Prosperity NOW: Share Your Thoughts On CDFIs In Your Community

September 5, 2020

I know during this pandemic, and long before the coronavirus was a reality, many of you have been working on efforts to secure national, local, and community investments in small businesses and CDFIs. I wanted to be sure you saw a recent op-ed in the Washington Business Journal written by Gary Cunningham, the president and CEO of Prosperity Now on this issue, Viewpoint: CDFIs look for help to close lending gap.

If this is an area you would like to learn more about, I encourage you check out a report we published in May titled, The Cascading Impact of COVID-19 on Microbusinesses and the U.S. Economy. Another great resource to check out is Creating Viral Impact In Black Communities Through Small Business Expansion. Please feel free to share this op-ed and additional resources with your networks and others working on these issues.

With that being said, we would love to learn about what’s happening in your state. Let’s start up a conversation on the listserv and share what you’re seeing in your community.

  1. How have your local CDFIs supported Black and Brown owned businesses during the pandemic, especially following the Paycheck Protection Program?
  2. What has been the impact of the lack of funding on small business of color in your community?
  3. Do you have relationships or partnerships with CDFIs in your community?