Tennessee Rural Development Fund was founded to provide affordable capital to spur business growth and expansion in the rural and economically distressed counties of Tennessee. Much of Rural Tennessee suffers from a lack of regulated financial institutions and CDFIs, which has contributed to decades of high poverty and unemployment, low income, and a general lack of opportunity. TNRDF sees an opportunity to support the redevelopment of vacant commercial and manufacturing real estate to create small business and employment opportunities for local residents and small business startups and current business expansions in the state.