U.S. Treasury awards grant funding to Staunton Creative Community Fund

The Staunton Creative Community Fund was awarded $125,000 from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.

SCCF is one of only two organizations within the State of Virginia to receive an award on this the 20^th anniversary of the Community Development Financial Institutions Program. Over the next two years the funds will be used to build capacity within the Staunton Creative Community Fund on its journey to becoming a fully certified CDFI.

The expansion of resources for technical assistance for clients and program funding will enable SCCF to better accomplish our mission of connecting people, cultivating ideas, and identifying resources to grow our local economy.

“Today’s awards highlight how much the CDFI Program has contributed in its 20 year history towards building a strong network of CDFIs across the country,” said CDFI Fund Director Annie Donovan. “These important community partners are not only on the frontlines of economically distressed communities providing needed capital and credit, they are building a more inclusive economy which benefits the nation as a whole.”

“The Staunton Creative Community Fund has shown itself to be a vibrant and effective force for positive economic change in the City of Staunton and the Shenandoah Valley,” says SCCF Board Member Billy Vaughn, “and this award reinforces our commitment to that.”

“It’s an honor to be recognized,” says SCCF Executive Director Christina Cain. “This is going to help us build more businesses and help us make the Shenandoah Valley a place where anyone can bring their creative and wonky business ideas to fruition. That’s why it’s such a great place to live, work, and play.”

The Staunton Creative Community Fund is dedicated to helping small businesses start and grow. SCCF offers business plan assistance, training, consulting, counseling, loan support, and networking support, serving entrepreneurs in the central Shenandoah Valley throughout Augusta, Rockingham,  Rockbridge, Highland, Bath, Nelson and Albemarle counties.