Spruce Root

Location
Juneau, Alaska
At-large congressional district

Problem
Rural and Indigenous small businesses and nonprofits lack the resources and supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem needed for local business to thrive.

Solution
Rural Community Assistance Corporation’s Building Rural Economies team provides capacity building training, technical and financial assistance and small business support.

Spruce Root, a Native Community Development Financial Institution in Juneau, Alaska aims to provide local entrepreneurs with access to business development and financial resources in the form of loan capital, business coaching, workshops and competitions. To further strengthen its impact, Spruce Root partnered with RCAC’s Building Rural Economies team, benefitting from additional expertise and resources to better service both new and existing businesses in Southeast Alaska.

RCAC’s BRE team worked with Spruce Root to provide capacity building and financial assistance. RCAC assisted Spruce Root to shore up its small business coaching strategies, as well as build its training curriculum and resource library. Thanks to this assistance, Spruce Root was able to close $435,000 in loans during its reporting period.

For more information, contact: Community & Environmental Services