Announcing Grow America as the Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Technical Assistance Provider

Grow America, in partnership with the International City/County Management Association, has been selected to provide technical assistance to existing and potential Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grant recipients. The purpose of this grant is to provide RLF-specific technical assistance that focuses on the unique complexities of EPA Brownfield RLF Grants with the goal of increasing the capacity of EPA-funded Brownfield RLF Programs nationwide. This grant is intended to help communities that have not previously engaged in brownfields projects to gain an understanding of requirements for managing a successful RLF Program, and build capacity for existing RLF CARs, so that they can better manage their RLF Programs when the grant is open (i.e., operating under a cooperative agreement) and in post-closeout status (i.e., operating under a closeout agreement). 

The selected recipient, Grow America, is uniquely qualified to lead the creation of this EPA RLF Community of Practice. Founded as a national nonprofit in 1969 to address lack of credit as barrier to economic equity, Grow America has worked for more than 50 years in fulfilling its mission to increase the flow of capital for investment in low-income and underserved communities. Grow America acts as partner, teacher, investor, developer and lender, bringing together community development know-how, capacity-building, and capital for community and economic investment. Grow America first pursued this mission by helping potential borrowers prepare for borrowing and then connecting them to lenders and, later, helping hundreds of localities create targeted lending and comprehensive community renewal programs. Over the years, Grow America has trained more than 75,000+ economic and community development practitioners in the art and science of economic and housing development finance through local training programs and the NDC Training Academy. 

Grow America is a small business lender and one of their continuums of lending resources includes three USEDA RLFs. Grow America understands the challenges of setting up and maintaining highly effective organizations centered on lending to growing small businesses in low-income communities. More than 25 years ago, the nonprofit expanded their operations to include direct funding and lending for affordable housing, community facilities, social infrastructure projects, and to small businesses in low income, minority and underserved communities across the country.