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.
Our CDFI improves the quality of the communities we serve by creating quality jobs through the small business that we support.
I support CDFIs because they serve as economic first responders in their communities. Native and consumer loan funds, in particular, are instrumental in lifting our most vulnerable populations out of poverty. These CDFIs provide essential financial services and resources, offering a lifeline to individuals and families who might otherwise be excluded from traditional banking systems. By empowering them to become bankable again, CDFIs help create pathways to financial independence and long-term prosperity.
CDFIs and Credit Unions help people of modest means when other FI’s do not. We are the last bastion of hope in banking for the little guy.