Press Release 3/22/2023

South Carolina Community Capital Alliance Announces the 2023 Conference

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The 2023 South Carolina Community Capital Conference will bring together community economic development finance leaders from around the state to explore innovations in impact investing and creative community financing tools to support community economic development in South Carolina.

The 2023 South Carolina Community Capital Conference, hosted by the South Carolina Community Capital Alliance, will be held on May 2-3, 2023 in Rock Hill, SC. This year’s conference will focus on the theme “Forget What You Thought You Knew: A New Vision of an Old Town.” Attendees will have the opportunity to explore innovations in impact investing and creative community financing tools as well as identify new capital sources to drive economic growth and opportunity in South Carolina.

“The Board of Directors of the South Carolina Community Capital Alliance is pleased to bring this year’s annual conference to Rock Hill,” said Jeanne Milliken Bonds, Chair of the Alliance’s Board of Directors. “The economic growth and robust community development projects in the Rock Hill community make it an ideal venue to showcase and learn about how community development financing can grow and evolve a community.”

Dr. Tonya M. Matthews, President and CEO of the International African American Museum, and Dr. Jennifer Clyburn Reed, Federal Co-Chair of the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission, will serve as keynote speakers.

Dr. Matthews is currently President and CEO of the International African American Museum (IAAM) located in Charleston, SC. Set to open June 27, 2023. The IAAM, funded in part by New Market Tax Credits, is a champion of authentic, empathetic storytelling of American history. The museum explores the history, global connections and intersections, culture, and impact of the African American journey across its 10 galleries, memorial gardens, genealogy center, and a broad portfolio of local and national programs.

“I’m honored to serve as a keynote speaker at this year’s community capital conference,” said Dr. Matthews. “This is a wonderful opportunity for community development financiers and leaders to hear first-hand about the powerful and positive impact provided by creative financing tools for community economic development projects.”

Dr. Clyburn Reed was nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the first Federal Co-Chair of the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC), a federal-state partnership focused on spurring economic development in 428 counties and county equivalents within seven southeastern states. Dr. Reed was a career educator whose experience spanned 28 years in the South Carolina public school system.

“South Carolina communities are in constant need of more creative financing tools and capital sources to drive economic growth,” said Dr. Clyburn Reed. “I look forward to connecting with leaders from around the state to discuss ways we can move community financing forward.”

In addition to the main conference program, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in community tours around the Rock Hill area on the first day of the conference. The three pre-arranged tours are:

• Tour #1: Knowledge Park Tour focusing on mix-used redevelopment of a former textile mill

• Tour #2: Downtown Civil Rights Tour focusing on the Friendship 9 Freedom Walkway

• Tour #3: Southside Revitalization Tour focusing on affordable housing and Clinton College (HBCU)

The conference is an excellent opportunity for attendees to network with community development finance leaders from around the state. The first day of the conference will conclude with a networking reception sponsored by Carolina Foothills Federal Credit Union, Optus Bank, and SC Community Loan Fund at the Cambria Rooftop Bar in downtown Rock Hill. The second day of the conference will feature robust panel discussions on financing mixed-use developments and innovative food financing in addition to the breakfast plenary and luncheon with keynote speakers Dr. Matthews and Dr. Clyburn Reed.

About the Alliance

Launched in 2011, The Alliance is a statewide intermediary made up of a network of community development stakeholders, lenders, financiers, and investors focused on increasing capital resources for South Carolina’s most underserved and undercapitalized communities to support job creation opportunities. In 2017, South Carolina Community Capital, Inc. (Community Capital) announced a merger with Southern Association for Financial Empowerment (S.A.F.E.) in an effort to further community economic development in South Carolina (rebranded as SC Community Capital Alliance). Learn more about the Alliance at www.sccommunitycapital.org.