About the Catalytic Fund
Our Purpose
We attract quality place-based investments to Northern Kentucky that results in regional economic development (job and talent attraction) and local community development (improving quality of life and place for LMI residents). Our innovative financing products, development services, and community advocacy efforts convert local revitalization plans into completed projects with lasting and measurable impact.
We are a mission-driven financial institution that provides non-traditional investments and real estate services to revitalize local communities and create economic development opportunities. Certified by the U.S. Department of Treasury as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), we are part of national network of companies that promote economic growth in underserved areas through real estate investments, business financing, and job creation. As an unregulated and locally controlled company, we can provide unique and individually structured solutions for real estate projects that are difficult to execute.
History
The Catalytic Fund is a product of Northern Kentucky’s regional economic development plan, Vision 2015. The plan identified the need for investment in Northern Kentucky’s urban communities which were experiencing job and population loss, property disinvestment, and wide-spread poverty. The Catalytic Fund was incorporated in 2008 to address the complexities of urban redevelopment and provide creative, multi-tier funding solutions and technical real estate expertise.
Between 2009 and 2012, the Catalytic Fund capitalized its initial $10,000,000 Investor Fund through commitments received from ten banks, corporations, and foundations. The Catalytic Fund was certified as a CDFI in 2015 and became a CDE in 2016. Since then, the company has added eleven new investors and received several CDFI Financial Assistance grants. Today, the Catalytic Fund has a $22,400,000 Investor Fund and a $6,100,000 Flexible Capital Pool it uses to invest in high impact real estate development projects.
In 2019, the Catalytic Fund received the William T. Robinson III Economic Development Award from the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce in recognition for the company’s impact on regional economic development and growth.
Impact
Since capitalizing our Investment Fund in 2013, the Catalytic Fund has deployed $33,700,000 in the form of loans, grants, and equity investments and provided development services that executed or advanced over 90 projects. These projects represent $426,000,000 in total investment, a 14-times leverage of Catalytic Fund investment.
Our projects created 1,061 new residential units, delivered 871,000 square feet of tenant-ready commercial space, and preserved 91 underutilized historic buildings. We provided real estate services that resulted in the development of seven major community facilities, two of which serve over 20,000 at-risk individuals annually. To learn more about some of our notable projects, please see our portfolio.
Professionals
The Catalytic Fund is staffed with professionals having specialized experience in real estate finance, real estate development, urban planning, economic development, GIS and data analytics, historic preservation, creative placemaking, and public art initiatives.
Jeanne Schroer has 35+ years of experience as a real estate professional and is a specialist in real estate finance and development. She has held previous positions with private sector real estate development companies such as Corporex Companies in Cincinnati and Urban Investment and Development Company in Chicago. Prior to joining the Catalytic Fund, Schroer was the Interim Director of the University of Cincinnati Real Estate Center and Field Service Professor of Real Estate.
Schroer has a Bachelor of Urban Planning from the University of Cincinnati and an MBA in Finance and Real Estate from Indiana University. Schroer holds the professional designation Counselor of Real Estate (CRE), a credential which signifies professional achievement in the real estate counseling field.
Joe Klare has significant experience in affordable housing development and real estate transactions involving Historic Tax Credits and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. Prior to joining The Catalytic Fund, Klare worked as an analyst at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati. He began his real estate career with AU Associates, a Lexington-based affordable housing development company.
Klare has a bachelor’s degree in Architecture at the University of Kentucky, where he also studied Historic Preservation at the graduate level. He also received an MBA and graduate certificate in Real Estate from the University of Cincinnati.
Michelle Reid manages the administrative operations and provides strategic legal guidance to support the Catalytic Fund’s purpose of advancing transformative real estate development in Northern Kentucky. Before joining the Catalytic Fund, Reid spent over a decade in private legal practice where she attained the position of equity shareholder. She routinely advised developers and financial institutions on a wide range of real estate matters. Her expertise includes acquisition, financing, ownership, development, leasing, and disposition of multi-family, retail, office, and industrial properties.
Reid earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, graduating magna cum laude. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Louisville, where she graduated summa cum laude.
Travis Gysegem supports the Fund’s real estate investments through spatial and data analysis, as well as research on market, demographic, and policy trends. He contributes to investment origination, underwriting, and loan management. His work also includes preparing site-specific investment reports, economic impact modeling, grant writing, and assisting with development services for local governments and developers.
Gysegem earned his bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning with summa cum laude honors from the University of Cincinnati and is currently pursuing an MBA and a graduate certificate in Real Estate from the Lindner College of Business.
Terri Burke manages the Catalytic Fund’s loan servicing operations and oversees compliance and reporting for all loan programs, CDFI certification, federal grants, and investment capital. She plays a key role in maintaining strong systems for portfolio monitoring and regulatory adherence, and serves as a liaison to borrowers to ensure compliance throughout the life of each loan.
Burke joined the Catalytic Fund in 2023 after a career in Fortune 500 companies, including management roles at International Paper. She is a Northern Kentucky native and holds a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Northern Kentucky University.
As Office Manager at the Catalytic Fund, Phil Maxted supports daily operations, coordinates meetings and events, and ensures the smooth functioning of office systems and procedures. With a focus on organization, communication, and administrative support, he plays a key role in assisting staff and leadership across all areas of the company.
Maxted began his working life in retail and hospitality, holding positions with Gaylord Hotels and a range of food and beverage organizations before moving into real estate.
