How a zero-interest loan helped a Black organic farmer put down roots in southern Arizona

Desert Sky Produce in southern Arizona Courtesy of Local First Arizona

When John Benedict drove from Philadelphia to rural southern Arizona five years ago in a van he bought for $1,000 with money saved from eBay sales, he had no intention of becoming a farmer. 

He just knew he wanted to leave city life, and an unfulfilling career in finance, behind.

“I just knew I wanted freedom,” Benedict, 33, said. “I just wanted land and space.”

With the help of the thriving, local agricultural community in Cochise County, Benedict has become the farmer he never thought he’d be, cultivating organic beets, carrots, strawberries, onions, broccoli, cabbage, salad greens, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and more.

And with the help of a novel funding vehicle from Community Investment Corporation, Benedict’s farm, Desert Sky Produce, has been able to grow, turn a profit and inspire him to think bigger.

Community Investment Corporation, a non-profit financial-empowerment organization, is part of Local First Arizona’s AZNavigator, a statewide small-business and entrepreneurship-assistance center. The 10 organizations that comprise AZNavigator provide no-cost assistance to startups and local business owners in Arizona.

“When I moved out here, I was living in a van. It was cold and miserable,” Benedict said, noting he is now organizing a co-op of other small-scale growers. “Without Community Investment Corporation’s funding, this would not even have been remotely possible.”

Simple Conversations Lead To Life-Changing Results

The farming and the funding came together in the most happenstance of ways, beginning with simple conversations. 

On a visit to a local food bank, a local farmer invited Benedict to earn money by helping seed his land. Benedict accepted, and it changed the trajectory of his life.

Organic farmer John Benedict Courtesy of Local First Arizona
Strawberries grown by Desert Sky Produce Courtesy of Local First Arizona

“I never stopped farming, from that moment on,” he said. “It felt like this is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing.” 

With that anchor in place, Benedict learned while working, made the most of whatever funds came his way — investing in solar panels, water tanks and pumps — and continued creating connections within his rural community.

‘The World Should Be More Economically Available To Everybody’​

Another of Benedict’s connections at the food bank quite literally paid off.

A woman there directed him to Community Investment Corporation, where he learned about a loan fund for entrepreneurs of color that could help him expand his farm.

As a Black farmer with no capital to use as collateral, Benedict embodied the reason the loan fund was created.

Less than 2% of farmers nationwide are African-American, and studies show Black and minority farmers on average receive less access to credit than white farmers.

Brandi Szymanski, the corporations’s rural lending manager, said the fund was created in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement to provide financial opportunities to all kinds of entrepreneurs from underserved communities.

“The world should be more economically available to everybody,” Szymaski said.

Brandi Szymanski Rural Lending Manager

Creative Approaches To Community Funding​

Carrots grown by Desert Sky Produce Courtesy of Local First Arizona

To receive a zero-interest loan up to $10,000 from Community Investment Corporation, applicants are asked to shoot a video of the work they’re doing and what they hope to accomplish with financial support.

Benedict appreciated the creative approach to the funding application because it meant he wouldn’t be dismissed for not coming to the table with years of financial records. 

“I did my application in my field,” he said. “I literally showed them my field of garlic and onions. It felt amazing showing them that I already had the seeds going.”

Paying it forward to the next small business

With the funding in place, Benedict has started a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiative to serve a local rehab facility, plans to open a retail space and is partnering with local schools. All of the work is allowing him to realize his goal of providing healthy foods to people who need it most.

Plus Benedict gets to literally pay his loan forward.

“I love knowing that every month when I make my payment that money is going from me to the next farmer and small business owner,” Benedict said. “And if we really talk about equality, there are different ways to level the playing field. One of them is childhood and prenatal nutrition. So, if we can get healthy and organic food to people who can’t afford it, that’s the mission.”

Szymaski, who recently visited Benedict’s farm, said she was impressed with the progress he has made. His success, she said, is exactly why she loves doing the work she does. 

“He’s thriving,” she said, recalling her visit to Benedict’s farm. “This is really social work. It’s lending, but we’re not a bank.”

Greens grown by Desert Sky Produce Courtesy of Local First Arizona

Buy produce from Desert Sky Organic’s new co-op at 9110 N. Highway 191, McNeal, AZ, call (520) 200-0549 or visit www.thelocalcoopaz.com.

Learn more about Community Investment Corporation’s low-interest lending for rural and underserved communities here.

Learn more about AZNavigator’s free assistance for Arizona small businesses here.

Read the original article on Local First Arizona.

Yolanda McCarty Retires

After 15 wonderful years, Yolie is ready for a new adventure!

Community Investment Corporation (CIC) is emotionally conflicted to announce that Yolanda McCarty will be retiring this year. Yolie has become a cornerstone of CIC with her infectious positivity and people-first approach.

We are so excited for Yolie to take on this is and exciting chapter of her life but sad she won’t light up our work days anymore. Below are a few fond memories from our staff who’ve worked with Yolie through the years.

Carla Wallace | Director of Bond Compliance

It has been an honor to work alongside Yolie at CIC and for many years prior when I was a Trustee.

Yolie embodies CIC’s mission and values. Bond Compliance was Yolie’s second career. She came to CIC having already spent a career making a difference in the community and undoubtedly leaving a lasting impression on customers and co-workers alike. While leading Bond Compliance Yolie’s ability to meet people where they are was on full display. She patiently provided education, clarification, and gentle guidance to our clients.

Of course, occasionally reminders would have to become a bit more forceful, and she was affectionately nicknamed ‘The Hispanic Hammer.’ Our clients knew they’d better get the docs in asap! She is a master collaborator, always goes the extra mile, and knows the ins and outs of every single compliance requirement.

But Yolie’s best qualities are her personality and the passion she has for the work we do and the clients we assist. The relationships she has formed, her delight when touring schools and meeting students, and her commitment to making compliance seamless and as easy as possible have not gone unnoticed and will be missed.

My favorite story about Yolie happened when I was a Trustee. A mutual Charter School client had experienced some major changes and was facing some financial challenges. A new Principal had been hired and he was inheriting a mess. When he accepted the meeting with two CIC folks and two Trustee folks he was terrified. We all showed up and explained that we were all on his team, wanted nothing more than for the school to succeed, answered all his questions, educated him on the compliance obligations and process, and most importantly treated him to lunch. He left that meeting feeling hopeful, supported, and reassured. We are all friends to this day and yes, he turned that school into an incredible success.

I have treasured my time working with Yolie and wish her happiness and success in all her new endeavors.

Heather Moreno | Program Support Associate

The first time I met Yolie, it was at a CIC Happy Hour where we had only infrequent interactions remotely due to the pandemic. She walked up, introduced herself and gave me a biggest, warmest hug. If there were any awkwardness due to only working alongside one another virtually, she did away with it immediately with a comfortability that radiates from her.

From the stories I’ve heard from before my time with CIC, she has always been this way. Good-natured, bright, witty, and always remembers to take a photo for posterity – and those are the thoughts that just come to mind when she blesses you with a conversation. In getting to know her, I’ve tried to be funnier, because she’s sharp as a whip and it’s hard to keep up. On our last school visit, she got me to laugh so hard, I snorted in the car.

She has gotten me to mellow out and enjoy life more, since she knows how to relax and take things in stride. While I would be pulling out my hair, she easily conquers what’s in front of her and with her hair looking immaculate. Genuinely, she’s given me a whole new perspective on my own way of treating others, as there is a unique kindness that emanates when you’re in her presence. You can’t help but smile, laugh, and feel joyful. Why be somber when you can be a Yolie, you know?

I’ve always said that it’s Yolie’s world, and we’re just living in it. It’s less of a joke and more of a reality because the fact is there is truly only one Yolanda McCarty. The whole world is privileged to have her, and fortunately will get even more time as she’s off on her newest adventure, enriching the lives of everyone lucky enough to be welcomed into her orbit. I just hope she remembers to take enough photos to share.

Danny Knee | Executive Director

Yolie is the inspiration for why CIC operates the way it does. Her commitment to both our work and to her family are the foundation for the values we hold.

CIC would not be the place of kindness and compassion and elite performance without the example she set in my early days as Director. We all owe her a tremendous debt of gratitude, and I hope all of our blossoming young leaders will remember years from now when they are running the world that her shoulders are among the ones on which they will be standing. 

Malisa Evans | Program Manager

Yoli is the coolest person that I have ever met! She approaches her work and life with such a positive attitude that it is contagious to all those around her. She is not afraid to be herself and say what she is thinking. She makes everyone feel special with a simple hello, birthday lunch or asking to take a selfie with her. I love all of this about her! I will treasure the time we have had working together and look forward to bumping into her at the next horse race, happy hour, or Tucson event. Thank you Yoli for all that you have done for CIC, our community and me!

Thank you for all of the fabulous years, Yolie! We will miss you!

CIC Launches MySchoolsTucson.org

MySchoolsTucson Powered by CIC. Explore. Discover. Thrive. All school types for all Tucson families. All in one place.

Community Investment Corporation developed and launched an online platform to provide parents with a valuable free digital research tool and ‘one-stop-shop’ with information on every school in Pima County.

MySchoolsTucson Powered by CIC. Explore. Discover. Thrive. All school types for all Tucson families. All in one place.

April 5, 2023 (Tucson, Arizona) – Tucson families who are exploring the K-12 educational landscape are getting some help from a local nonprofit. Tucson-based Community Investment Corporation (CIC) has launched MySchoolsTucson.org, a family-focused online school locator that includes educational resources focused on Tucson and Pima County. This mobile-friendly website offers families a simple, understandable opportunity to find unbiased information about ALL Tucson and Pima County schools. The approach of MySchoolsTucson.org is to be a centralized “online one-stop-shop” for families seeking to explore their children’s schools and the schools in the area. The platform is accessible and free of charge to all users.

The development of MySchoolsTucson.org and its library of resources is CIC’s response to a 2022 survey it conducted of over 1,100 K-12 Arizona parents. The survey showed that parents’ ability to access information about schools and engage with schools is directly correlated to their income. Families with lower incomes have less access to school information and the way they interact with schools and their administrations is much different than wealthier parents of K-12 students.

“This is another area of our economy where lower income households are at a disadvantage, often because these parents have less time to research and engage with schools than wealthier households,” said CIC’s Executive Director, Danny Knee. “Considering education has such a profound effect on lifelong opportunities, we think it is essential to make accessing information on the schools children attend as easy as possible for parents.”

According to Knee, educational research shows that parent engagement is directly linked to better school attendance and high school graduation as well as higher grades and classroom test scores. The American Psychological Association also links engagement to better health outcomes for children.

“Considering that many parents find researching and exploring schools overwhelming,” said Scott Evans, CIC’s Director of Family and School Engagement, “we are focused on making MySchoolsTucson.org, as simple and easy to use as possible.” Before joining CIC’s Family and School Engagement team, Evans spent more than a decade as the Director of Counseling at Salpointe Catholic High School.

CIC, through their Family and School Engagement program aims to ensure that all Tucson families have the tools and support they need to engage and make informed decisions about their child’s education. This includes information on the different curricular and extra-curricular programs available at schools. It also includes best practices regarding how to engage with school administrators and teachers productively to ensure their children get the most out of their school experiences.

MySchoolsTucson.org was developed through research and collaboration with parents in Pima County. Over the past two years, CIC has engaged focus groups and formulated a parent survey to comprehend how parents maneuver in the educational environment. Through that process, Tucson parents expressed their struggle in gathering essential details about nearby schools, often resorting to confusing and time consuming online searches to gather information related to their school preferences. An overwhelming percentage of participants enthusiastically welcomed a user-friendly resource that streamlines access to information about educational options and tips on how to increase their engagement in their children’s education.

Just like any evolving app or software, MySchoolsTucson.org will continue to flourish by earnestly listening to valuable feedback from its users. According to the CIC team, this will help them to make necessary improvements,  introduce new features, and expand outreach through increased community event participation and collaborations with community-based organizations. Community Investment Corporation is committed to building resources that meet the needs of Tucson families and greatly appreciates all responses. They are requesting additional feedback from families through this survey.

For more information about MySchoolsTucson.org, please visit: https://www.myschoolstucson.org/ or visit the school locator at https://explore.myschoolstucson.org/.

2022 In Review

Celebrating our biggest year yet!

What a year it has been indeed!

While it feels nearly impossible to condense an entire year into one newsletter, we couldn’t close 2022 without taking a look back at the highlights from this year.

Join us in celebrating CIC’s biggest year to date, and we’re just getting started!

A national leader in eviction prevention

Over the course of 2 years, we were involved in a collaborative effort to administer federal funding to prevent evictions related to the economic impact of the pandemic throughout all of Pima County. As one of the most efficient programs in the nation, CIC and our partners facilitated disbursement of all of the City of Tucson’s ERA 1 and ERA 2 funds, as well as more than $22.5 million of additional reallocated funding from the state. In June of this year, we transitioned the Eviction Prevention Program to Pima County.

Since the start of the program we distributed $64+ million in rental and utility funding, assisted over 13,500 households, landlords and helped 30,000 residents remain in housing.

We owe much of the success of the program to our dedicated and willing community partners. Private, public and nonprofit sectors as well as private citizens came together selflessly to care for one another in the face of the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic. Thank you: City of TucsonFamily Housing Resources, Sunnyside Foundation, Catholic Community Services, ISDA, Tucson Urban League, Inc., Primavera Foundation, International Rescue Committee, Interfaith Community Services, Chicanos Por La CausaValley Assistance Services and Compass Affordable Housing.

Read our IMPACT REPORT

Expanded the Mortgage Credit Certificate program statewide

For 30+ years, the Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) program has been administered by CIC, and its sister organization, Family Housing Resources. The program reduces the cost of owning a home by allowing first-time homebuyers to claim up to $2,000 of their annual mortgage interest as a federal tax credit – each year and every year they live in their homes. This means that MCC’s can save homeowners up to $50,000+ over the life of their mortgages!

CIC has issued 7,000+ certificates to date, saving Arizona homeowners millions of dollars and this year, we expanded the program statewide! We look forward to empowering future homeowners throughout the state of Arizona. Check out this short video that explains how this important program works.

Learn more at: cictucson.org/mcc

The BIPOC Community Managed Loan Fund for Small Business Owners continues to grow!

Since launching the BIPOC Community Managed Loan Fund program, we’ve received 100+ applications, with requests for $700,000+ to help long underserved entrepreneurs of color in Southern Arizona grow their businesses and thrive. 

We were thrilled to share that in 2022 we fundraised over $100,000 to support this program. The revolving fund that started with just $2,700 in donations from CIC’s own staff  now sits at $380,000 and has helped 26 small businesses in Southern Arizona.

This funding is critical to our mission’s success and helped us get closer to our goal of building the fund to $1 million by 2025.

Check out this short video to learn more about this program.

CIC Tucson was named Social Impact Champion of the Year!

We were honored to be recognized by the selection committee of the Tucson Metro Chamber Copper Cactus Awards as this year’s TEP Social Impact Copper Cactus Champion. This is the second time in three years, CIC has earned this recognition and it is one of the only times that a nonprofit has been honored with a Copper Cactus Award three years in a row (we were named the regions Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion in 2021 for the launch of our BIPOC Community Managed Loan Fund).

While we don’t do this work for the awards, this was a special moment to stop and celebrate everyone who has contributed to making our programs worthy of recognition; most notably, the community’s best and most accomplished social service agencies who partnered with us for the Eviction Prevention program. Thank you to the City of TucsonFamily Housing Resources, Sunnyside Foundation, Catholic Community Services, ISDA, Tucson Urban League, Inc., Primavera Foundation, International Rescue Committee, Interfaith Community Services, Chicanos Por La CausaValley Assistance Services and Compass Affordable Housing

This program would not have been possible without the deep commitment of the highly skilled staff at the nonprofit organizations & government entities.

2022 brought an amazing year of success and impact for CIC, none of which would have been possible without the collaboration and support of trusted partners. We resolve to fill the coming year with opportunities and prosperity for all residents of Southern Arizona.

– Danny Knee and the CIC Team

CIC’s Homeownership Team Has Been Busy!

Have You Seen Us Lately?

Community Investment Corporation’s (CIC) Homeownership Team has been busy!

CIC is now the only organization facilitating the Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) program for the entire State of Arizona. We have been out and about to spread the word and help homebuyers in all counties purchase a home.

Did you miss the August MCC info session?

Watch the recording on YouTube!

Recent Wins!

It’s easy to get lost in the weeds of everyday life and forget how impactful our work is, so we want to share some positive news with you.

  • In mid-August, the max benefit for the Essential Worker grant DOUBLED to $5,000.
  • The number of households receiving the Essential Worker grant fund is increasing; 16 Essential Workers became homeowners in August.
  • We just added a new easy-to-use map to our website that makes finding target areas for the MCC program effortless. Take a look!
  • MSN.com featured CIC and the MCC program in A first-time homebuyer’s guide to Arizona.

Did you know homebuyers can use the MCC IN ADDITION TO other programs like Down Payment Assistance and the Essential Worker’s Fund? These programs not only bring homeownership within reach for some first-time homebuyers, they increase the buying power, which benefits the homeowner, the realtor, and the lender. It is truly a win-win-win situation!

Sign up for the last Mortgage Credit Certificate info session we’re hosting this year!

📅 Wednesday, November 9
⌚ 1-2 p.m.
💻 Zoom

CIC is Lighting the Night

Join CIC in bringing light to the darkness of cancer!

Community Investment Corporation (CIC) is proud to partner with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) for Light The Night! We are fundraising for the cause, and will be lighting the night in Tucson, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Seattle. The Tucson team will be Lighting the Night on October 22.

We hope that you join us!

As a nonprofit, especially one focused on boosting our community, we are passionate about partnering with other nonprofits who also do good in the community.

That is why CIC will match donations up to $250 PER PERSON!

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Why are we doing this?

CIC is a nonprofit dedicated to financial empowerment. We believe no person who has to undergo cancer treatments should be financially paralyzed in the process. Life-saving treatment should not come at such a high monetary cost for the patients and we are hoping our efforts will ease that burden.

If you want to support LLS and Light the Night but are not able to make it to the walk, consider making a contribution on the CIC team’s fundraising page! Thank you for supporting us and our partners!

BIPOC Loan Fund Is Now OPEN!

We are excited to announce that the BIPOC Community Managed Loan Fund is now OPEN!   

This is a truly one-of-a-kind fund where BIPOC (black, indigenous people of color) business owners in Southern Arizona can apply for 0% interest loans, ranging from $500 to $10,000 and 5-year terms.    

This fund gives access to business owners who are often left behind by traditional economic resources, and our goal is to provide economic power and collective wealth for this underserved community.  

And, the most important part, all loan decisions are made by a committee of BIPOC business owners and community leaders! 

Applications opened Friday July 1, 2022 and we’ve made some changes to the loan this year. 

We’re excited to announce that this loan has shifted into a REVOLVING loan fun! This means the fund is open all year round! No need to rush and apply. We want to make sure that these resources are available when your business needs them.

We are holding an info session Wednesday, July 13 for you to learn more and get your questions answered. RSVP below:  

* recording will be sent to registrants 

Please share this valuable resource with your community, especially BIPOC business owners in Southern Arizona!

This fund was founded by the community FOR our community.  Thank you to our amazing partners – blaxfridayStartup TucsonTEPCoxBBVAWomen’s Foundation for the State of ArizonaUnited Way of Southern ArizonaYWCA Southern Arizona, and Tucson Metro Chamber

We hope to see you there!

– CIC Team and the BIPOC Loan Fund Committee

At the Cross Section of Pride and Homeownership Month

As we near the end of June, and the corporate logos with rainbow overlays start to come down, we wanted to highlight an aspect of the LGBTQ+ experience that doesn’t often make the headlines – homeownership.

In addition to being Pride Month, June is also National Homeownership Month. For those that have tried, homebuying has been a rocky road for the last couple of years; whether you’ve been an aspiring buyer outbid by out-of-state investors swooping in with cash offers well-above the asking price, or more recently, a lender or realtor struggling with rising interest rates and reluctant buyers.

The homebuying process is not easy…full stop. At CIC, we have several programs, including our Down Payment Assistance and Mortgage Credit Certificate programs that aim to make home buying more affordable across Arizona, but there are additional barriers that members of LGBTQ+ community face.

According to this Forbes article, about 29% (of 1,538 members of LGBTQ+ community surveyed by Realtor.com) “reported they had experienced discrimination during the homebuying process or suspected they were victims of it.”

The Fair Housing Act of 1968 was created to protect homebuyers and renters against discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status and disability. However, it did not extend housing protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, excluding millions of Americans who identify as LGBTQ+.

The article goes on to explain that to avoid discrimination, many LGBTQ+ homebuyers often gravitate towards more urban areas where they feel safer. However real estate is increasingly unaffordable in city centers, prompting an exodus to the suburbs where they are forced to live in areas where they may feel less protected, under-represented or even un-welcome in order to access affordable housing.

Discrimination can also be much more subtle. In speaking with Mario Zuniga (pictured above), who administers the Mortgage Credit Certificate program at CIC and has gone through the home buying process many times with his husband, he pointed out that many loan applications in Arizona still end by requiring signatures from a “husband and wife”, or ask for gender identification, but only list “male or female.”
 
Mario shared a few suggestions to reduce heteronormativity in the home buying process. First, “take the time to get to know your buyers and let them tell you their story. Don’t make assumptions about the nature of the relationship based on gender, perhaps the buyers are friends or siblings.”
 
Additionally, think about making the language in your applications gender-neutral, with words like applicant, borrower, buyer, etc. If gender or familial relationship is not relevant to the resource you are providing, is it necessary to ask?
 
In conclusion, remember that while the dream of homeownership is baked into the DNA of being American, it can also be a scary and vulnerable process for people who don’t fit into the historically narrow definition of being the model American family. We challenge you to ask yourself “How can I ease the experience and leave assumptions out of the equation?”

On the market for a new home, contact our team to see if our programs can save you money!