I’ve been a member of a CDFI for 25 yrs and would never go back to a traditional bank, due to the good works that I’ve seen done by CDFI’s. I was also a board member for a few years at one, so I know the inner workings and understand the community missions they take on. My children and I have had a stable home for the past 18 years, partly due to the credit building assistance we received from a CDFI.
CDFIs are an important part of our finance ecosystem. In 2024 alone, the Western Reserve Community Fund (WRCF) distributed over $5M in funding to over 100 small businesses/non-profits in Summit County. CDFI’s, like WRCF, make such a difference in our community.
CDFIs are critical to driving real estate development in underserved communities and during challenging economic times. We have developed more than $100 M in projects using CDFI financing and it is a critical component to the capital stack, as well as important for delivering transformative projects to communities across the country.