Community Bonds and Canada’s Foundations

Community wealth building (CWB) offers a place-based approach to impact investing, fostering local economic development and wealth retention (Dowin Kennedy, 2021; Guinan & O’Neill, 2019; O’Neill & Howard, 2018; Ratner, 2019). Community bonds (CBs), a CWB tool, challenge traditional wealth models but remain underutilized due to limited awareness (Surman & Hughes, 2012; Hughes, 2013). This study examines risk perceptions versus financial performance in the Canadian CB market, arguing that addressing information asymmetry is key to unlocking capital and scaling impact. Using historical repayment data, it introduces a dataset of CB offerings and proposes a bond rating system to reduce risk. The study also develops an investor typology and explores partnerships among investors, issuers, and intermediaries through a CWB lens

Bond · Bond credit rating · Capital (architecture · Community development · Financial intermediary · Financial risk · Information asymmetry · Intermediary · Social capital · Typology · Community Development and Social Impact · Cooperative Studies and Economics · Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting