit companies, nonprofit organizations, and projects that generate measurable social and/or environmental impact alongside a financial return to BCF. 

Through PRIs, we can deploy a modest portion of our unrestricted assets locally instead of making investments in more typical capital markets. Read our PRI Policy for complete details. 

Berrien Community Foundation will consider investment opportunities on a case-by-case basis. Organizations or individuals with potential opportunities or current projects interested in seeking investment from BCF should submit a letter of interest to Lisa Cripps-Downey along with a completed PRI Project Proposal Form.  

> Download PRI Project Proposal Form

> View PRI Policy

Frequently Asked Questions

A: The PRI Committee will consider a proposal that has the potential of returning invested capital plus an agreed-on rate of return and that meets certain requirements.

  • Community Impact with special consideration given to: 
    • Job Creation
    • Social and Environmental Benefit
    • Catalyst to Economic Growth in the Community
    • Utilization of local contractors and materials when possible
    • DEI indicators
  • Project feasibility and community impact,
  • Financing and other resources required,
  • An estimation of all project transaction costs,
  • Final anticipated outcomes of the project,
  • The expected economic and social returns

A: Organizations or individuals with potential opportunities of current projects interested in seeking investment from BCF should submit a letter of interest along with a PRI Project Proposal Form to Lisa Cripps-Downey at lisa@berriencommunity.org.

The letter of interest should contain the following:

  • Contact information;
  • Brief project overview including proposed project title and timeline;
  • Statement of the need and the expected social impact of the project;
  • Investment request with amount, proposed terms, and use of the funds;
  • Total project budget or amount being raised;
  • DEI indicators; and
  • Other key investors/partners in the project

A: There is no cost to submit an application to the Foundation. If the project funding is approved by the PRI Committee after further evaluation, fees associated with the processing will be determined based on the individual needs of the project. These costs may be paid in a number of different ways including, but not limited to, the investee paying the cost upfront or building it into the principal amount of the underlying PRI.

A: A standing PRI Committee will review all requests to determine that a project proposal is suitable for further evaluation. As needed and depending on the amount of the request, an Evaluation Committee will be created to seek any further necessary information. Based on the review and recommendation the PRI Committee will make a recommendation for funding to the Berrien Community Foundation Board of Directors.