Advancing Economic Opportunity with CDFI Partners: What’s Possible?

New to CDFIs? Start here. Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) are mission-driven financial institutions that expand access to capital and financial services for people and communities that have historically faced barriers to traditional finance. Rooted in the communities they serve, CDFIs help finance small businesses, affordable housing, homeownership, community facilities, and other pathways to economic opportunity.

For asset funders, CDFIs can be powerful partners. They fill critical gaps in the financial system, bring together public, private, and philanthropic capital, and recycle loan repayments into new lending—multiplying the reach and impact of capital invested in communities. Advancing Economic Opportunity with CDFI Partners: What’s Possible? provides an accessible introduction to the CDFI field and a practical guide for philanthropy. It explains how CDFIs work, why they matter, and the many ways funders can partner with them to advance economic security, mobility, and wealth building.