2005 Report on the Community Investment Trends in the United States

E*Newsletter of the Canadian Community Investment Network, 08/2006

2005 Report on the Community Investment Trends in the United States

This report tracks ten years of growth in the field of community investing – the capital investors direct to communities that are underserved by traditional financial services. Between 1995 and 2005, the field in the United States grew from $4 billion to $19.6 billion – nearly a five-fold increase. This increase reflects increasing interest on the part of institutional, professional, and individual investors in community investing and its impacts.

Community investing in the US is attracting increasing investments because it is a powerful way to promote positive growth and development in low-income communities. Through a broad array of products across a range of assets classes – from community development banks and credit unions to loan funds to venture capital to international microfinance- investors at all levels of sophistication can find products that allow them to have a deep impact while earning a return on their investments. New products are being developed rapidly and the field is becoming increasingly sophisticated, broadening its appeal to a growing range of investors.

The report is only available in English. The entire report is available online at http://www.communityinvest.org/PDF/CITrendsReport2005.pdf