Category: Front Page
-
Evolving Capital for an Evolving Field: Why CDFIs Are the Next Frontier for Impact Investing
The community development finance field is moving into a pivotal new chapter. Over the past decade, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) have grown dramatically in scale and sophistication. Once largely small, niche lenders operating on razor-thin margins, many CDFIs today manage nine-figure balance sheets, deploy capital with disciplined underwriting, and report impact outcomes with increasing
-
What We Mean by Investing Where Your Employees Live, and Customers Buy
In today’s economy, the concept of corporate responsibility is evolving. It’s no longer enough for companies to focus solely on financial returns; where that money is working matters just as much. At CNote, when we talk about investing where your employees live and customers buy, we mean something both simple and powerful: using your corporate
-
Bridging the Gap: How CDFI Lending Supports Small Business Financial Well-Being
When an institutional investor recently asked us, “Can you share statistics that compare the financial well-being of small businesses that borrow from CDFI loan funds versus those who borrow from conventional banks?” we paused. It is a fair question, and an important one. But it is also deceptively complex. Comparing outcomes between CDFI and bank
-
Brewing Resilience and Serving Community: Small Business Stories Fueling L.A.’s Recovery
When California’s wildfires swept through Los Angeles this year, their impact went far beyond charred landscapes. It disrupted the heartbeat of neighborhoods and shook the foundations of small, community-driven businesses. Yet amid the smoke and uncertainty, two local entrepreneurs, Natalie of Cafecita Coffee and Roozbeh of Delphi Greek Restaurant, stood as living testaments to the