Banks and CDFIs: Partnering for Community Impact (SageWorks.com)

By Paige Chapel, President & CEO, Aeris

Most banks recognize that their enterprises can only thrive if their customers also do. And to thrive, those customers need economically diverse and healthy communities in which to live and work. Partnering with local organizations to promote the health of those communities is often a top priority for banks.

Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) loan funds help to promote healthy communities by providing early-stage credit, capital, and financial services to small businesses, affordable housing and community facilities developers, community organizations, and other types of borrowers. Most commonly structured as revolving loan funds, CDFIs intermediate capital between investors and underserved U.S. communities where capital tends to be scarce. Banks have historically been—and continue to be—a primary capital source for CDFIs.

Read the full post at SageWorks.com.