At the corner of North and Cecil Avenues in Central Baltimore sits the newly constructed home of Roberta’s House. The building represents a transformational investment designed to bring new life to a vacant block that was previously occupied by rowhomes. This piece tells the story of lessons from the Greenmount Life, Opportunity, and Wellness (GLOW) Initiative, a new effort to concentrate financial and social investment in select neighborhoods that have long experienced underinvestment.

What if I told you that, just as there are renewable energy sources, there is a renewable financial resource — and it’s already quietly making progress possible? Impact investing, which generates financial returns alongside positive social change, is proving a valuable tool for spurring large scale, inclusive economic growth and creating income and wealth for residents. Impact investments can take the form of low-interest loans, venture capital or municipal bond investments, for example, all with the goal of addressing critical social needs.