"There literally is no other source with the kind of experience and history with the CDFI fund that the Federation has, particularly for CDCUs. They should be the first call for any credit union looking to apply for certification or grants from the CDFI Fund."
Hank Hubbard, President/CEO
Communicating Arts Credit Union (Detroit, Michigan)
We planted the seed.
We’re the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions, the CDFI experts for credit unions. Beginning in the 1980s, we spearheaded efforts to create a federal fund to support community development finance and even coined the term “CDFI”. In 1995 we joined our partners in celebrating the birth of the U.S. Treasury Department CDFI Fund.
The Federation is a leader of the national CDFI Coalition, the advocacy organization we helped found. We meet regularly with the CDFI Fund’s leadership to make sure it works for credit unions. Since 1996, the CDFI Fund has made awards to credit unions worth more than $80 million.
Credit unions with CDFI certification can qualify for millions of dollars in financial assistance grants and secondary capital loans from the CDFI Fund. More than 1,000 credit unions have low-income designations, but only 165 are certified as CDFIs. Should your credit union become a certified CDFI?
We’re the CDFI experts. We have helped dozens of credit unions get CDFI certification and win millions of dollars of awards. In fact, more than 98% of all CDFI awards to credit unions have gone to Federation members. We can assess your prospects for CDFI Certification and even help you to apply. If you already have your CDFI certification, we can help you to apply for CDFI grants, loans and more.
“My focus has to be on my credit union, our members and our services. Having the Federation guide us and help with our application for CDFI certification was money well spent and a real time-saver.”
Susan E. Fisher, President/CEO
Tongass Federal Credit Union (Ketchikan, Alaska)
250 Million Reasons to Call the Federation
The U.S. Treasury Department CDFI Fund is the single largest source of grant capital for community development financial institutions (CDFIs) in the United States. Since 1996, the Fund has awarded more than $80 million to credit unions serving low-income and underserved communities across the country, and 98% of these awards went to Federation member CDCUs. These credit unions are the bedrock for economic recovery in countless communities. Today the CDFI Fund has unprecedented levels of funding available to support their growth, with a projected budget of $250 million and the new Community Development Capital Initiative that could provide another $200 million in secondary capital investments in CDFI-certified credit unions.
We're Just a Click or a Call Away
If you would like help with CDFI Certification or a CDFI funding application, click here or call Pablo DeFilippi at (800) 437-8711 x304.
