Community bonds build Black wealth

Editor’s Note: Reflecting on a stellar year, this feature highlights just one of the many community achievements we’re proud to celebrate. Happy reading!

The Afro-Caribbean Business Network (ACBN) is at the forefront of building Black businesses while remaining rooted in African and Caribbean heritage. Its work includes grant-writing information sessions, a hiring bridge program, a microloan program, weekly entrepreneur drop-ins and mastermind sessions.

On Saturday, August 8^th, 2026, ACBN hosted a community town hall in Brampton focused on the power of community bonds as a financing tool. The invitation was geared toward nonprofit leaders, community organizations and individuals interested in learning about an alternative funding model for community work.

Two key questions framed the conversation: What if an asset your organization already holds could become the engine that funds its next chapter? What if a community bond could help an organization acquire a long-term asset such as real estate?

Participants explored what a community bond is and how it differs from a grant, donation or traditional loan. They also examined how an organization’s existing assets (land, property or other holdings) can become a foundation for raising community capital.

ACBN’s affordable housing project in Woodstock, Ontario, provided a practical example. The organization is developing a 45-unit residential apartment building at 175 Springbank Avenue North, including 23 affordable units for seniors, single women and women with children. The project demonstrates how partnerships, land and community-oriented capital can work together to address housing needs.

The town hall also examined how collaboration among nonprofits, investors and community members can make alternative financing possible.

Community members from Brampton attended, including Patrick Cole, consultant and community advocate; Lucinda Sloley, board member of United Achievers Club; Abigail Hamilton, executive director of ResQ International; Annie Boyne, executive director of Knights Table; and Khay, a vocalist, musician and songwriter.

Chris-Beth Cowie, an ACBN co-founder and representative of Empowered 4X, provided an overview of the town hall and the broader ecosystem supporting entrepreneurs. Empowered 4X describes itself as a collaborative community offering consulting, training, business support and coworking spaces.

Michelle Davis, whom ACBN hired as a researcher, shared historical examples of community financing and asked participants to consider what they knew about community bonds, where they had been used across Ontario and Canada, and what learning needs, projects and opportunities exist in their communities. She also explored questions of trust, concerns and barriers. Davis described a community bond as a way for a nonprofit or charity to raise money directly from its supporters through an interest-bearing bond to fund projects.

Ryan Knight, ACBN’s Executive Director, shared information about the organization’s affordable housing project in Woodstock. The model illustrates how land can potentially be leveraged to support a community bond, strengthen operations and build long-term assets.

In an August 10^th, 2026, email, ACBN provided further details about its proposed Community Bond, including a $1.5-million fundraising target. According to the organization, the capital would support four areas: operational stabilization, the ACBN Microloan, the affordable housing project and strategic impact investments, including franchise acquisitions and additional land for housing.

The initiative is built around ACBN’s “3C’s” framework: Clarity, Connection and Capital. The organization says further information will explain why the bond exists, who is building it, how the structure works and how community members can participate.

The town hall signals a broader conversation about how African, Caribbean and Black communities can think beyond traditional funding models and explore ways to keep capital circulating within the communities it is intended to serve.

For organizations accustomed to relying primarily on grants and donations, the conversation represents a shift in thinking: community assets and relationships may also be part of a longer-term financing strategy. That shift, however, requires transparency. Community members need clear information about the bond’s terms, repayment structure, risks, eligibility and oversight before deciding whether it is appropriate for them. The town hall created space for that conversation to begin, and for the community to ask what responsible, community-rooted investment can look like.

As ACBN continues seeking community feedback, the next step will be ensuring that the model, risks, responsibilities and potential returns are clearly understood by anyone considering participation.