We meet entrepreneurs where they are
Since 2017, BII has deployed $18 million across New England through flexible debt and equity financing to businesses, cooperatives, and real estate projects.
Directly from Our Portfolio
Cero Cooperative Inc
CERO is a worker-owned cooperative that collects commercial compost in the greater Boston area and creates business ownership and earning opportunity for the people of color among the working-class community. CERO's waste separation system increases reclamation and sale of clean paper, plastics, metals, waste vegetable oil and organic food waste, reducing customer trash sent to landfill and incinerators by 50 percent or more. This investment was done in collaboration with Cooperative Fund of New England to provide early stage start up capital
MathTalk
MathTalk is a community-focused education technology public benefit corporation based in Cambridge, Mass. Using playful installations, technology and books, MathTalk promotes early math and language development among children. It uses the latest scientific research on cognitive development and is rooted in the cultures of local communities of color.
Valley Home Insulation
Valley Home Insulation offers residential insulation and weatherization services in Lawrence and the surrounding Merrimack Valley. Following the 2018 gas explosions, Columbia Gas offered 100% reimbursement for insulation and weatherization services on all homes it serves in the Merrimack Valley through the end of 2020. VHI leverages cultural competency and community presence to provide these services to low- and moderate-income residents of this region.
Cooperative Fund of the Northeast
The Cooperative Fund of New England (CFNE) is a community development loan fund that facilitates socially responsible investing in cooperatives, community-oriented nonprofits, and worker-owned businesses in New England and New York. CFNE provides financial products, business assistance, and investment opportunities that promote socially conscious enterprise. Boston Impact Initiative is an investor in CFNE’s Social Investment Fund, as well as a frequent co-investor in direct lending to cooperatives.
MA Community Purchasing Alliance
Community Purchasing Alliance (MA CPA) is a purchasing cooperative that leverages the buying power of institutions to negotiate and drive down costs of vendors and service providers, while steering spending to diverse vendors using sustainable practices for their members. Their members consists of faith based institutions, schools, affordable housing, and other nonprofits.
Capital Good Fund
Capital Good Fund is a nonprofit and CDFI based in Rhode Island offering low interest loans to individuals for emergencies, immigration, and weatherization; creating pathways out of poverty; and advancing access to the green economy. BII Fund I provided a term loan in 2019 to support their Massachusetts expansion for their immigration and weatherization loans.
Eastie Farm
Eastie Farm is a community-based non-profit focused on Climate Justice, Food Access, and building Community Resilience. They address these issues through creating green spaces throughout East Boston. With the help of neighborhood volunteers, they have transformed several vacant lots into community gardens. In 2021, Fund II provided a line of credit to Eastie Farm to finance grants and contracts from city and state agencies, as well as foundations.
Franklin Caraballo
Bookkeeper Franklin Caraballo LLC provides critical professional business consulting, business management, bookkeeping, and tax services to small Spanish-speaking businesses. Language is often a huge barrier for many startups, bodegas, and other businesses which can created a hesitancy in entrepreneurs to launch, grow, or expand their businesses. In 2021, BII made a loan for expanding the team and building out an online training platform.
Fresh Food Generation
Fresh Food Generation started its food truck business with an intention to serve healthy food in the low-income neighborhood of Boston. Today they are a restaurant, food truck and catering company. FFG combines New England ingredients with bold Caribbean and Southern flavors to create enticing locally sourced fresh food. In 2018, BII Fund provided a line of credit and convertible debt coupled with an innovative “self-liquidating equity” structure which allows management to buy back equity at fair and mutually agreed upon price.
Housing Corp of Arlington (HCA)
Housing Corporation of Arlington (HCA) is a well-established non-profit community development corporation dedicated to creating and preserving affordable housing in Arlington, Massachusetts. HCA operates comprehensive housing programs including affordable housing development and management, homelessness prevention services, and energy efficiency upgrades for low-income homeowners. The organization has built strong community relationships and successfully completed LIHTC deals throughout its history. In September 2025, BII provided subordinated debt financing to support HCA's acquisition of 59 affordable housing units at 840-846 Massachusetts Avenue and 1517 Newman Way, preserving critical Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) in a gentrifying area. This tenant-driven acquisition serves residents across…
Maven Construction
Maven Construction is a registered woman-owned, and minority-owned full-service general contracting firm that provides at-risk construction management services to municipal, institutional and private clients. In 2018, BII Fund provided project finance to support an energy efficiency project with Howard University.
MentorWorks
MentorWorks is a platform that helps to originate and facilitate Income Share Agreements (ISAs). They were among the first platforms to provide income-share based education financing coupled with career mentorship. In 2020, BII committed invested in MentorWorks through a special funding vehicle (SPV), enabling the company to fund the higher education of students, primarily of color, who are attending community colleges or enrolled in technical training programs in Boston.
Roundhead Brewing Co.
Roundhead Brewing is the first Latino-owned craft brewery in the Boston area. The brewery sells a variety of craft beers and fresh pizza in the taproom and serves as a community space, hosting events with local partners and musicians at the brewery and around Boston. Roundhead Brewing also supports its workers by creating career pathways and paying a living wage, instead of sub-minimum, tipped wages. In 2021, Fund I provided a term loan as part of a larger equipment financing facility in partnership with RSF Social Finance to purchase electric brewing equipment.
TARTTs Day Care
At the time of BII’s original investment, TARTTs Day Care was family-owned business that provided quality childcare services for children ages two months to five years. Founded by African-American nurse Bessie Tartt Wilson in 1946, the company was run by second, third, and forth generation family members whose aim was to provide a high-quality, well-rounded curriculum that enriches its children’s and families’ lives. TARTTs was acquired by a competitor in 2024 who retained all existing employees and is carrying forward TARTTs’ legacy. In 2019, Fund I made a loan for operational expenses of establishing a new center.
Rabbit Hole Housing Cooperative
Rabbit Hole Housing Cooperative (RHH) is a group-equity housing cooperative in Portland, Maine, dedicated to providing affordable, safe, and welcoming housing for the queer and transgender community. RHH operates under democratic governance using Sociocracy 3.0 principles, with four councils (Organizing, Finance, Membership & Events, and Maintenance) that ensure all affected members participate in decision-making. The cooperative features a low share buy-in paid over 12 months, making membership accessible while building collective ownership. In 2025, BII provided acquisition financing to support RHH's purchase of a 7,215 square foot property with capacity for 8-9 bedrooms that will serve founding members and future…
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