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.
The CDFI Fund generates economic opportunity in distressed rural and urban areas by leveraging private investment and expanding access to credit, capital, and financial services through the investment in and assistance to a nationwide network of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs).
CDFIs are not just banks. They are lifelines. Without them, thousands of small businesses-many in overlooked neighborhoods (urban and rural) – would never get access to capital, training, and the support they need to survive, let alone thrive.