Proofing Station

Meet our Board Members: Erica L. King! Erica serves as the Senior Vice President of Economic Development and Lending at the African American Alliance of CDFI CEOs. With over 20 years in economic and community development, she is a social impact leader focused on equitable solutions for underserved communities and brings a key perspective to the Proofing Station Board. Read our Q&A with Erica here: https://lnkd.in/eZm9Rf2q

Are you heading to Marbleseed's Organic Farming Conference this year? Proofing Station's Executive Director Cortney Renton will joining the panel "Unlocking Land: Innovative Lending and Business Solutions for Farmers" on Friday, February 21. Check out the conference schedule for more info on the panel – and we're looking forward to seeing you there! https://lnkd.in/gqkebsmV

In case you missed it: this past fall, Proofing Station provided a long-term, low-interest loan to Sola Gratia Farm to support construction of a new on-farm building. When complete, the facility will be used for washing and packing produce and educational programs, as well as storage and office space. Learn more about their plans for the farm via WCIA 3: https://lnkd.in/gR5mvDcx

New year, new board members! Proofing Station is thrilled to welcome the expertise of David LeZaks and Alesha (Black) Miller to our team. David is the Managing Director of Food System 6, dedicated to developing innovative mechanisms for financing the transition to regenerative farming and food systems. Alesha serves as the Chief Strategy Officer at Digital Green and her career has been dedicated to addressing global food system issues. Learn more about their backgrounds: https://lnkd.in/gdrYJ4PR We look forward to collaborating with both to steward Proofing Station’s mission going forward.

Proofing Station is grateful to welcome the support of Builders Initiative and The Schmidt Family Foundation, which have provided transformational investments in our impact-first investment fund. With their support, Proofing Station has now raised over $15 million of our $25 million fund goal! Learn more about their support and learn more about our current portfolio at https://lnkd.in/gwqwWRR2

Our fall edition of Tasting Notes is here! Dive into our seasonal newsletter, featuring updates on our newest investment partnership with Sola Gratia Farm, new funding commitments from Builders Initiative and The Schmidt Family Foundation, an interview with the incredible Toyin Kolawole of Iya Foods, and more. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gseb_pKQ

For Immediate Release: Sola Gratia Farm and Proofing Station Partner to Strengthen Local Food Access in Urbana, IL Proofing Station is proud to invest in Sola Gratia Farm, a nonprofit urban farm serving communities in the Champaign-Urbana region of east central Illinois. Learn more about how this low-interest loan to Sola Gratia Farm will support expanded farm operations here: https://lnkd.in/ghG6WPjZ

Cortney Renton, Executive Director of Proofing Station, is excited to join?Jacob Israelow at Dirt Capital Partners and?Brandon Welch at Mad Capital in a panel facilitated by?Patrick Smith at Soil Upside at the?2024 Regenerative Food Systems Investment Forum. If you'll be in Denver on October 9-10, we hope to see you there! #RFSIForum24 #investing #aginvesting #impactinvesting #farming #regenerativeagriculture #foodsystems #naturalcapital #sustainability #agtech

We've been so fortunate to host Gonzalo Tenorio Guzman as our Summer Fellow this year! Gonzalo joined us as an MBA candidate at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, offering key insights to Proofing Station's investment strategy and impact framework. Gonzalo shares some of his reflections in this post. We are sad that his time with us as ended, but are grateful for his contributions. Thank you, Gonzalo! https://lnkd.in/gVgQiYJa

Proofing Station's Executive Director Cortney Renton has been selected as a 2024-2025 Just Economy Institute Fellow! JEI connects, supports and educates financial activists who are shifting the flow of capital and power to solve social and environmental problems. Learn more about this exciting Fellowship below!