MN03 Stories and Data

Minnesota Entrepreneur Grows Childcare Business with Help of Local CDFIs
Braiding Business and Belief
Eagles Healing Nest
Viva Long Prairie

Testimonials

I appreciate the aspect of the program that puts decision-making in the hands of non-governmental institutions. I think this facilitates efficient use of tax-payer dollars.

-Jeremy Donaldson, Hope Academy, Minneapolis, MN

These funds were used to construct our high school building, which has served thousands of students and families in our community.

-Todd Peterson, Hiawatha Academies, Minneapolis, MN

I am a real estate broker and development consultant working with emerging developers, small businesses and nonprofits. Many of my clients cannot finance their projects with traditional debt and equity because they don’t come from generational wealth and because their projects are more challenging because they are in markets that are not achieving their full potential yet or meeting critical community needs that don’t produce quite as much profit. CDFI lending has stepped in the gap to solve dozens of critical projects that just need a little boost to get to the finish line, and CDFIs are critical partners to Platform’s work.

-Renee Spillum, Platform Commercial Real Estate, SBC, Saint Paul, MN