RSF Make a New Loan to the Intervale Center
RSF financing helps Intervale Center sustain farms, land, and people in Vermont
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, July 22, 2013/3BL Media/ - RSF Social Finance (RSF) is pleased to announce a new loan to the Intervale Center. RSF financing will help the Intervale Center sustain farms, land, and people in Vermont as a national model for sustainable agriculture and food system transformation.
The non-profit Intervale Center (the Center) is dedicated to strengthening community food systems in Burlington, Vermont by improving farm viability, supporting the stewardship of agricultural lands, and engaging community members in the food system.
The Center stewards 350 acres of Burlington’s Intervale, a floodplain that has sustained human life for over 4,500 years. Located within Burlington city limits, the Intervale is dedicated to agriculture, recreation, and conservation. Over the past 25 years, the Center has worked to restore and share this vital agricultural resource while pioneering innovative enterprises and programs like community supported agriculture (CSA), farm incubation, large-scale composting, food hubs, and a conservation nursery that improves water quality by growing and planting native trees along Vermont’s rivers and streams.
Today, the Intervale Center is looking forward to the next 25 years of strengthening the food system. “It’s clear that our mission is more important than ever,” says Travis Marcotte, Intervale Center Executive Director. “We’re working to meet the massive challenges facing farms, land and people, both locally and globally. We firmly believe that we can and must accelerate positive change, not only in the United States but also around the world.”
“The Intervale Center is considered a Burlington institution,” says Kate Danaher, RSF Senior Lending Associate. “What they are doing is remarkable. The Center is not only building a vibrant local food system, they’re also preserving a local community asset for future generations.”
“We’re delighted to be working with a lender so well-aligned with our philosophy of sustainability and social enterprise,” adds Marcotte. “Given the urgency of our mission and the challenges facing our national food system, this partnership couldn’t come at a better time.”
About RSF Social Finance
Located in San Francisco, CA, RSF Social Finance (RSF) is a non-profit financial services organization dedicated to transforming the way the world works with money. Since 1984, the organization has made over $275 million in loans and $100 million in grants to non-profit and for-profit social enterprises working in the areas of Food & Agriculture, Education & the Arts, and Ecological Stewardship.
RSF's lending capital comes primarily from 1,400 individuals who have invested $1,000 or more in the organization's Social Investment Fund. Investors earn a competitive return on their money comparable to a certificate of deposit while their funds are deployed to leading social enterprises. To learn more, visit www.rsfsocialfinance.org.
About the Intervale Center
Founded in 1988, the Intervale Center manages 350 acres of farmland, trails and natural areas in the heart of Burlington, Vermont. They are transforming the food system from one that is degrading, anonymous and industrial, to one that is restorative to both human and natural communities, accessible, familiar and human-scale. Inspired by the practicality of Vermont’s farmers and the elegance of natural systems, their impactful work inspires the development of community food systems in Vermont and worldwide. To learn more, visit www.intervale.org.
