Our organization serves entrepreneurs and small businesses in Southeast Missouri. Located in the 8th Congressional District, the poorest district in the state, our customers rely on our program and the funding available through programs like the CDFI to get started and stay open. While not a CDFI yet we have plans to apply for TA and move forward for certification this year.
The CDFI Fund helps us at Cooperative Federal provide programs for home ownership, small business, consumer credit and financial education for our community, which helps to strengthen the local economy through giving the public access to said services. During a time of high inflation and economic unease, it is more crucial than ever that we continue to be enabled to provide this aid. While I work for Cooperative Federal itself, I have also been a member for several years prior and their free financial education helped me directly to improve my financial situation. Without these programs, people who are already struggling and often cannot afford out of pocket financial education/counseling have nowhere to turn. If we as a country want to achieve greatness, we need to be serving the American people, not stripping them of their ability to raise themselves up!
The CDFI Fund has helped us positively impact low-income communities by improving their quality of life with access to low and fair loan financing.