Thank you to our partners at Inclusive and CDBA for sharing data on CDFI Bank and CDFI Credit Union branch locations. In addition, about 100 of our CDFI Stories come from OFN’s story database.
This funding is crucial to meeting the needs of those who are hard-working, dedicated members of our communities across Pennsylvania, who often lack resources from other financial institutions to meet their needs to maintain employment, housing, and enjoyment in our communities. Without this funding, more people will be in need of additional subsidies to maintain living and thriving in our communities. Eliminating this funding will be far more expensive than continuing it.
CDFIs provide critical support to low- to moderate-income communities in the form of loans and technical assistance. This support provides individuals and businesses unable to access traditional financing the opportunity to build their financial acumen, responsibly manage debt while building credit scores and wealth, and eventually graduate to accessing traditional banking products. In the meantime, these individuals are able to start or expand businesses, become homeowners, purchase vehicles, and access capital to cover emergency situations. CDFIs played a critical role with this activity during the pandemic and are part of the essential fabric when it comes to uplifting local economies and providing individuals with a path to the American dream of homeownership and prosperity in a way that promotes self-sufficiency and self-reliance.
CDFIs are an important to give access to those who can’t get access to capital from traditional banks and provides important Technical assistance to borrowers pre and post loan as needed.
CDFIs are boots on the grown and first responders standing by low-income communities every day, particularly during difficult economic times, to support small businesses with flexible loans and financial education and technical assistance. All this, to grow small businesses and feed the economy.