Fibers Fund starts 2025 with hopeful news
2025 is only a few weeks old, but it feels like longer. Amidst all the news, we are taking hope from the incredible work of fiber entrepreneurs across the country. In rural and urban counties and in red and blue states, they continue their daily work to steward the land, support their communities, and build a more resilient U.S. fiber system.
We’re also starting the year with some exciting news and updates for the Fibers Fund! Read on for news about our work, team, and portfolio businesses.
Fibers Fund News:
The Fibers Fund has been approved for a foundation Program Related Investment (PRI) of up to $500,000. Public details to follow soon! This exciting news boosts our momentum and supports our work to serve pipeline companies who need the most patient terms.
We transitioned to independent status at the end of 2024. Our new structure puts our stellar governance team fully in charge of the Fibers Fund. We maintain close ties and gratitude to our founding partners, Fibershed and SAFSF.
We’re delighted to welcome Broadstreet Impact as our new fund administration partner for investment and loan funds. We continue to rely on Impact Charitable for philanthropic elements of our integrated capital model. Thank you to these critical implementation partners!
The Fibers Fund was featured in a 2025 look-ahead piece in Impact Alpha, highlighing our role as part of key trends: emerging funds and managers, a focus on under-invested sectors and under-recognized founders, and creative use of catalytic and integrated capital. Thanks Impact Alpha!
We are nearing our second loan and expect to announce details publicly soon. Stay tuned!
Team updates:
Leticia Corona joined our Investment Committee after two years of service on our Advisory Council. She brings deep expertise from her past experience as a portfolio manager, a sustainable fiber entrepreneur, and more.
Teju Adisa-Farrar joined our Advisory Council, shifting from her prior role as Director of Programs and Outreach to focus more time on growing her new international organization, black fiber & textile network (bftn).
We also welcomed Bridget Dobrowski, Vice President of Operations and Finance at SAFSF, to the Advisory Council. Bridget’s operations expertise has been critical throughout the Fibers Fund’s development.
Special thanks to Ellen Martin and Bridget Dobrowski for taking on additional roles as the Board Members for our newly-formed independent nonprofit, Fibers Collective. Fibers Collective is now the manager of the Integrated Capital Fibers Fund LLC, allowing us full independence in our values-based governance structure.
Investment Committee member Charity May of Sacred Futures offered an inspiring 4-part blog series, including details on the Living Charter™ Journey that helped lay the foundation for the Fibers Fund. Don’t miss the series!
Portfolio highlights:
dièdiè textile farm & mill and Seed2Shirt were featured by the black fiber and textile network (bftn) for their collaboration to dye Seed2Shirt's new cotton yarn with marigolds grown on their North Carolina pilot farm.
Seed2Shirt’s Tameka Peoples was also featured on a new edition of LIFT Economy’s Next Economy Now podcast.
PA Flax Project, the Fibers Fund’s first loan recipient, had their work featured in a detailed profile in Grid Philly.
Botanical Colors has just launched an exciting new custom natural dyeing service for individuals—Re:COLOR. Visit their site to learn more!
Black Fiber Cohort member Mahdiyyah Muhammed of MAHDIYYAH completed the The Next Economy MBA from LIFT Economy, offered multiple workshops with collaborators including fellow BFC member Kesiena Onosigho, and launched a new line of upcycled hats.
Winona’s Hemp/Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute acquired a small-scale hemp decorticator to process their fiber hemp and is actively exploring other equipment and partnerships to increase their processing capacity.
Fibrevolution continued its critical founding role in the North American Linen Association (NALA), which provides a hub for the revitalization of flax-to-linen production in North America and reached nearly 100 members at the end of 2024.
Learn more about all the businesses we are proud to support on our portfolio page!
With these major milestones, the Fibers Fund is hitting the ground running with our integrated capital strategy in 2025. Please be in touch to learn more!