The Initiative Foundation Stories and Data

Braiding Business and Belief
Eagles Healing Nest
Viva Long Prairie
12 Graduate from St. Cloud Enterprise Academy

Testimonials

CDFI funds are frequently the only source of funding and lending available to small, scaled community-oriented development in Minneapolis. Without access to those opportunities companies like mine would not be able to accomplish our development goals and create mid-scale projects related to the arts and market rate affordable housing.

-Colin Ryan Oglesbay, D/O Architects, Saint Paul, MN

As an emerging CDFI serving the state of MN with small dollar consumer lending, this funding is essential to us to help combat predatory lending that strips wealth from low-income communities and allows us to provide stabilizing capital to communities to stay housed, employed, and (re)build credit to reach their asset building goals (e.g. car and home ownership) for the future.

-Anne Leland, Exodus Financial Services (dba Exodus Lending), Saint Paul, MN

We ask for your support because CDFIs are a reliable and thoroughly vetted resource to urban, suburban, and rural communities across the country, ensuring businesses and homebuyers have access to capital that helps alleviate generational poverty.

-Renay Dossman, Neighborhood Development Center, Saint Paul, MN