History

From our beginning, Neighborhood Concepts (NCI) has understood that community development often occurs when a pressing need comes to the forefront. In fact, our formation in 1988 was in response to a lawsuit filed by residents of a public housing community scheduled for demolition. Working with City, State and community leaders and utilizing multiple layers of financing, NCI was able to build a modern apartment community where WWII era cinder block housing had once stood. Since that time, NCI has continued to identify needs within our communities and develop innovative strategies so neighborhoods can flourish.

In 2013, NCI formed the North Alabama Revolving Fund (now the NCI Loan Fund) as a small business lender to address an unmet need for financing for small businesses within the area. In 2015, NARLF received U. S. Treasury certification as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) becoming the first locally based CDFI small business revolving loan fund in the State of Alabama.