When Grants Aren’t Enough: How REDF Impact Investing Fund Expands Flexible Capital for Greater Atlanta Nonprofits 

Through the GoATL Community Capacity Fund, the Community Foundation is helping expand access to capital for organizations creating jobs for people facing the greatest barriers to employment. 

For many people, a job is about more than a paycheck. 

It provides stability, dignity, purpose, and a pathway to long-term financial security. But for individuals experiencing homelessness, returning from incarceration, recovering from substance use, or overcoming other significant barriers, finding meaningful employment often requires more than a traditional hiring process. 

Across the country, employment social enterprises are helping bridge that gap by creating businesses that intentionally hire people facing barriers to work while surrounding them with the support they need to succeed. 

Through the GoATL Community Capacity Fund, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta is investing in that model by providing $250,000 to REDF Impact Investing Fund (RIIF), a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that provides flexible financing to employment social enterprises and nonprofits nationwide. 

Addressing a Critical Financing Gap 

The investment also responds to a need identified much closer to home. 

During the Community Foundation’s 2025 Nonprofit Sustainability Roundtable Series, nonprofit leaders across Greater Atlanta consistently identified access to flexible working capital as one of the sector’s greatest challenges. Delayed government reimbursements, rising operating costs, and limited financing options have left many organizations struggling to sustain and grow programs that communities depend on. RIIF’s bridge loans, lines of credit, and working capital products are designed to help nonprofits navigate those challenges.  

Building on the Foundation’s earlier investment in Nonprofit Finance Fund and its partnership through the Nonprofit Sustainability Fund, RIIF adds another mission-aligned lending partner with specialized expertise in supporting workforce-focused nonprofits and employment social enterprises to the metro Atlanta ecosystem. 

Financing Organizations That Create Opportunity 

Unlike traditional lenders, RIIF focuses exclusively on businesses and nonprofits whose mission is to employ individuals who have historically been excluded from the workforce. 

Its financing helps organizations grow while providing wraparound supports such as housing assistance, mental health counseling, legal services, financial coaching, and workforce development. 

Since its founding, RIIF has deployed more than $18 million across 49 investments in 18 states, supporting more than 47,000 jobs. Today, three out of four borrowers provide four or more supportive services alongside employment, helping workers build lasting economic stability. 

The results are significant: workers experience strong retention rates, increased wages, and opportunities to transition into permanent employment. 

More Than Capital 

The Community Foundation’s investment represents more than financial support. 

As RIIF expands its presence in Georgia, the Community Foundation will serve as a strategic partner helping connect workforce nonprofits with flexible financing solutions while strengthening relationships across Atlanta’s nonprofit and workforce development ecosystem. 

Together, the partnership will expand access to bridge loans, lines of credit, and other flexible financing tools that help nonprofits manage cash flow, sustain operations, and grow their impact. 

“With affordable capital and a network of experts to strengthen financial health of local non-profits, RIIF will direct GoATL Community Capacity Fund capital towards expanded revenue generating opportunities and access to new markets that create quality jobs for people overcoming barriers to work.”  Carrie McKellogg, CEO, RIIF    

When nonprofits have access to the right financial tools, they can focus on what they do best: creating opportunity, strengthening communities, and changing lives. Through the GoATL Community Capacity Fund, the Community Foundation is helping ensure those organizations have the resources they need to do just that. 

For 75 years, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta has connected generosity with the needs and possibilities of our region. GoATL represents part of what comes next: using more forms of capital to help promising solutions grow and communities thrive. 

Read the GoATL 2025 Impact Report. 

Interested in helping expand this work? Start a conversation with our team.