Multi-colored paper faces

The Next 100 Days for Equity and CDFIs: Reflections on the Biden-Harris Administration

By Ellis Carr, President and CEO

Last week, we witnessed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris take the oath of office, signaling a new administration.

It is a historic moment for our country.

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Podcast: Everything Co-op Interview about Capital Impact’s 2020 Co-op Innovation Award

By Alison Powers, Cooperative & Community Initiatives Manager

In early 2020, Capital Impact Partners, in partnership with the National Cooperative Bank, awarded a total of $100,000 to three awardees, – ChiFresh Kitchen, The Guild, and the Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative – through its Co-op Innovative Award. Capital Impact’s Co-op Innovative Award aims to increase co-op development in communities with low incomes and/or communities of color. This year, the Co-op Innovation Award focused on organizations educating new audiences on the impact and potential of the cooperative model to disrupt income inequality, steward community ownership, and create strong vibrant places of opportunity.

Black female entrepreneurs working at desks

As Crises Deepen Inequity, CDFIs Act as a Counterforce in Order to Build Community Assets

By Diane Borradaile, Chief Lending Officer

For generations, systemic racism has kept many people of color from achieving even a basic standard of living, which includes social services that help communities thrive.

As we wrote in the first of our series looking at the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on communities of color, the disproportionate impacts on communities of color have made these deep inequalities undeniable nationwide.

Teacher works with students at desks

Learning to Change: Reflections of the CDFI Racial Equity Collaborative on Education

This post was written by OFN Blog guest authors and OFN members BlueHub Capital, Capital Impact Partners, IFF, Nonprofit Finance Fund, LISC, Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF), Reinvestment Fund, and Self-Help 

Introduction 

In recent years, community development financial institutions (CDFIs) and similar mission-oriented financial services organizations have begun to elevate the importance of explicitly addressing racial equity in lending, investing, and operational practices. While this goal remains urgent, it is also a challenge to determine precisely how to incorporate or operationalize racial equity into our varied work. How do CDFIs incorporate an explicit racial equity perspective into their lending? What work do we need to do as institutions and individuals to genuinely build that racial equity perspective? And how might we collaborate across our industry to successfully achieve that goal?  

Capital Impact Partners CEO Ellis Carr and CDC Small Business Finance CEO Kurt Chilcott

Capital Impact Partners and CDC Small Business Finance Announce Alliance

As of July 1, 2021, Ellis Carr is now the president and CEO of Capital Impact Partners and CDC Small Business Finance. Kurt Chilcott, formerly president and CEO of CDC Small Business Finance, is transitioning to Board Chair of both organizations.


In 2020, Kurt Chilcott and Ellis Carr sat down for a video series of conversations about our alliance. You can also watch the whole video series here.

By Ellis Carr, President and CEO

Since 1982, Capital Impact Partners has helped people build communities of opportunity that break barriers to success. We have done that through learning and evolving with a range of investors, donors, community partners, and other Community Development Financial Institutions. 

As we looked to the future, we saw a tremendous opportunity to do more, give more, and make a bigger difference. With that in mind, more than a year ago, we began conversations with CDC Small Business Finance. Together, we recognized how our similar visions and complementary expertise, services and financing products could create a change that neither of us could accomplish independently.

Audio Blog: Expanding Opportunity for Diverse Real Estate Developers in the Time of COVID-19

Editor’s note: This conversation took place virtually to protect all participants during the COVID-19 pandemic. There may be sound issues, as this was a live webinar.

As COVID-19 continues to disproportionately impact communities of color, it is important that supporting diverse developers does not stop. As not only business owners, but community builders, diverse developers come from, live within, and understand the investments that often disinvested communities want for themselves and future generations. However, because of systemic disinvestment, diverse developers have far fewer opportunities to engage in their chosen profession or create the lived environments that would support communities of color.

Men wearing face mask picking shopping cart in supermarket

Racial Inequity – as cause and effect – in the time of COVID-19

By Michelle Betton, Writer

“Structural racism has always been a pre-existing condition for communities of color.” -Race Forward

People in disinvested communities, often communities of color, understand this statement too well. It has rung true for generations. Structural racism affects more than just health; systemic discrimination has negatively impacted every aspect of life for communities of color, from accessing quality health care and education to qualifying for housing to procuring healthy food within their neighborhood. 

Ellis Carr, President and CEO, and Dan Varner, Board Chair

2019 Annual Report Letter: Through Crisis, We Partner with Communities to Build Strength and Sustainability

By Ellis Carr, President & CEO, and Daniel Varner, Board Chair

Over the past several weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the world for all of us. Our hearts go out to everyone who has been—and will continue to be—affected by this devastating event.

We want to express our deepest gratitude to those who are serving on the front lines during this crisis: doctors, nurses and other health care workers, pharmacists and grocery store employees, restaurant owners and delivery crews and everyone who has sewn masks and donated food and supplies to those in need. We are truly indebted to them for their sacrifice and hard work.

Woman heads food to another

COVID-19 Response: An Open Letter from CDFI Leaders to Our Supporters

“Those closest to the problem are closest to the solutions.” Bryan Stevenson

Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) were first certified by the U.S. Treasury 25 years ago to provide financing in communities left behind by the mainstream financial system. CDFIs have long been “first responders” to many small and growing businesses in communities throughout America and are very much on the front lines of the economic response to coronavirus (COVID-19). There are more than 1,000 CDFIs at work in all 50 states managing $185 billion in loans and investments to historically underserved small businesses, nonprofits, affordable housing projects, unbanked consumers building credit, and farms and grocery stores which provide healthy food.