Senate’s $324M CDFI Budget Proposal Boosts Funding by $50M Over House Plan

Our new report explores how credit unions can move from being merely relevant to truly compelling by shifting from product to purpose, policy to possibility, and control to empowerment.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the uncertainty in Washington surrounding the CDFI Fund. But even now, new data and steady leadership tell a different story: one of proven impact, financial strength, and lasting community value.

The name itself sounds safe, even gentle. “Retreat” promises time to think, to step back, to breathe. Yet in an operating environment that feels anything but gentle, it is fair to ask whether that word still serves the moment. The economy does not pause for reflection, and neither do competitors who now move with the precision of code and the speed of a click. Maybe it is time the word caught up.

Filene’s latest report, “Amplifying Your Credit Union’s Mission: Financial and Community Impacts of Being a CDFI,” answers that with solid data. It finds that CDFI-certified credit unions outperform non-certified peers on nearly every key metric—without a corresponding rise in delinquencies or charge-offs.

We’re hosting two webinars this month that will give credit unions the lowdown on the CDFI Fund and answer any questions you might have. Register today!

Here’s What Credit Unions Need to Know A successful application for a CDFI Financial Assistance (FA) Awards requires ample time to...

May 28 at 10:00 Pacific/1:00 Eastern Join our CDFI experts for a timely and in-depth webinar covering the CDFI Fund topics of importance,...

The President’s FY 2026 budget request, released May 2, proposes to eliminate discretionary award funding for the CDFI Fund, retaining...

Credit unions can use this strategic tool to imagine a range of plausible futures and explore how they might respond.

Raghavan also addressed the process of building the new CDFI certification framework—including the recertification process for all existing

Black Americans have relied on cooperatives since the 19th century, when both free and enslaved Black people would pool their money to pay f

If credit unions are going to be a relevant player in the lending marketplace they will need to take calculated risks while mitigating risk