Photo: Serigne Seye of Creative Design & Tailoring in Chicago received a small business loan from CDFI Self-Help Federal Credit Union.

Green American,

The Trump administration is trying to eliminate the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, threatening a 30-year bipartisan program that supports mission-driven lenders in underserved communities.

What's at Stake

The CDFI Fund awarded over $400 million last year in grants and loans to community lenders serving rural, tribal, and economically disadvantaged areas where traditional banks won't operate. Without it, entrepreneurs and families in these communities will lose access to crucial capital for small businesses, mortgages, and economic development.

The Fund is a smart and targeted federal program that leverages a small amount of government spending to attract private investments in communities that need it most. Every $1 awarded through the CDFI Fund unlocks $8 in additional capital.

Small businesses and affordable housing developments nationwide will lose momentum without the Fund, and rural communities and tribal lands will be hit particularly hard. At the same time, without the Fund the CDFI industry’s move into green financing will take a hit. That’s why the Fund has been supported by Members of Congress from both parties for decades.

Your members of Congress need to hear from you.

Please take action to send a message to your Senators and Representative today to ensure they act to save the CDFI Fund.

State of Play

On October 10 the Trump administration said it would terminate all employees of the Treasury Department’s CDFI Fund as part of a mass firing of government employees. Since then, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order that blocks firing federal workers during the government shutdown.

But we know the administration will not stop trying. It recently issued new conditions blocking the CDFI Fund from providing climate-focused financing and removing diversity as a consideration in awarding grants.

The CDFI Fund enjoys broad bipartisan support, as it serves small towns, tribal nations, rural areas, and urban neighborhoods alike. Two-thirds of its funding goes to rural and small-town America.

That’s why last week 120 Republicans in the House and Senate sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and OMB Director Russel Vought defending the Fund.

Now it’s your turn. Tell your members of Congress you support the CDFI Fund.

Please take action to send a message to your Senators and Representative today to ensure they continue acting to save the CDFI Fund now and in the future.

For a green economy,

..................

Cathy Cowan Becker
Responsible Finance Campaign Director
Green America

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