CDFIs provide access to critical financial services and education in a way that’s accessible to and designed for low income and low wealth people and families. CDFIs help strengthen the US economy by expanding opportunities for homeownership, small business, and consumer credit., and federal grants to CDFIs are leveraged many times over by private capital. Due to the success of this work, the CDFI Fund has been sustained by broad, bipartisan support for 25 years.
Our local CDFI has been essential to supporting our organization, our members and so many people in our community who have struggled to access capital and financial services. They understand how to work with our communities and have assisted so many first time home-buyers and new businesses in getting on track and being financially stable. For many of our members this is where they’ve opened their first bank account and learned how to manage their finances.
CDFIs benefit communities like Syracuse, which have experienced economic decline due to the withdrawal of large employers (like Carrier, GE, etc.) but are also seeing revitalization.