Fibers Fund Launches New TA Cohort Program to Expand Integrated Capital Model
Inaugural program supports eight businesses in building the financial infrastructure for sustainable growth
The Fibers Fund is excited to announce the launch of our Technical Assistance (TA) Cohort Program! This new initiative expands the fund's integrated capital approach by offering targeted financial TA to strengthen business growth across the U.S. natural fiber and textile supply network.
This year-long program, supported by The 11th Hour Project, supports eight portfolio businesses through two cohorts designed around distinct stages of business development. The Bookkeeping Cohort supports fiber sector farmers and entrepreneurs in building the foundational financial systems that open pathways to growth financing on their own terms. The Fractional CFO Cohort serves established businesses seeking strategic financial guidance as they scale operations and optimize their use of capital.
Led by Sharlene Brown, a certified financial health coach, and supported by other members of the Fund’s governance team, the program also deepens the Fibers Fund’s commitment to building longer-term ownership and wealth for fiber farmers, ranchers, and entrepreneurs. The Fibers Fund selected values-aligned service providers Higher Ring and CFO on Speed Dial to support the two cohorts respectively.
Mixed Media Artwork by artist KESIENA of KEPT studio
The cohort model emerged directly from Fibers Fund's prior experience with its lending and TA grant programs. Across its portfolio, the fund identified two high-leverage intervention points: clean foundational bookkeeping systems and access to forward-looking financial management expertise. By combining targeted 1:1 TA in these key areas with peer cohort learning, the program aims to strengthen financial performance across the portfolio, support supply network connections, and demonstrate a replicable model for integrating financial TA with catalytic lending.
Participating businesses are:
Vermont Natural Tannery (Vermont) – A family-owned tannery specializing in vegetable-tanned sheepskins and working with more than 300 small family farms to strengthen regional wool supply chains.
KEPT studio (New York) – A natural dye and textile studio exploring the intersections of regenerative materials, color, culture, and craft through contemporary textile practice.
Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill (Wisconsin) – A Midwestern woolen mill producing yarns and fiber products while helping preserve domestic wool processing infrastructure.
dìẹ̀dìẹ̀ (North Carolina) – A community-based textile farm and micro-mill offering seed-to-cloth education and textile products rooted in earthwise knowledge and production systems.
Range Revolution (Oregon) – A woman rancher-led company producing heritage leather goods sourced from regenerative American ranches.
COMOCO Cotton (North Carolina) – A cotton company building a fully traceable supply chain for cotton grown on documented Black-owned American farmland.
Botanical Colors (Washington) – A leading supplier of plant-based dyes and natural color systems serving textile brands, manufacturers, and designers.
Cindy Castro New York (New York) – A responsible women's ready-to-wear brand focused on natural fibers, domestic manufacturing, and artisan craftsmanship.
Strengthening a Connected Fiber Ecosystem
Together, these eight businesses represent a cross-section of the U.S. regenerative fiber economy—from wool processing and leather goods manufacturing to natural dyes, cotton supply networks, and apparel production.
By supporting the strategic growth of these enterprises, the Fibers Fund aims to strengthen not only individual businesses but also the broader ecosystem of growers, processors, manufacturers, designers, and entrepreneurs working to rebuild domestic natural fiber and textile supply networks.
"The fiber sector has seen generations of disinvestment—in U.S. manufacturing, in people of color- and women-led businesses, and in the financial infrastructure that entrepreneurs need to grow,” said Sarah Kelley, Managing Director of the Fibers Fund. “Yet businesses in our portfolio are steadily rebuilding critical infrastructure, creating economic opportunity, and revitalizing U.S. manufacturing traditions—and they’ve done this while often being excluded from access to capital and business support systems to help them grow on their own terms. This program is part of how we address that directly, through targeted TA and integrated capital that meets businesses where they are."
Expected program outcomes include stronger financial systems, improved financial decision-making, specific longer-term capital plans that identify next growth stages, and stronger business-to-business relationships across the Fibers Fund portfolio.
The Fibers Fund appreciates the input of many partners in shaping this program and is committed to sharing our learning with other interested funds, farm service providers, and funders. To learn more about the program and our work overall, contact [email protected].