For the past four quarters, High Impact worked alongside The Community Development Trust to release charter school market scans covering four specific state markets: Tennessee, California, New Jersey and Colorado.  We learned a great deal about the charter market through this process, from getting access to information to understanding how the nationally present charter school debate trickles down to the state and local level. In this blog post, we share our tips and update the political outlook in our focus states as we begin 2019.

Finding Data

• The state’s Department of Education is the place to start as you determine what type of charter school information is available to the public, which varies significantly from state to state. Further, the respective state’s charter school association or center will likely be a resource for charter news and data.
• Reading local newspapers and national education outlets like Chalkbeat and the74million can help provide a general knowledge of the charter market and identify the current issues and successes surrounding charter schools.
• Reaching out and speaking with individuals rooted in the education system (such as advocates, charter association employees, educators, etc.) provides a unique view of charter markets and an insider perspective that can be difficult to glean from other sources.

State Changes to Watch in 2019
The recent midterm elections resulted in changes in state leadership that may impact charter school growth in our focus states.

Tennessee:

• Education Commissioner Candice McQueen and Governor Bill Haslam, who had both been advocates for the Achievement School District, both stepped down at the end of 2018. Prior to McQueen’s departure, she recommended that the Achievement School District take over more low-performing schools in Memphis and Nashville unless the state sees dramatic changes this school year. A permanent Education Commissioner has not yet been selected by the incoming governor.
• Notes on incoming Governor Bill Lee:
  • Lee is a Republican who supports parent choice and more school options. He is open to promoting a school voucher program and has appointed many strong voucher advocates to his new administration. Lee also intends to revisit the state’s Basic Education Program, which is a key funding formula for K-12 public schools.  
  • Lee strives to encourage further collaboration between the Achievement School District and innovation zone (iZone) schools. The iZone model aims to move schools from the bottom 5% to the top 25% in Tennessee through empowered, effective principals, high performing teachers, an extended learning day and a support team. He affirms the support of lower-performing schools as a priority.
  • His campaign included investing in vocation, technical and agricultural education to increase the number of ready-to-work high school graduates in rural areas.

 
California:

• Incoming California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, would like to put a halt on new charter schools to address what he describes as the schooling model’s overall transparency issues.
• The State Superintendent of Public Instruction, who is in charge of the Department of Education and can influence educational policy and bills, is a two-year position that is now held by union-backed Democrat state Assemblyman, Tony Thurmond.  Thurmond won against Marshall Tuck, a leader of a charter network who had record-breaking campaign support from pro-charter philanthropists. Part of Thurmond’s plan is to ensure accountability for charter schools.

 
New Jersey:

• Since January 2018, Governor Phil Murphy’s administration has called a ‘time out’ on charters and rejected 13 charter school applications submitted to the state for approval.
• In October, the Department of Education announced it would evaluate charter school law to figure out what is working and what is not, with a specific focus on performance and budget issues. It has been 20 years since New Jersey’s charter law was enacted and the Governor suggests that the landscape needs to be assessed. The education commissioner and staff have reached out to both pro- and anti-charter stakeholders including educators and families to hear all sides of the debate.  This review process is now coming to a close and recommendations will be taken to the state board in 2019.

 
Colorado:

• Susana Cordova, former Deputy Superintendent of Denver Pubic Schools, was appointed to Superintendent of Denver Public Schools on December 17, 2018.  Denver Public Schools is Colorado’s largest school district with nearly 93,000 students, the majority of whom are Latino and black and come from low-income families. It is the first time in 10 years that the district has had to choose a new superintendent.   Cordova is not anti-charter school though it is important to note that her husband is an investment banker who helps charter schools get financing. It has been made public that his firm will not work with Denver Public or Denver Charter Schools since Cordova is now Superintendent.   
• Notes on incoming Governor Jared Polis:
  • Polis is a pro charter schools Democrat and does not support vouchers for private schools.
  • His platform included full-day kindergarten and universal access to preschool for four-year olds.
  • He has invested his own time and money in opening charter schools that serve disadvantaged students and he founded two charter school networks.

To learn more about the charter school markets in these states, you can review our state scans here.

 As the High Impact team has grown this year, the skills, backgrounds, and roles of our team have become more diverse.  A critical thread is shared among all of us, though: a commitment to positively impacting America's most distressed communities.  But what impact are we seeking, and how will we make it happen?  The answers to these questions are crystallized in High Impact's first-ever vision statement:

We want not just to expand economic opportunities in low-income communities.  We don't only want to contribute to the production of quality affordable housing, or improved facilities for high-performing schools.  Rather, it is the sum of all those parts and more that we seek--it is the creation of thriving communities.  A thriving community has opportunities to earn an income and build wealth, it has residents who don't feel the stress of housing insecurity, and it has schools that equip students to reach their potential.  But it also has happy, fulfilled people, neighborhood pride, big dreamers, and the comfort of safety.  Helping all communities thrive is what our work is all about.

​With the goal defined, the next step was figuring out how we can pursue such an ambitious vision.  We concluded that conscious capital and innovative partnerships are the two critical, non-negotiable ingredients that will be core to our success. Conscious capital acknowledges that money is necessary to move the needle on these intractable problems, and it has to be money that's used in a thoughtful, human-first way.  It's capitalism that understands and privileges the simple idea that people are greater than profit.

​Innovative partnerships are so important to us because while we are ambitious, we know that we can't make the big changes that we believe in on our own.  We need to bring our specific skill set to the table and combine that with the expertise and capacity of our collaborators to maximize our impact.  We need to encourage ourselves and others to think differently, act boldly, and work together to drive positive change.

​Our vision statement is a commitment. It is a motivator. And it is our greatest dream as a company.  We invite you to join us as we bring it to life.

At High Impact, we’re excited about the Opportunity Zones program and its potential to kickstart a wave of long-term investment into economically distressed communities across America. Since the program was announced as part of last year’s tax plan, we’ve been closely following the program’s progression and are eagerly awaiting final guidance on its implementation.
 
To High Impact, it’s clear that mission-focused stakeholders will need to proactively engage with the Opportunity Zones program to ensure the program delivers on its promise of meaningful job creation and economic development for low-income communities. Unlike other tax incentive programs like New Markets Tax Credits (NMTCs) or Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTCs), the Opportunity Zones program will not regulate investment through specialized financial intermediaries or an application process. Unencumbered by these restrictions, investment will flow towards projects and geographies that promise the greatest expected return.
 
With that in mind, we’ve decided to release a series of posts on Opportunity Zones geared toward CDFIs, impact investors and community organizations who calculate returns not only in dollars earned, but in jobs created, improved infrastructure and units of quality, affordable housing built. Over the coming weeks, we’ll seek to provide community stakeholders with the information they need to understand the program, communicate with potential investors and steer the program towards generating real returns for communities, not just investors.
 
For our readers who aren’t familiar with the Opportunity Zones program, great resources already exist covering the program’s structure. The IRS (link) and the Economic Innovation Group (link) provide solid background information on the program and for those looking to identify and pull information on the Qualified Opportunity Zones within their states, Enterprise Community Partner’s Opportunity360 tool (link) is a great resource.
 
In our next post, we’ll start by taking a look at the tax incentives offered through the Opportunity Zones program and release a model that will help clarify their implications for an investor.  

We are excited to announce the Impact Lenders Podcast, a new biweekly podcast that focuses on using lending as a force for good.  Through interviews with executives, lenders, and other staff who carry out the important work of nonprofit loan funds, foundations, CDFI banks and credit unions, government entities, and their partner institutions, we will give you inspiration for your own work, remind you why you got into this field in the first place, and improve your knowledge of the field.  Many of our discussions will be about affordable housing development, the growth and management of nonprofit loan funds, small business lending, commercial real estate in underserved communities, school facility development, and economic development.  One of our goals as a company is to be a knowledge base for the industry, and this podcast is an extension of that goal.  We hope we’ll entertain and inform, and we are excited to showcase the many great people in this industry on our show.  

The first episode will be released on 4.4.2018.  We look forward to hearing your feedback and hope you will enjoy the show.

www.impactlenderspodcast.com

This is the first in a series of blog posts that will highlight our five core values: social responsibility, integrity, professionalism, adaptability, and collaboration.  Today we focus on social responsibility.

By: Camellia Loojune, Junior Analyst 

As an expanding organization, the High Impact team has been working to create a company culture that complements our recently developed core set of values and beliefs. Being a B Corp has played an integral role in this process. In the spirit of B Corp Awareness Month, we would like to highlight one of our values, social responsibility.

We find it an absolute privilege to work with clients on projects that positively impact communities across the nation, ranging from affordable housing and charter schools to small businesses. As part of our commitment to social responsibility, each year we donate a percentage of our profit to a worthy organization, and we let one of our clients select who we should send the donation to.

Using a weighted lottery system, the Reinvestment Fund (RF) based in Philadelphia, PA was the client chosen this year. RF is a community development financial institution that integrates data, policy and strategic investments to improve the quality of life in low-income neighborhoods. Using analytical and financial tools, they are able to bring high-quality grocery stores, affordable housing, schools and health centers to communities that need better access.

RF polled their staff and selected Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Philadelphia as the organization who will be receiving our donation of $1,500. CASA Philadelphia delivers personalized, integrated, child-centered advocacy for abused and neglected children in foster care through a diverse community of trained volunteers. RF’s Managing Director for Lending and Investment, Andy Rachlin stated:

“There is no population more vulnerable or in need of more support than children who have been abused or neglected and are in the foster care system. That’s why a number of staff members at Reinvestment Fund choose to dedicate their volunteer time to CASA and why we wanted High Impact’s donation to go there as well.”

We would like to thank CASA Philadelphia for the tremendous work they do, and hope that this modest donation makes a difference.  To learn more about their organization, please go to: http://www.casaphiladelphia.org/. 

You’ve just closed a loan for a residential conversion of a commercial property.  The LTV is on target and the DCR is sound. Then you pick up the paper and read an article like this, detailing how the residential-only property isn’t actually eligible for the mixed-use real estate tax exemption it was granted.

This is in many ways a nightmare scenario for any lender (including at least one CDFI that financed some of the properties in question): you have done your due diligence, requiring proof of approval for the exemption that makes the project viable, and now it turns out that the exemption was granted in error and will be rescinded.  What are the next steps?

• Look Backward: This step may come later, but in any workout a lender should review what happened to see if such crises can be prevented in the future.  In my last post, I reminded readers to verify subsidy program requirements independently.  But should an underwriter really be expected to verify the validity of a real estate tax exemption already approved by the city?  Does the underwriter need to question everything?  Perhaps not, but then again, it would take seconds to Google the source of the exemption, and the last line of the first hit would point you to the crucial distinction:

This search could have prompted questions from the underwriter regarding why the residential use conversion was eligible.  It is very possible that the in-hand approval still would have won the argument, but this would have given the lender one more chance to avoid becoming victim to the city’s mistake.

• Look Forward: When an issue like this surfaces, it is critical to be proactive in your response.  The city made a mistake, and now has to figure out how to correct it.  You and your borrower should both be at the table for that discussion, advocating for a fair approach that recognizes that investment decisions were made based on the city’s misstep. 
• Pat Yourself on the Back: Perhaps due diligence didn’t go quite as far as it could have, but you still may be in good position because you are actively monitoring your portfolio and the markets you serve, so you were the first to hear about the issue.  You have maintained excellent relationships with your borrower, so they are likely to do what they can to ensure that you are made whole in the end.  You are also in good standing with local politicians, giving you a better chance of convincing them that city hall needs to limit the collateral damage of its mistake.

Even good underwriting can be undermined by surprises like this.  Thankfully, this specific scenario is rare, but it should provide a strong reminder to go the extra mile in your underwriting, monitor your portfolio and lending markets diligently, and maintain excellent relationships with your borrowers and local government.

In community development, nothing is a sure thing.  Except, that is, excellent service from High Impact.
​Contact us today to discuss your underwriting, portfolio management, and program development needs.

​The final FY18 federal budget will likely be much different than the president’s “skinny budget” proposal, but nevertheless, the threat to eliminate programs like Community Development Block Grants and severely cut others like Section 8 housing vouchers underscores the risk associated with subsidy programs.  Carefully evaluating all capital grants, operating subsidies, and credit enhancements is essential to effective risk management for CDFIs.
​
How best to address the uncertainty?  Strong underwriting and prudent monitoring.

1. Verify program requirements independently. Understanding program guidelines and conditions on subsidy awards is essential to sound underwriting.  If a subsidy source is involved in the phase of the project you’re financing (such as a construction subsidy that will come in during your construction loan term), make sure to review the executed grant agreement prior to closing.  Key terms to consider include conditions precedent to funding, retainage, limitations on funding reimbursements versus costs incurred, and events triggering repayment.  If a subsidy source is part of your planned take-out, you may not be able to get a signed (or even draft) grant agreement. Instead, go to the funding agency’s website to read about the program terms, and call the agency to discuss terms if you need clarification.
2. Understand the source of subsidy funds.  Are funds coming from the municipal, state, or federal government?  Has funding for the subsidy already been approved, or will it be approved as part of a future year’s budget?  The answers to these questions determine the risk involved.  A closer look may be necessary for particularly important subsidies—for example, if a project works with a HAP contract but doesn’t without it, you may want to read into the current politics around HUD funding.  If a municipal subsidy is key to the plan, you may want to call around to understand how internal politics, newly elected leadership, and unwritten priorities might affect who receives a subsidy.
3. Consider the borrower’s experience.  A borrower’s experience obtaining and using a specific subsidy source provides a barometer of the likelihood that they will be able to access it again.  When underwriting a subsidy whose exact value may change (based on tax credit pricing, for example) or which will be uncommitted at closing of your loan, borrower experience may help mitigate the risk that the planned subsidy is reduced or falls through.  A borrower who survived the recession and has a history of cobbling together various funding sources to make projects work may be more likely to push a challenged project through successfully than one who is newer and has fewer relationships with funders.
4.  Monitor closed loans with an eye toward subsidy risks.  Making sure your loan administration team understands your expectations for when subsidy will come into the deal is vital for effective oversight of construction draws.  To monitor subsidy sources of take-out, set up checkpoints (either through the loan review process, milestone covenants in loan documents, or informal ticklers) to get updates on the status of subsidy applications, commitments, and closing timelines.  The earlier you identify an issue, the easier it may be to resolve.
5. Keep watch on portfolio-wide exposure.  Over-exposure to a single program or funding source is a key form of concentration risk that is often overlooked.  Is 50% of your portfolio dependent upon Section 8 payments from tenants?  LIHTC rates holding steady?  Take-out by a state-funded program?  Consider tracking subsidy exposure and adjusting your risk position through geographic dispersion, new business development in a different financing product or lending sector, or by allowing subsidy exposure to inform other lending parameters.  Concentration risk may be unavoidable, but any CDFI can take steps to reduce the size of the risk.

We hope you will use some or all of these strategies to proactively monitor and mitigate risk for your institution.  Exposure to subsidy risk goes hand-in-hand with community development finance—let’s make smart risk management just as common.

Would you like a hand implementing any of these ideas?  Give us a call: (518) 599-0482.

These words were sent out to the B Corp community by B Lab, the nonprofit behind the B Corp designation, the day after Election Day.  During the election, some of the darkest, most perverse aspects of our capitalist system were on display—tax incentives favoring the wealthiest among us, eager use of bankruptcy to redistribute losses from failed ventures, and disrespect for the environment in favor of short term economic benefits.

At High Impact, we believe in the capitalist system because of our unwavering trust in the goodness of people to mobilize to bend capitalism toward the good of all.  Capitalism runs on incentives—the incentive to work hard to improve your lot, the incentive to find innovative ways to disrupt markets, and yes, the incentive to avoid taxes and build wealth.  We stand behind B Corps and the broader social enterprise movement as the best vehicle to bring another incentive to bear on the capitalist system—the incentive to have a conscience, act responsibly, and even go out of your way to do good in order to attract and retain customers.

Most people want to do good in the world, and this positive capitalism movement offers us the chance to do good in the most mundane ways, by buying laundry detergent that doesn’t harm the environment, shopping for Christmas gifts at a store that treats its lowest wage workers fairly, and investing in a company that deploys capital to benefit the underserved.  By spending our money at businesses that commit to integrity, transparency, compassion, and responsibility to all stakeholders, we can make the incentive for businesses to act in these ways irresistible.

Capitalism, when infused with humanity, is beautiful.  It does not demand the ruthlessness and willing exploitation that has been on display in the debates and defenses heard during the election.  It can be conducted with dignity, love, and respect for all.  That is our goal at High Impact.  We may be small, but we are proud to do what we can to support and grow compassionate capitalism.

To find companies doing the most good, visit the B Lab website here.
To find nonprofit lenders who you can invest in or donate to, visit the CDFI Fund’s website here.

It’s mid-September, so you know what that means.  Kids are going back to school, summer is slowly fading into fall, and everyone’s working on their New Year’s Resolutions.
Sound familiar?  Probably not.  Most people don’t start putting together resolutions for the new year until January 1st, or mid-December at best.  TIME magazine wrote last December that 80% of resolutions fail, and I can summarize my explanation why in one word: preparation.

To make a major change in your life, business, or lending institution, you can’t just flip a switch.  That’s why now is the perfect time to start working on your New Year’s Resolution.
Have a habit you’re trying to kick?  I’m a habitual knuckle-cracker, and set out many years to stop.  But simply saying I would never crack another knuckle starting January 1st didn’t work—it wasn’t until I took the time to research different habit-breaking techniques to prepare myself that I actually managed to stop.  If you see me wearing a rubber band, now you’ll know why.

The same research and planning can help in the business world.  Looking to increase lending volume in 2017?  Don’t wait until December or January to build an execution strategy.  You’ll need to raise capital, develop a marketing plan, and figure out how to keep workflow moving with a larger pipeline (and that’s where High Impact can help—see our underwriting services webpage for more).

At High Impact, we have a few big resolutions for 2017, and we’re starting to lay the groundwork for them now.  We plan to launch a professional development series for our clients and the wider lending community, to broaden our expertise through talent acquisition, and to pursue new lines of business to further our mission.  For more details, keep an eye on this blog to track what we’re up to.

Without proper preparation and a well thought-out plan of attack, it’s easy to get frustrated with personal goals or stumble out of the gate on business goals.  The beginning of a new year is a great time to sit back and evaluate where you are and where you want to go, but if you want to achieve big things in 2017, now is the time to start.​