Our Mission
The Federation helps low- and moderate-income people and communities achieve financial independence through credit unions.
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Contact Us
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The Federation headquarters are located at:
39 Broadway, Suite 2140
New York, NY 10006-3063
T 212-809-1850
F 212-809-3274
Toll Free 800-437-8711
To contact our Board or staff, please click on the links below:
Our Board of Directors
Our Staff Directory
What is a CDCU?
More than sixty years ago, a number of credit unions were founded with the specific mission of serving low-income and minority communities beyond the reach of banks and mainstream credit unions. These “community development credit unions” (CDCUs) specialize in serving populations generally considered the hardest to serve, including low-income wage earners, recent immigrants, aging populations and people with disabilities.
To learn more about CDCUs, Low-income Credit Unions and CDFIs, click here.
Our History
Established in 1974 by a coalition of credit union leaders dedicated to revitalizing low-income communities, the Federation's seeks to strengthen those credit unions that serve low-income, urban and rural communities nationwide -- known as "community development credit unions," or CDCUs -- by advocating for and providing financial, technical, educational and human resources to our member CDCUs.
For a detailed decade-by-decade look at the Federation, please click here.
Membership Categories
For credit unions wishing to join the Federation, we offer three types of membership. Individuals who support our mission and would like to join as members are welcome to join us as Community Development Supporters (click on the links for additional information about each membership type):
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Policy Members - Credit unions that serve predominantly low-income communities -- whether "low-income-designated" by NCUA or not -- are eligible to join as policy members. These credit unions have full access to all Federation capital products, technical and educational services, and more, as well as voting rights to determine Federation policies. The Federation's policy members operate in 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and includes credit unions of every size and description - urban, rural, reservation-based, faith-based and community-wide. Some are small, with a few hundred thousand dollars in assets, while the largest have assets of well over a billion dollars.
Policy members enjoy access to a broad range of programs and services. Each year, we invest millions of dollars in CDCUs, provide hundreds of hours of free consultations, offer low-cost training, work for regulatory changes, and much more. Credit unions that serve predominantly low-income communities - whether "low-income-designated" by NCUA or not - are eligible to join as policy members. These credit unions have full access to all Federation capital products, technical and educational services, and more, as well as voting rights to determine Federation policies.
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Community Development Partners - This category is for credit unions who do not serve a majority of low-income members but are strongly committed to serving underserved groups within their Field of Membership. Many of the largest, most prominent credit unions in the country have joined as Community Development Partners, including Navy Federal CU and State Employees' CU (SECU) of North Carolina. All Community Development Partners receive free first-year tuition for one of the Board or Staff to attend the Federation's CDCU Institute™; free admission to the Federation's financial literacy "train-the-trainer" seminars; discounted consulting services (CU Breakthrough); and technical assistance and support in establishing innovative and high-impact programs for low-income members, such as Individual Development Accounts (IDA); assistance in developing collaborations with CDCUs and other community-based organizations; preferred rates to all Federation conferences, educational events, and publications; and recognition in the Federation’s publications and on our website. Community Development Partners may also sell loans to the Federation's affordable mortgage secondary market (CDCU Secondary Market).
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Community Development Supporters - Organizations and individuals are also welcome to join as Community Development Supporters. Our Community Development Supporters include credit unions, credit union leagues, credit union organizing groups, social investors, industry professionals, and other individuals who support our mission. In addition to helping the Federation to promote and strengthen the CDCU movement, Community Development Supporters also enjoy discounts on Federation seminars, training events, publications, and consulting services.
Our Membership At-a-Glance
Policy Members - Credit unions with a primary mission of serving low-income people & communities.
Current membership: 244 CDCUs
Aggregate Statistics of Policy Member CDCUs*:
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Assets: over $11 billion
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Credit union members: more than 1.7 million
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Median size: $3.8 million in assets and 1,597 members
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Median age: 40 years
*As of June 2012.
Directory of Member CDCUs
Search for our member CDCUs by State
Please note: Some member community development credit unions (CDCUs) may not be able to serve everyone in their community due to field of membership restrictions. If you find that a specific credit union is unable to serve you, or if there is no CDCU in your community, you can search for other credit unions by zip code at: www.lovemycreditunion.org.
Community Development Partners - Credit unions that do not have a primary mission of serving low-income people & communities, but have shown a commitment to serving people of modest means or want to do more to serve the underserved.
Current Membership: 50 Community Development Partners
Aggregate Statistics of Community Development Partners:
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Total Assets: over $120.89 billion
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Credit union members: more than 10.16 million
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Median size: $586.9 million in assets and 56,429 members
For a complete listing of our Community Development Partners, please click here.
Press Center
To learn more about the Federation in action, visit our Press Center by clicking here.
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