Meet COIIN: Where Denver Investors Fund Real Change

What if you could put your money to work for Denver's nonprofits and social enterprises, see it create real community change, and still get it back to invest again?

That's the idea behind COIIN, the Colorado Impact Investment Network. It's a collaborative, grassroots group of SVP Denver Partners who pool their money into low-interest loans for local nonprofits and social enterprises advancing health, economic, and racial equity right here in our community.

Open to current Partners and anyone curious about SVP Denver, this year’s COIIN goal is to raise and co-invest a record $200,000 - enough to fund up to two local social ventures. We'd love for you to join us in this groundbreaking work.

Who We Are

Social Venture Partners Denver connects local nonprofits and social enterprises to the support, expertise, and capital they need to thrive. We've been on the front edge of community-driven philanthropy since our inception. In 2001, we were among the first Social Venture Partner affiliates piloting this model pairing consulting with grantmaking that's now used around the globe. During COVID, we helped create the multi-million dollar Left Behind Workers Fund, delivering cash assistance to undocumented workers when they needed it most. And we just launched the state’s only impact investment accelerator training nonprofits to be ‘investment-ready’. COIIN is one of the ways we help our social impact community do more.

How This Started

In 2017, our Partners got a request to fund an impact investment for SparkHope Automotive, a social enterprise that gives single mothers access to cars and car repairs, the kind of reliable transportation that makes school and work possible. SVP Denver had supported them for years, so our Partners pooled a $147,000 low-interest loan to help them buy a property. As a result, SparkHope Automotive expanded operations, hired more staff, and served four times as many clients.

SparkHope Automotive repaid the loan in under five years. As that money came back, our Partners invested it again in another cause. One dollar. More than one impact. That's the moment impact investing took off at SVP Denver.

What We Learned

Over the next six years, a growing group of our Partners gathered together to learn about community-driven solutions and make co-investments totaling more than $2.2 million - more than anyone could invest or donate on their own. We stayed flexible, offering concessionary loans to growing organizations, short-term bridge loans to frontline nonprofits, and equity investments in mission-driven startups. In nearly every case, we were the organization’s first impact investment - taking a chance on grassroots social impact leaders and missions.

We learned a lot about the need and the opportunity for impact investing. We took a strategic pause, refined the work, and rebuilt it into something bigger: the Colorado Impact Investment Network, or COIIN.

Impact Investing, Made Simple

Impact investing creates two kinds of returns at once. Social returns and financial returns. Because the investment is repaid, one investment can create impact again and again. We built COIIN to close three gaps: small organizations that need accessible loans, investors who want the knowledge to jump in with confidence and community to co-invest alongside, and social impact leaders who need training to grow earned revenue. In partnership with Impact Charitable, we handle the sourcing, deal flow, training, due diligence, and repayments, so you can focus on the impact and the community.

Proof It Works

Meet The Community Impact Fund (TCIF). TCIF supports low-income working families that find it difficult to cover basic needs when life throws a curveball. Its 0% interest loans, paired with financial education and an emergency savings bonus, help families pay off medical expenses, prevent a utility shut-off, and cover rent while working toward steady employment. As of October 2025, TCIF had served more than 19,000 people and disbursed over $5.6 million across 24 states.

In 2025, our Partners pooled a $120,000 low-interest loan for TCIF, plus pro bono consulting so their model could scale without losing sight of the families it serves. Year one results have included 100% on-time payments, expanded capacity, and exploration of new markets.

Here's how TCIF's VP of Impact, Courtney Lussenhope, put it: "SVP Denver's impact investment process was incredible end to end. It had an immediate impact, allowing us to confidently invest in human capital, technology, and marketing that directly drive our revenue goals. This revenue directly influences the loan capital we have available to disburse to Coloradans."

What You Get As An Investor

Curious about recycling your philanthropic dollars and co-investing for impact? Here's what COIIN offers you:

• Share the risk and rewards alongside like-minded investors.
• Take part in bigger projects than you'd fund on your own.
• Enjoy immediate tax benefits through the COIIN Donor Advised Fund.
• Move through lighter, faster diligence, with your final stamp of approval.
• Get to know the organizations you fund and support them beyond dollars.

SVP Denver Partner Rich Wilsey said it well: "I've learned more about impact investing and the funding challenges facing nonprofits, and I'm excited to participate in this new way to think about funding."

Ready to Explore?

Through September, we're creating multiple ways to get involved:

• August 4: Virtual lunch and learn, plus a Q&A with past COIIN investors.
• August 20: Happy hour with Partners and mission-aligned investors.
• August 25: Hands-on workshop on diligence and smart giving.

Ready to jump in? Sign up to be a COIIN investor by September 18. You'll hear pitches in October, with funds collected and distributed in November. Email allie@svpdenver.org to get started.

Run a nonprofit or social enterprise? We also offer an impact investment accelerator built for you. Reach out to learn more.