In 2007 the Francis Fund for Southeastern CT was started as a vehicle for social investing and lending to support and promote a sustainable, just, regional economy in Southeastern CT. In 2021, with the support of SFH , a new partnership was formed between Equity Trust and the Southeastern Connecticut Community Land Trust (SECT CLT) to support the work of the CLT. The new partnership is the Southeastern Connecticut Fund for Land Equity. For more information about this exciting work, please visit: www.sectclt.org.
The Francis Fund was a partnership of St. Francis House and Equity Trust, Inc. a national organization based in Amherst, MA dedicated to promoting equity by changing the way people think about and hold property. St. Francis House provided local review of and support for Francis Fund loan projects while Equity Trust provided administrative and fiduciary oversight. Together, SFH and ETI defined the Fund’s mission and guided its ongoing evolution.
The on-the-ground work of the Francis Fund—identifying projects and assessing them for mission fit—was supported by an Advisory Committee made up of local residents who shared themselves according to their talents, knowledge, and networks, as well as participated in ongoing learning about sustainable economic development.
The Francis Fund directed its funds to non-profit and for profit enterprises according to the following criteria:
- Support cooperative efforts and business models that facilitate shared ownership and increased collaboration
- Support the diversification of the local economy to more productive non-violent activities
- Increase local resiliency and self-reliance by building capacity to produce basic needs regionally for local consumption, particularly with farming
- Support the responsible and innovative use of natural and manufactured capital
- Support the creation of equity and opportunity by groups historically marginalized and economically disenfranchised