Features

2025 Impact Report: Advancing Economic Opportunity Across Appalachia

ACC's 2025 Impact Report is now available, spotlighting the organization's continued growth and the lasting impact of our network across Appalachian communities. In 2025, ACC and its 44-member CDFI network reached more than 2,100 small businesses, sustained over 8,000 jobs, launched a $40M Community Investment Notes offering, and deployed the first funds from a $67M Green Bank, including Hurricane Helene recovery support. From expanded lending to new member partnerships, the numbers tell a powerful story of what investing in rural America looks like.

See what we accomplished in our latest impact report brief → appalachiancommunitycapitalcdfi.org

Governor Barr Delivers Keynote Remarks at the NCIC Conference

At the 2026 National Community Investment Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, Governor Michael Barr delivered remarks that recognized the impact of place-led investing across Appalachian communities. Watch the video here. 

ACC Powering Resilient Opportunities Fund Featured in JPMorgan Chase American Dream Initiative Announcement

ACC's Powering Resilient Opportunities Fund received recognition as part of JPMorgan Chase's American Dream Initiative, a major commitment to small business growth and job creation across underserved communities. Coverage from Impact Alpha highlights the fund's role in expanding access to capital where it's needed most. As ACC's membership and lending portfolio continue to grow, this visibility reflects the momentum building across our network and the demand-side realities our work is built to meet. Read the coverage → ImpactAlpha

Data Hub and Resilience Work

ACC’s DeepRoots Data Hub continues to evolve as a shared resource for CDFIs, partners, and the communities they serve. Current work includes new resilience efforts in partnership with LISC, growing cross-pollination with other data initiatives across the CDFI sector, and expanded portfolio risk analytics for six ACC members. In this initial effort, the DeepRoots Data Hub is analyzing more than $500 million in small business loan portfolios across the Appalachian region to help identify broader industry risks, flag gaps in data collection, and support participating CDFIs with risk dashboards and actionable recommendations. Alongside this work, the Data Hub is advancing DeepRoots offerings, including warm leads and pre-qualification tools, and exploring new ways to share lessons from the field through blogs and conversations with industry experts.

Visit Appalachian Community Capital and the DeepRoots Data Hub at OFN to learn how we are building connected infrastructure for community finance. Stop by our booth to explore DeepRoots, our coordinated engagement network for CDFIs and support partners, and see how the Data Hub is helping partners use data, analytics, and shared systems to strengthen outreach, coordination, and capital deployment.

Photo credit: 2026 T25 Launch Party at Mission Investors Exchange, Collective Action for Just Finance

Reflections from the Field and What's Ahead



Over the past few months, one theme has come through clearly in conversations I’ve had across Appalachia: communities are looking for investment approaches that are locally grounded, flexible, and built for long-term resilience.

As I’ve traveled to meet with ACC members and partners across the region, I’ve been struck by the depth of commitment, creativity, and leadership already present in these communities. Hearing the stories firsthand has deepened my appreciation for both the strength of ACC’s network and the possibilities to expand our impact.

A few ideas continue to surface:

One is ambition. Not in the abstract, but in the determination I’ve seen from local leaders working to expand opportunity in communities too often overlooked. Whether the focus is small business growth, housing, workforce development, or the energy transition, people are building for the long term.

 Another is experimentation. Across the region, ACC members are testing new partnerships, financing tools, and community-centered approaches because many of today’s challenges do not come with ready-made solutions. What stands out is the willingness to learn, adapt, and share lessons across the network.

 And finally, influence. Again and again, I’ve heard examples of organizations bringing together public, private, and community partners to move projects forward in ways no single institution could accomplish alone. Lasting progress depends on trusted local relationships and strong regional collaboration.

In several recent forums, the ACC team has been discussing the idea of “place-led investing.” At its core, place-led investing means that capital is shaped by and accountable to the communities where it is invested. When communities have ownership over decisions and outcomes, investment can strengthen not only individual projects, but the broader systems that support long-term resilience and opportunity.

As I reflect on these conversations, I keep coming back to ACC’s broader purpose: helping to elevate the opportunities for long-term, place-led investment in Appalachia to a national audience. The challenges facing many communities are real, but so is the creativity and leadership I’ve seen throughout the region. I’m excited for the work ahead.

I’d also like to extend a warm welcome to new ACC board members Robin Gabbard from Mountain Association, Khaliff Davis from Reinvestment Fund, and TJ Bogdewic from Bridgeway Capital. I’m grateful for their willingness to contribute their experience and leadership alongside our current board members as ACC continues to move forward.

Next week (June 10–12), I’ll be attending OFN’s Small Business Finance Forum in Austin, Texas, alongside Chief Strategy Officer, Jesse Fripp and ACC’s DeepRoots Data Hub team. If you’ll be there, please stop by our booth at the Partner Expo or join us for one of the sessions we’re supporting:

Customer-Centered Design: Lessons from Building Shared CDFI Systems — Thursday at 11:00 a.m.

 Using Small Business Storytelling for Policy and Community Change — Thursday at 2:30 p.m.

We’ll also be hosting an informal ACC meet-up on Thursday, June 11, from 5:30–6:30 p.m., at Zanzibar in the conference hotel. We’d love to see ACC members and friends there.

Daniel Wallace  | President and CEO, Appalachian Community Capital

Intro to Green Energy Lending for Small Business CDFIs Coming Up on June 23!



ACC is excited to partner with CAMEO’s National CDFI Academy to launch a new course, Introduction to Green and Clean Energy Lending for Small Business CDFIs. This 90-minute training will explore what green lending means in the context of small business finance and how lenders can begin integrating green considerations into existing products and underwriting processes without overhauling operations. Register for the June 23 course here. Virginia CDFI participants may attend free of charge thanks to support from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development - please reach out to Dara Dado (ddado@CAMEOnetwork.org) to receive a discount code to register. And stay tuned for information about the next training - Board Essentials for CDFIs: Governance, Accountability, and Board Term Limits on August 19!

ACC Launches AI Working Group

Last month ACC started an interactive monthly series titled “Leveraging AI in the CDFI Industry: A Practical Working Group with a Focus on Rural Population Needs.” Moderated by Andrew Porter and Aleks Whitchurch, the working group's focus areas include defining and designing applicable use cases, drafting AI governance policy frameworks, and developing tools for managing partners and vendors leveraging AI. At the May 20th kick-off, participants representing 21 ACC member organizations brought a diverse range of experiences and perspectives on AI. Discussion spanned from full-on excitement about the possibilities AI-tools present to concerns about bias, data privacy, and the unique human touch that defines CDFI interactions. All of the participating members have committed to supporting each other in exploring AI tools that can be deployed ethically and responsibly as the working group continues.

Veteran Loan Fund Expansion

ACC is continuing its partnership with PeopleFund, Inc. as we seek to provide Veterans and Military Spouses with the capital, education and resources needed to support healthy business growth.  There are additional resources on the horizon and we look forward to serving the Veteran community of the Appalachian region.

Lunch & Learn Series
Save the Date: ACC Lunch & Learn Webinar Series

ACC is launching a monthly Lunch & Learn Webinar Series for member CDFI staff. Every second Tuesday of the month at 12:00 p.m., join colleagues from across the network for timely topics, practical insights, and shared learning designed to strengthen your work. Future topics include, Green Lending, Board Development, Artificial Intelligence and its role within the CDFI industry.



Watch for upcoming topics and registration details. Connect. Learn. Grow.

From Our Members: Small Business 
Month Spotlights

Throughout Small Business Month, ACC highlighted entrepreneurs across our network who are building thriving businesses and strengthening their local economies. Here are three of their stories.

Blue Heron Urban Farms

Appalachian Region

A powerful example of sustainable agriculture in action, Blue Heron Urban Farms demonstrates how community-rooted food systems can create lasting economic and environmental impact.

Supported by: Foodshed Capital Fund

Dalaya Thai

Sylva, NC

Chef Kanlaya “Gun” Supachana had the vision, the skills, and the drive to bring authentic Thai cuisine to a new community. What she needed was capital. A loan from Mountain BizWorks made it possible to launch and grow Dalaya Thai in Sylva, NC. Today the restaurant is a thriving local business creating jobs and contributing to the economic vitality of Western North Carolina.

Supported by: Mountain BizWorks

Lone Star Farm & Home

Kentucky

Rural entrepreneurs do not just run businesses; they anchor communities. When Lone Star Farm & Home needed capital to adapt and grow, Southeast Kentucky Economic Development Corporation (SKED) stepped in with the financing to make it happen. Today the business continues serving its community and strengthening the rural Kentucky economy around it.

Supported by: Southeast Kentucky Economic Development Corporation (SKED)

From a Thai restaurant in the Blue Ridge Mountains to a farm supply store in rural Kentucky, these are the businesses CDFIs were built to support. This is community finance at work.

As more Opportunity Appalachia-supported projects open their doors across the region, regional and national partners are lifting up the community stories. Two recent features highlight projects in West Virginia and the partner work behind them.

The Bell Building - Wellsburg, WV

Resource Rural's feature on Wellsburg's town square revitalization spotlights the Bell Building project and local baker Cindi Alkire, whose business, The Kookie Jar, moved into the renovated space. Opportunity Appalachia supported the pre-development work that helped move this years-long project toward execution alongside public investment from the Urban Renewal Authority.

The Green Book Hotels Project – Bluefield, WV

Appalachia Funders Network featured the Green Book Hotels project in its "What's Good in Appalachia" series, highlighting a model that connects cultural preservation, tourism, and local economic opportunity. Opportunity Appalachia provided pre-development support to help move the project toward an investable structure.

Additional Opportunity Appalachia project features are in development with Resource Rural and other partners.

It has been a busy season for the ACC team. From the Southeast to the mid-Atlantic, our staff have been on the ground connecting with members and partners, advancing the CDFI sector, and representing Appalachia at key convenings.

Recent Conferences and Convenings


• Confluence Philanthropy Annual Practitioners Gathering, Asheville, NC
• Impact PHL Total Impact Summit, Philadelphia, PA
• ACC Member Meet-Up, Birmingham, AL
• National Community Reinvestment Coalition Just Economy Conference, Washington, DC
• CDI Conference, Washington, DC
• Mission Investors Exchange, Atlanta, GA
• AFN Gathering, Ashland, KY

Where the ACC team will be showing up, speaking, and building alongside our partners.

JUNE

Confluence Advisors Forum & Planetary Solutions Summit

June 3-4 in New York, NY

ACC representatives: Liz Rogers

OFN Small Business Finance Forum

June 10-12 in Austin, TX

ACC representatives: Daniel Wallace & Jesse Fripp

The Alliance Annual Conference

June 16-18 in New Orleans, LA

ACC representative: Shauna Yeldell

US/SIF Forum

June 24-26 in Washington, DC

ACC representative: Liz Rogers

JULY

Financial Innovations Roundtable: CDFI Consolidation

July 14-15 in Chicago, IL

ACC representative: Pam Porter

PRT Rural Investment Summit

July 20-23 in Knoxville, TN

ACC representative: Jesse Fripp

APPALACHIAN COMMUNITY CAPITAL

110 PEPPERS FERRY RD NW

CHRISTIANSBURG, VA 24073

www.appalachiancommunitycapitalcdfi.org

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