For an entrepreneur, the path from a good idea to a sustainable business rarely follows a straight line. Training, mentorship, relationships, and access to capital can all play a role. And sometimes, the kind of capital available matters just as much as the amount.

That idea is behind the Village Launch Catalytic Pooled Fund at Abundance Capital. Catalytic Funds are multi-donor pooled funds advised by investment committees. They allow donors to combine charitable resources around a shared purpose while people with deep knowledge of a community help guide where those dollars go.

The Village Launch fund is advised by Mill Village Ministries and makes right-fit loans to select graduates of its entrepreneurial training programs in Greenville, South Carolina.

Full Traction Founders and Recipients of 2025 Village Launch Catalytic Funds Impact Investment

In 2025, Village Launch put charitable capital to work across five very different Upstate businesses.

Full Traction is advancing inclusive economic mobility and sustainable freight infrastructure.

Drive Smart Academy combines driver education, workforce preparation, and community safety in an accessible regional training model.

Corporate Stitch, a woman-owned embroidery business, created Considerate Care Caps with dignity and cultural sensitivity in mind for women undergoing chemotherapy.

Toni & Tucker is an inclusive apparel brand designing clothing for real body types with a commitment to sustainable production.

The Clean Cupcake is a gluten-free and vegan bakery focused on clean ingredients, sustainable packaging, and community food access.

Village Launch already has relationships with entrepreneurs through its training programs. The Catalytic Pooled Fund adds another tool to that work: flexible charitable capital that can move into businesses selected with local knowledge and accountability built into the process.

And because these are loans, the story does not necessarily end with the first investment, as returning capital can flow into another round of lending or return to individual donor-advised funds.

That is the Abundance Effect at work: capital moving through community, returning, and getting ready to move again.

The catalytic fund continues to identify future recipients of loan funding from its generous donors, led by the Mill Village Ministries’ Village Launch investment committee.