I support CDFIs because I’ve witnessed the economic development they bring to an underserved community and the people that inhabit these areas.
Thank you to our partners at Inclusive and CDBA for sharing data on CDFI Bank and CDFI Credit Union branch locations. In addition, about 100 of our CDFI Stories come from OFN’s story database.
I support CDFIs because I’ve witnessed the economic development they bring to an underserved community and the people that inhabit these areas.
As a certified CDFI and SBA lender, our organization directly serves the communities and businesses this administration is working to support. We provide capital to small manufacturers, job-creating entrepreneurs, and individuals acquiring businesses from retiring owners-the so-called “silver tsunami.” Our work helps keep vital businesses operating and people employed. CDFIs are a proven and effective mechanism for delivering capital where it is needed most. With continued federal support, we stand ready to expand our impact and remain on the front lines of economic development in underserved communities across the country.
CDFIs are critical to our economy. They step in where banks can’t – or wont – go. They leverage hundreds of millions of private dollars every year and invest them in underserved businesses and communities, based on need and impact. This is an effective, efficient public-private solution to pressing social and economic issues throughout our country.
CDFIs provide critical support to low- to moderate-income communities in the form of loans and technical assistance. This support provides individuals and businesses unable to access traditional financing the opportunity to build their financial acumen, responsibly manage debt while building credit scores and wealth, and eventually graduate to accessing traditional banking products. In the meantime, these individuals are able to start or expand businesses, become homeowners, purchase vehicles, and access capital to cover emergency situations. CDFIs played a critical role with this activity during the pandemic and are part of the essential fabric when it comes to uplifting local economies and providing individuals with a path to the American dream of homeownership and prosperity in a way that promotes self-sufficiency and self-reliance.