Create Jobs for USA
Overview
In November 2011, OFN partnered with Starbucks to launch Create Jobs for USA, a unique initiative that leveraged the power of CDFIs to address the U.S. jobs crisis and help put people back to work. The initiative combined corporate donations and crowdfunding from individuals and small businesses to create and retain jobs.
How It Worked
Create Jobs for USA combined corporate donations and crowdfunding to establish the Create Jobs for USA Fund. OFN managed the Fund and used the donations to award capital grants to 120 high-performing CDFIs across the country.
These CDFIs leveraged their Create Jobs for USA awards with additional loans from traditional banks, foundations, and other investors to make loans to community businesses. All donations went directly to loans for community businesses, and none were used for operating expenses.
Anyone who donated $5 online or at one of Starbucks’ 7,000 retail locations received an American-made “Indivisible” wristband, from which 100% of the donation went to Create Jobs for USA. The program offered individuals and corporations a way of showing their support, with more than 800,000 people receiving wristbands through individual and corporate contributions.
Starbucks also launched an “Indivisible” line of products — coffee, mugs, tumblers — sold in their retail locations through early 2013. For every purchase of an “Indivisible” product, Starbucks made a donation to the Fund.
Supporters
The Starbucks Foundation seeded the Create Jobs for USA Fund with a $5 million donation, followed by other major corporate supporters. In addition, the Schultz Family Foundation donated $1 million on the first anniversary of the Create Jobs for USA initiative. Other corporations, small businesses, and nonprofits raised more than $600,000 for the Fund.
Read more about Create Jobs for USA supporters.
Starbucks: Starbucks and OFN teamed up to launch the Create Jobs for USA Fund on November 1, 2011. The Starbucks Foundation seeded the Fund with a $5 million donation and helped distribute red, white, and blue Indivisible wristbands to donors who contributed $5 or more.
Opportunity Finance Network: OFN is a national network of CDFIs (community development financial institutions) investing in opportunities that benefit low-income, low-wealth, and other disadvantaged communities across America.
Banana Republic: Banana Republic was one of the first partners to join OFN and Starbucks to support the Create Jobs for USA Fund. Special shopping events raised $1 million in 2012.
Citi: Citi Community Development and the Citi Foundation reinforced their support for community businesses by making a $1 million contribution to Create Jobs for USA Fund, and by empowering Citi ThankYou® Members to redeem their rewards points to make a donation to the program.
Google Offers: Google Offers™ teamed up with Starbucks to raise $1.7 million to help create and sustain jobs in America.
MasterCard: MasterCard joined the Create Jobs for USA program with a $500,000 donation to help create and retain jobs in communities across America.
Blast Radius: Blast Radius contributed funds, pro bono website design and development, and digital advertising creative to support Create Jobs for USA.
NASDAQ OMX: NASDAQ contributed $25,000 to support CDFIs and the Create Jobs for USA Fund.
Speck: Speck contributed $25,000 to Create Jobs for USA Fund and distributed wristbands to the first 5,000 customers to shop during a special holiday promotion.
TakePart: TakePart, the digital division of Participant Media, donated three video vignettes of Create Jobs for USA Awardee loan recipients.
All of Us: More than 800,000 individuals and small businesses donated to the Create Jobs for USA Fund and received an Indivisible wristband to show their support for creating and retaining jobs in the U.S.
Featured Program Impact
Create Jobs for USA helped generate thousands of jobs in communities across the country.
Brookford Farm, Canterbury, NH
For four years, organic farmers Luke and Catarina Mahoney — owners of Brookford Farm— provided residents throughout New Hampshire’s seacoast with healthy, natural, locally grown food. When they learned the lease on their farmland wouldn’t be renewed, New Hampshire Community Loan Fund provided a loan to help them buy a parcel of land and renovate an existing dairy farm to continue their business. The CDFI also provided a subsequent loan to finance their new equipment needs. The loans saved ten jobs, in addition to creating construction job and part-time seasonal jobs, all while preserving open land and encouraging sustainable family farming.
Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, Detroit, MI
A $1.1 million loan from NCB Capital Impact allowed nonprofit Operation Graduation to begin renovations on the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, a new charter high school in midtown Detroit serving approximately 120 ninth graders in its first year of operation, 80 percent of whom qualify for free or reduced price lunches. The loan allowed for the expansion of the school to accommodate 480 students in grades nine through 12 and helped create 13 new permanent jobs at the school.
Housing Partnership, Louisville, KY
In 2006, former Bethlehem Steel worker Moses G. Parker purchased his first commercial property, a three-story building he wanted transform into eight low-income residential apartments. Located in the historic neighborhood of Reservoir Hill, the property had been vacant for several years and needed major repair, as well as preservation of its late 19th century architectural features. When traditional financial institutions turned him down, he went to Baltimore Community Lending.
A $500,000 loan to rehab this property helped him create eight apartments for people with household incomes less than 80 percent of area median income, along with16 full-time jobs.
Total Impact
Create Jobs for USA ran through December 2014. Every $1 raised through the Create Jobs for USA Fund supported $7 in loans to small businesses, microenterprises, nonprofit organizations, commercial real estate developers, and housing developers. In three years, it raised more than $15.2 million in donations, which participating CDFIs turned into $105 million in financing for businesses to create or retain more than 5,000 jobs.
Individual donations totaled $3.5 million, the large majority of which was raised through the “Indivisible” wristbands program. Starbucks also generated an additional $1 million through their “Indivisible” products.
Reports
OFN published a series of reports to provide an overview of results and lessons learned from the initiative.
Six Lessons Learned from Create Jobs for USA
Published in May 2014, this report provides an overview of results of Create Jobs for USA and lessons learned from the initiative.
CDFI Practices in Jobs Data Collection and Tracking: Lessons Learned from Create Jobs for USA
Published in October 2014, this report looks at the data collection efforts behind Create Jobs for USA, sharing what we learned, best practices, and sample CDFI data collection forms and processes.
Awardees
Below are the 120 OFN member CDFIs that received grants from Create Jobs for USA:
- Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs
- Accion Chicago
- Accion Texas Inc.
- Alternatives Federal Credit Union
- Arcata Economic Development Corporation
- Arizona MultiBank Community Development Corporation
- Baltimore Community Lending
- Bethex Federal Credit Union
- Black Business Investment Fund of Central Florida
- BOC Capital Corporation
- Boston Community Capital
- Bridgeway Capital
- Business Center for New Americans
- Calvert Social Investment Foundation
- Century Housing
- Charter Schools Development Corporation
- Chicago Community Loan Fund
- Cincinnati Development Fund
- Citizen Potawatomi CDC
- Coastal Enterprises, Inc.
- Colorado Enterprise Fund
- Community Assets for People LLC
- Community Capital of NY
- Community Capital of Vermont
- Community Concepts Finance Corporation
- Community First Fund
- Community Housing Capital
- Community Loan Fund of the Capital Region
- Community Redevelopment Loan and Investment Fund
- Community Reinvestment Fund
- Community Ventures Corporation
- CommunityWorks Carolina
- Cooperative Business Assistance Corporation
- Cooperative Fund of New England
- Corporation for Supportive Housing
- Craft3
- Disability Opportunity Fund
- Economic and Community Development Institute
- Economic Opportunities Fund
- El Paso Collaborative for Community & Economic Development
- Enterprise Community Loan Fund
- Enterprise Development Fund
- Entrepreneur Fund
- Entrepreneur Works
- Fahe
- FINANTA
- First State Community Loan Fund
- Florida Community Loan Fund
- Forward Community Investments
- Freedom First Federal Credit Union
- Fresno CDFI
- Genesis Community Loan Fund
- Grameen America
- Greater New Haven Community Loan Fund
- Gulf Coast Renaissance Corporation
- Hartford Community Loan Fund
- Hope Enterprise Corporation
- Housing Assistance Council, Inc.
- Housing Fund, The (Nashville Housing Fund)
- Idaho Nevada CDFI
- IFF
- Initiative Foundation
- Intersect Fund
- Justine Petersen Housing and Reinvestment Corp.
- Kentucky Habitat for Humanity
- Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation
- Leviticus 25:23 Alternative Fund
- Local Initiatives Support Corporation
- Low Income Investment Fund
- Lowcounty Housing Trust
- MACED
- MaineStream Finance
- Maryland Capital Enterprises
- Mercy Loan Fund
- Midwest Minnesota Community Development Corporation
- Mile High Community Loan Fund
- Montana Community Development Corp.
- Mountain BizWorks
- National Housing Trust Community Development Fund
- Natural Capital Investment Fund
- NCALL Research Inc
- NCB Capital Impact
- Nebraska Enterprise Fund
- NeighborWorks Capital
- New Hampshire Community Loan Fund
- New Jersey Community Capital
- Nonprofit Finance Fund
- Nonprofits Assistance Fund
- Northern California Community Loan Fund
- Northern Initiatives
- Northland Foundation
- Oakland Business Development Center
- Ohio Capital Finance Corporation
- Opportunities Credit Union
- Opportunity Fund
- Partners for the Common Good
- Pathway Lending
- People Incorporated Financial Services
- PeopleFund
- Primary Care Development Corporation
- Progress Fund
- Reinvestment Fund
- Rising Tide Community Loan Fund
- Rural Community Assistance Corporation
- Rural Electric Economic Development, Inc.
- San Luis Obispo County Housing Trust Fund
- Santa Cruz Community Credit Union
- Seattle Economic Development Fund
- Self-Help & Affiliates
- Support Center
- TELACU Community Capital
- The Loan Fund
- TruFund Financial Services
- Twin Cities Community Land Bank
- Valley Economic Development Center
- Vermont Community Loan Fund
- Virginia Community Capital
- Wisconsin Womens Business Initiative Corporation
- WomanVenture
- Working Solutions