CDFI Investors in Community Development

CNote is a fintech company founded in 2016 by financial executives Catherine Berman and Yuliya Tarasava that connects investors and institutions with mission-driven community banks to expand economic opportunity and strengthen local communities. The platform specializes in cash and fixed-income solutions that help institutions and individuals achieve competitive returns while preserving capital and creating positive community impact through CDFIs, MDIs, and community banks and credit unions. CNote applies institutional-grade discipline, modern technology and rigorous risk management to channel capital into the overlooked $5 trillion community finance market at scale. The company offers 100% FDIC- and NCUA-insured deposits with competitive returns, funding impact initiatives like affordable housing, disaster recovery, and small business growth in underserved communities.

Community Reinvestment Fund, USA (CRF USA) is a national small business lender that focuses on scaling capital access for small businesses in communities across the country. They provide lending, technology, and service solutions to complement and amplify the effectiveness of the small business ecosystem. CRF operates with a mission to build stronger local economies by working with various partners including banks, financial service providers, CDFIs, business support organizations, public sector entities, and philanthropists. Their approach involves comprehensive program capabilities including program planning and design, program management, and program evaluation to maximize their impact. The organization plays a crucial role in the small business financing ecosystem by enhancing job growth and supporting economic mobility across communities. Through their collective impact programs and partnerships, CRF addresses critical gaps in small business capital access, particularly in underserved markets, making them a vital intermediary in community economic development.

The Reinvestment Fund is a community development financial institution that focuses on neighborhood revitalization by combining expertise, analysis, and creative approaches to investing with a social purpose. They provide financing, grants, and assistance across multiple focus areas including climate and sustainability, early childhood education, equitable food systems, health, housing, K-12 education, and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Their mission centers on building strong, healthy, more equitable communities through targeted and transformative investments. The organization operates by offering various loan products, leveraging New Markets Tax Credits, providing grants and resources, and implementing pay-for-success models that align public investment with high-impact services. The Reinvestment Fund plays a significant role in the community development ecosystem by addressing critical gaps in financing for underserved communities and social impact projects. With national reach and offices in Atlanta and Philadelphia, they serve as a bridge between traditional finance and community needs, reimagining how capital can be deployed to create lasting positive change in neighborhoods across the country.

Working Capital Fund is a venture capital firm that invests in technology companies focused on promoting fairness and building responsible, sustainable global supply chains. They target startups developing innovative solutions like AI-enabled transparency tools, worker-voice platforms, and financial technology that addresses urgent labor rights and ethical supply chain challenges. The fund operates with a mission to improve the lives of vulnerable workers across global supply chains and catalyze economic justice. They focus on addressing root causes of social and environmental challenges in supply chains, which annually generate $354 billion worth of goods at risk of involving forced labor and contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions while relying on over 17 million people in modern slavery conditions. Working Capital Fund drives systems change by investing in technologies that can create impact at scale, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, health-tech wearables, blockchain, and fintech tools. Their portfolio companies facilitate corporate compliance, enable worker self-advocacy, support responsible sourcing, and generate proprietary datasets valuable to the responsible sourcing ecosystem, ultimately working toward more just and responsible global supply chains.