ROC-ET Initiative

Rural Opportunity Catalyst for East Texas (ROC-ET) Initiative

The T.L.L. Temple Foundation created the ROC-ET Initiative to address economic opportunity gaps and establish certified community development financial institutions (CDFIs) in rural East Texas.

After a competitive application process, Communities Unlimited and PeopleFund were selected as the CDFIs to lead the ROC-ET Initiative. In 2022, these CDFIs opened offices in East Texas, Communities Unlimited based in Nacogdoches and PeopleFund based in Lufkin. Both CDFIs are committed to rural East Texas, bringing millions in leveraged loan capital and capacity building support for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

By providing underserved rural communities with direct access to financial services that have never previously existed in East Texas, the ROC-ET Initiative aims to boost local and regional economic ecosystems.

These figures share the total dollar amount deployed, how many loans were made, and how many local jobs have been created or retained.