About Us
The essentials for thriving communities
We’re a community development financial institution (CDFI) and a community development corporation (CDC) deploying resources where they don’t usually go— to historically disinvested individuals and their communities. Nectar Community Investment’s mission and success come from the merger of two impactful organizations: Mill Cities Community Investments (MCCI) and the Foundation for Business Equity (FBE).
Why Nectar?
Our name comes from an omnipresent natural nutrient, nectar, that flowers provide and pollinators collect. Nectar is an essential ingredient to keep our ecosystem humming – just like our raw materials of capital, advice, and resourced networks, which boost the strengths, drive, and talents of homeowners and small business owners. We want them to have every opportunity to thrive.
Our Vision
The collapse of economic and racial inequality and the growth of sustainable, thriving, and diverse communities driven by equal access and opportunity.
Our Mission
Grow the assets and wealth of historically disinvested individuals and their communities by providing a combination of robust advice, resourced networks, and capital.
In working to achieve our mission, we are
- Just: We’re intentional and community-minded and motivated by racial and social justice.
- Effective: We’re resourceful, and nimble, adept at leveraging resources and expertise to achieve results. Our work is driven by our being attuned to what our clients and communities need to thrive.
- Real: We draw from shared lived experience and depth of knowledge to provide support and expert guidance to empower our clients and partners. And we do it with genuine heart, always caring about their goals and dreams.
- Dogged: We do not waver, are collaborative, and show grit — when it all comes down to it, we’re optimists. We’re not afraid to break the mold when things do not work and stay at it until we make a difference where it matters.
Our history rooted in community
Nectar Community Investment’s mission and success come from merging two impactful organizations: Mill Cities Community Investments (MCCI) and the Foundation for Business Equity (FBE).
Founded in 2008 by Latinx and immigrant leaders, MCCI, as a community development financial institution, bridged the capital access gap in low-to-moderate income communities and under-resourced populations in the Merrimack Valley and across Massachusetts through a range of low-cost loan programs for both business and homeowners.
Established in 2017, FBE focused on accelerating the growth of businesses of color. FBE provided quality capacity building and high touch strategic advisory services through our signature program, the Business Equity Initiative (BEI), reaching more than 90 local businesses and helping to generate $120 million in new revenue. We successfully brought together all our financial products and services at Nectar.
