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How Freedom First’s Affordable Housing Program Is Taking A Non-Conforming Approach To Homeownership
Allison Wolf got her start in the financial services industry as a college student in 1998, when she took a job as a part-time teller in Long Beach, California. Many things caught Allison’s attention during those formative first few years; however, she found herself particularly entranced by the work of the branch’s loan officers. “It…
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CNote’s Q4 2023 Impact Report
CNote is excited to share our Q4 2023 Impact Report! Check it out here. You’ll read more about CNote’s proprietary impact framework developed to assess the positive impact made by community financial institutions on our platform. We also share updates on CDFI loan funds’ capital challenges, and how impact-driven depository institutions are embracing fintech partnerships…
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How NYU Federal Credit Union Is Forging Partnerships To Support Their Members
Mira Ness comes from humble beginnings: in her words, she was born into a very big family in a very small town in Kazakhstan. Still, Mira found a way to become the president of one of her country’s biggest banks. However, when she moved to the United States with her American husband, Mira found herself…
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Resources for LID Credit Unions
What are Low Income Designated Credit Unions Low-Income Designated (LID) credit unions cater to communities predominantly falling within specific low-income thresholds, as determined by Census Bureau data and NCUA regulations. The NCUA specifically describes a credit union that can be designated as low-income when “a majority of the credit union’s potential or actual membership qualifies…
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Creating an Impact Framework for Impact-Driven Depository Institutions
Impact-driven banks and credit unions provide vital services to under-resourced communities. However, in CNote’s extensive work with these institutions and community finance overall, we recognized the pressing need for a consistent impact framework for the industry. Existing impact measurement efforts have typically centered around either banks or credit unions or have been limited to CDFI-certified…
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How Karla Villanueva Grew Her Gymnastics Studio with Her Credit Union’s Support
Karla Villanueva-Bernal has been passionate about gymnastics and practiced the discipline throughout her life. Her dream of opening her own gymnastics studio was finally realized in 2012 when she and her husband started what was then called Karla’s Gymnastics. Karla started teaching one class every Saturday in the All Saints Red Barn, a multi-use space…
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How Kaua’i Federal Credit Union’s Rent Relief Program Has Stabilized Local Small Businesses—And Local Culture
The COVID-19 pandemic turned Chef John Paul Gordon’s life upside down. One day, John Paul was an executive chef catering to Kaua’i’s tourists, the next day, he was unemployed. After more than 20 years of being a chef, John Paul felt like COVID-19 stole his identity away from him overnight. Despite wanting to get back…
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How Indian Land Capital Company Is Strengthening Tribal Sovereignty, One Loan At A Time
Rjay Brunkow, an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, has dedicated his career to economic development within Indian Country. Rjay served as an investment banker for Wells Fargo, focusing on government infrastructure, before serving as Solicitor General for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and chief legal counsel for his own…
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Beyond Banking: The Crucial Role of Impact-Driven Banks and Credit Unions in Underserved Communities
Impact-driven banks and credit unions forge a dynamic partnership with under-resourced communities, blending immediate solutions with lasting development. These institutions stand as pillars of community support. Anchored by tailored financial products and programs, spanning affordable housing loans to job creation initiatives, impact-drive banks and credit unions commit to both present concerns and the future prosperity…
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How Jayme Murray is Creating Food Sovereignty for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.
Long before the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation was established in South Dakota in 1889, the people of the Lakota Nation sustained themselves off of the land, with the buffalo, or American bison, as its primary source of food. Over a century later, tribal ties to the sacred animal still run strong. The Cheyenne River Sioux…
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