MN04 Stories and Data

MN04 Stories

Minnesota Entrepreneur Grows Childcare Business with Help of Local CDFIs
Angel Rogers is known by her family and friends as responsible, caring, and a good listener. However, Angel’s journey to entrepreneurship has not been easy. Growing up, Angel spent time in foster care, she had her first daughter and got her own apartment at 16, and at 18 she gained full custody of her younger brother and sister.
Braiding Business and Belief
Timely loan weaves a solution to keep St. Cloud salon owner’s business buzzing
Eagles Healing Nest
Aaron Starrett was 18 years old in 2009 when he left his hometown of Austin, Texas, for four years in the Air Force. He served as a munitions specialist in Korea and Germany, helping prepare aircraft with heavy explosives before leaving the military in 2014.
Viva Long Prairie
Opening Viva meant overcoming big hurdles—including financing a major renovation of a century-old building. But Perez stayed true to his approach, chasing solutions until he secured a state revitalization grant and loan support from the Initiative Foundation.

MN04 Fact Sheet

Testimonials

The work of CDFIs and the CDFI Fund is critical for so many small businesses, real estate developers, nonprofits, and communities across the United States.

-Mary Stoick, Sunrise Banks, St Paul, MN

CDFIS help nonprofit organizations in my community.

-Peter Berrie, Faegre Drinker, Minneapolis, 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

Map of MN04 CDFI Branches and Stories