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.
Native CDFIs are important to fixing the housing crisis in Indian Country. They are a way for Tribes to attract capital that leave Tribal members in control.
CDFIs stand in the gap for communities that have long been overlooked, offering the tools, capital, and support that empower people to lift themselves up by their bootstraps. From revitalizing main streets to helping families buy their first homes, CDFIs turn potential into progress. With timely and full support from the Treasury Department, these institutions can continue delivering measurable impact, fueling self-reliance, entrepreneurship, and generational change in America’s most underinvested communities