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.
CDFIs (Community Development Financial Institutions) are essential for ensuring access to capital in underserved communities. These institutions are not just important; they are vital to the small business ecosystem and represent significant assets for our local and national economies. By supporting underserved entrepreneurs, we actively create opportunities for all and empower individuals to achieve the American dream of growth and prosperity.
Since 2008, CDFI Sustainable Neighborhoods has lent over $600 million to New York State homeowners at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure. Our lending programs have stabilized tens of thousands of households, thus preventing family displacement that leads to personal financial hardship and expenditures of substantial government funding needed to prevent or address homelessness across New York’s rural, suburban, and urban regions.
CDFIs are mission-driven financial institutions rooted in community. They exist to expand economic participation, particularly in places that have long been excluded from traditional financing systems. In many ways, BII has operated with a CDFI mindset from the start: investing in local entrepreneurs, supporting community-owned enterprises, and helping to close persistent gaps in access to capital.
As the Chair of the Board I see the positive impacts of our lending and business advising daily. Our work is integral to the health and vibrancy of our local community. Our support of emerging entrepreneurs and small businesses looking to grow fills an existing gap in the private sector and provides accessible options for many businesses.