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.
I support CDFIs because they provide needed capital for small businesses and first-time homebuyers. This capital allows people to build wealth and/or provide a product/service to their community, which leads to economic prosperity for the local area. Because the financing is provided as a loan, clients are equally invested in the success of their home/business.
[The CDFI Fund] provides a vital funding source which enables our organization to sustain and start-up businesses in our rural SD communities. Without that support, our rural communities would die because there would be nothing to keep our young families in the communities. The opportunities they need for their careers would be gone.
CDFIs have been a vital role in our community by providing low-cost capital to businesses. Capital is not readily available in the rural area I live, so it’s imperative that CDFIs continue to receive funding that helps support small businesses and continue to grow small communities.
We are a nonprofit Chamber of Commerce that does microlending for small businesses. We work with a CDFI bank and are trying to get CDFI certification.