Business

PRESS ROOM: Homeownership in D.C., Maryland Get $7.1 Million Boost from NeighborhoodLIFT Program

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Interested homebuyers may register beginning Feb. 4 at www.wellsfargo.com/lift to attend the free event on Friday, Feb. 22, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday, Feb. 23, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Washington Hilton (1919 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20009).

Published

7 years ago

February 2, 2019

Oakland Post

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Wells Fargo Company, NeighborWorks America, MANNA, Inc. and Community Housing Partners announced the NeighborhoodLIFT program. The program which focuses on boosting local homeownership in Washington, D.C., and Prince George’s County, Maryland, will launch with a $7.1 million commitment by Wells Fargo.

The 2019 NeighborhoodLIFT program is a successor to 2012’s CityLIFT program that created 350 homeowners in the area, according to a news release issued this week.

Wells Fargo has conducted 67 LIFT program events in the U.S. since 2012, creating nearly 20,000 homeowners, company officials said in a news release.

Registration opens Feb. 4 for the free event in Washington from Feb. 22 to Feb. 23

Interested homebuyers may register beginning Feb. 4 at www.wellsfargo.com/lift to attend the free event on Friday, Feb. 22, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday, Feb. 23, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Washington Hilton (1919 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20009).

Walk-ins also are welcome while grants are available for reservation.

To learn more about the eligibility requirements, visit www.wellsfargo.com/lift or call 866-858-2151.

Participating homebuyers can obtain mortgage financing from any participating lender.

MANNA, Inc. and Community Housing Partners will administer the grants, determine eligibility and provide homebuyer and financial education.

Approved homebuyers will have up to 60 days to finalize a contract to purchase a home in Washington, D.C., or Prince George’s County.

“NeighborhoodLIFT is part of Wells Fargo’s Where We Live program — a new, five-year, $1.6 billion commitment to lending and philanthropy in Washington, D.C.,” said John Allen, Wells Fargo’s region president in Washington.

“The program will help hardworking families and individuals get on the path to achieve successful and sustainable homeownership. It’s one more way Wells Fargo is improving lives and strengthening communities,” Allen said.

To be eligible for $20,000 down payment assistance grants, homebuyers must not exceed 100 percent of the local area median income, which is about $117,200 up to a family of four in Washington, D.C., and Prince George’s County.

In addition, special parameters exist for military service members, veterans, teachers, law enforcement officials, firefighters and emergency medical technicians including down payment assistance grants of $22,500 for those earning up to 100 percent of the area median income.

In addition, Wells Fargo announced it has committed $325,000 for up to 650 consumers to receive complimentary face-to-face homeownership counseling.

Interested homebuyers can receive a voucher at the NeighborhoodLIFT launch event that will provide in-person homeownership counseling at no charge with a participating HU -approved housing counselor in the area.

The complimentary Home Ownership Counseling grant program is an additional resource to the homebuyer education required for a NeighborhoodLIFT down payment assistance grant.

“This innovative public-private collaboration will create about 270 more homeowners in Washington, D.C., and Prince George’s County,” said Donald Phoenix, regional vice president, Southern region, NeighborWorks America.

“The required homebuyer education classes provided by certified professionals better prepare NeighborhoodLIFT homebuyers to achieve their goal of sustainable homeownership.”

Approved homebuyers must be approved for home financing with an eligible lender and be in contract to purchase a home in Washington, D.C., or Prince George’s County.

To reserve the full grant amount, participants buying a primary residence with the NeighborhoodLIFT program must commit to live in the home for five years.

“The NeighborhoodLIFT program will provide homebuyer education and down payment assistance to help families become homeowners,” said the Rev. Jim Dickerson, founder and chief executive officer of MANNA, Inc.

“We are excited to team up with Wells Fargo, NeighborWorks America and Community Housing Partners to make this opportunity available for so many deserving families.”

The NeighborhoodLIFT program is Wells Fargo’s single largest corporate philanthropic effort of its kind in the company’s history and is funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation.

Since 2012, Wells Fargo has committed more than $433 million of down payment assistance, housing counseling, homebuyer support and education in 67 communities across the U.S. through LIFT programs.

A video about the NeighborhoodLIFT program is posted on Wells Fargo Stories on the company’s website.

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Business

How Oakland’s Courtsmith is Scaling its Business and Local Impact

OAKLAND POST — “As Courtsmith grew, scaling wasn’t just about selling more—it was about building the infrastructure to deliver consistently, with a strong supply chain and production process,” said Courtney Smith, founder of Courtsmith. “We needed the right kind of capital and partners to help us expand without losing the Oakland authenticity that made us who we are.”

Published

10 hours ago

August 1, 2026

bpusa-syndication

By JPMorganChase

With support from ICA Fund and JPMorganChase, founder Courtney Smith is strengthening his supply chain, creating jobs and expanding local production, and positioning the Oakland-born brand for long-term growth

When Courtney Smith founded Courtsmith in Oakland in 2014, he was building more than an athletic apparel company. A lifelong basketball enthusiast, Smith saw an opportunity to create performance wear that reflected the culture of the game—its style, community and sense of belonging.

From the beginning, Courtsmith was rooted in the idea that basketball is not just a sport, but a lifestyle and a community. The brand set out to make athletes look and feel good on and off the court while building partnerships that give athletes a stake in the products and stories they help shape.

“As Courtsmith grew, scaling wasn’t just about selling more—it was about building the infrastructure to deliver consistently, with a strong supply chain and production process,” said Courtney Smith, founder of Courtsmith. “We needed the right kind of capital and partners to help us expand without losing the Oakland authenticity that made us who we are.”

As the company grew, Smith faced a common challenge for small businesses: maintaining quality, reliability and authenticity of products while scaling—and having the resources to do so. The next move was not simply about expansion; it was about building the infrastructure to last.

That is where ICA Fund—a Bay Area impact investor, small business support organization and long-time partner to Courtsmith—came in. ICA’s relationship with Smith began in 2017 through its Growth Strategies advising program, and over time, the organization paired mentorship, technical assistance and capital to help the company grow with intention. More recently, philanthropic support from JPMorganChase helped ICA expand the range of capital products it can offer entrepreneurs like Smith, including options designed for companies that are ready to scale but may not be a fit for traditional debt products or equity investments.

“Too many great businesses stay stuck small without access to fair and flexible capital— ICA Fund’s role is to change that,” said Allison Kelly, CEO of ICA Fund. “With support from JPMorganChase, we’re able to provide founder-friendly financing alongside long-term partnership, giving entrepreneurs the tools they need to grow stronger businesses that create opportunity in their communities.”

The right kind of capital for a new stage of growth

ICA recently provided Courtsmith with a loan to help it buy a local manufacturing business, a major step toward bringing more of its production process closer to home, strengthening its supply chain, reducing costs, continuing its growth and creating local jobs.

The transaction also marked a milestone for ICA: the first time the organization approved capital for a merger-and-acquisition transaction. It reflects a broader expansion of the financing options it offers, supported by JPMorganChase’s American Dream Initiative, which aims, in part, to help power 10 million small businesses—up from seven million today—over the next several years with the capital, coaching, tools and practical policy support they need to thrive. It’s also an example of the kind of tailored support—delivered through trusted local pathways and the firm’s own relationships—that JPMorganChase provides to small businesses in the Bay Area, including our more than 295,000 small business clients.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and Courtsmith’s story shows how access to the right capital at the right time can unlock growth,” said Gwyneth Galbraith, Vice President for Global Philanthropy at JPMorganChase. “By supporting organizations like ICA Fund, we’re helping expand access to the kinds of financing and guidance entrepreneurs need to strengthen operations, create jobs and build lasting businesses across the Bay Area.”

Building with staying power

For small businesses, access to financing that fits their stage of growth can determine whether expansion is sustainable. A one-size-fits-all approach does not always work for companies with distinct cash-flow cycles, customer demand and operational needs. In Courtsmith’s case, the ICA loan gave the company a path to invest in its future while preserving the founder’s vision and control—and reflected the kind of flexible financing JPMorganChase is helping expand through its support of local community and mission-driven lenders.

Courtsmith’s trajectory reflects that momentum. The company reports that revenue grew 259% from 2021 to 2025, while its workforce expanded from four employees in 2017 to 13 in 2025, including growth in full-time roles from one to 11.

Behind those numbers is a company deepening its roots in Oakland through local partnerships, community presence and a model built to last.

“Courtsmith is about Oakland, representing the culture that raised us and creating opportunity for the next generation,” said Smith. “With ICA Fund and JPMorganChase in our corner, we can keep turning that mission into something people can see and feel in our community.”

Courtsmith’s next chapter is still being written, but the path is clearer: a founder-led brand with deeper local production capacity, a stronger supply chain, and a larger role in Oakland’s small business economy.