Four years. $100M deployed. 1,350 Veteran and Military-Spouse entrepreneurs funded. 7,500 jobs supported. The Veteran Loan Fund, a coalition of CDFIs including many OFN members, is proof that capital, coaching, and local expertise is a model that works. #SBFF13

New data shows that companies with fewer than 50 employees added 67,000 jobs to the U.S. economy in May. Small businesses are driving growth, and they need capital that reaches them. In 2024, OFN members funded 222,944 of them, creating or retaining 393,970 jobs. This week at #SBFF13, we’re focusing on expanding that reach. ofn.org/blog/register-for-of…

Thank you to @RepYoungKim for her continued leadership on the CDFI Fund. CDFIs are economic infrastructure, and the Fund continues to earn bipartisan support in Congress because the results speak for themselves. OFN was proud to help coordinate this visit.

Most businesses are small—99.9% of them, in fact. These businesses make a major impact, though. They employ 62.3 million people in the U.S. and account for 43.5% of the country's GDP. Our CDFI members know that supporting these entrepreneurs means providing flexible funding and business coaching, efforts we’ll discuss at our Small Business Finance Forum in June. Learn more and register here: ofn.org/blog/register-for-of…

100 CDFIs and mission-driven lenders. Northeast focus. One World Trade Center in New York. OFN's 2026 Northeast Regional Meeting brought the industry together to problem-solve, share innovations, and stay connected in a challenging year. Read the full recap: ofn.org/blog/ofn-northeast-r…

New research: OFN member loan funds followed sector-specific paths of growth, stabilization, and community impact from 2020–2024. Our CDFI Research Update has the data: ofn.org/cdfi-research-update… #CDFI #CommunityDevelopment

When Cedar Falls Mobile Home Park came up for sale, the community knew they needed to save it. They turned to Genesis Community Loan Fund, a CDFI with expertise in housing infrastructure. See what happened: ofn.org/impact-stories/unloc…

Hampton Roads needs approximately 50,000 more affordable housing units. In the Daily Press, Jane Ferrara of @LISC_HQ lays out three steps: build the developer pipeline, rethink the vision, and align local leadership with capital. That's the work our network does every day. dailypress.com/2026/04/25/a-…

New from @ClevelandFed: CDFIs deliver flexible underwriting, long-term capital, and technical assistance to underinvested markets excluded by traditional lenders. The Fed calls CDFIs “critical connectors in the financial ecosystem.” We call it Capital Plus. Read more here: clevelandfed.org/publication…

For 30 years, Mayflower Apartments has provided affordable housing to Nashville families. @Pathway_Lending, a local CDFI, is ensuring that housing infrastructure remains. Full story @WKRN: wkrn.com/news/local-news/mid…

May is Affordable Housing Month. In 2024, OFN's member CDFIs financed 98,451 housing units—new construction where conventional capital stopped, preserved affordable rentals at risk of conversion to market-rate, and first-generation homebuyer mortgages. Housing is cost-of-living infrastructure. CDFIs build it. Read more: ofn.org/blog/cdfis-critical-… #AffordableHousingMonth

Healthcare disparities are common in rural communities, and transportation is often the issue. Phoenix-based Beyond Transport Services is bridging that critical gap. The service is so necessary that the small business needed to grow—and it turned to a CDFI for support. Read more: ofn.org/impact-stories/nativ…

Williams Academy STL was already facing financial challenges due to rapid enrollment growth when the tornado hit. Thankfully, Justine PETERSEN stepped up with mission-driven financing—and Williams Academy became a beacon of the community. Learn more about the impact: ofn.org/impact-stories/st-lo…

Small businesses are essential for economic development, but to make that impact, they often need an ally. For 23rd Century CNC in Ohio, Valley Economic Development Partners was that ally. Read about the financing that helped the machine manufacturing shop hire more employees, buy new equipment, and meet customer demands. ofn.org/impact-stories/rural…

This #SmallBusinessWeek, LaBella's Salon in Mississippi is a reminder that CDFIs offer more than just capital. Business coaching and financial guidance help owners like Julia Green truly thrive. Read how CDFIs are helping small businesses across the country thrive with everything they have to offer. ofn.org/blog/financial-liter…

It’s Small Business Week. For more than 60 years, this week has honored the entrepreneurs who keep America's Main Streets alive. For thousands of them, the path to capital runs through a CDFI. OFN members finance startups, back Main Street businesses, and deploy capital where it counts. That's economic infrastructure. This week, follow along as we share stories from entrepreneurs who built something—and the OFN member CDFIs that helped make it possible. Learn more: ofn.org/what-is-a-cdfi/key-p… #SmallBusinessWeek #CDFI

Earlier this month, @USTreasury confirmed the release of $289M in FY25 appropriations for the CDFI Fund, alongside new prospective rulemaking. OFN is closely monitoring and will share updates on rulemaking and other changes as they become available. Read more: ofn.org/blog/remaining-289-m…

When a rural Mississippi bank couldn't sustain its branch, a CDFI stepped in, preserving access to banking for a community that needed it. That's the power of community-centered finance. Federal Reserve Governor Barr’s recent remarks highlight how CDFIs are filling critical gaps across rural America, and why they are a critical piece of supporting rural economies. Read his full remarks here: federalreserve.gov/newsevent…

Today, the President released his FY 2027 budget proposal, which proposes significant cuts to the CDFI Fund. For more than 30 years, the CDFI Fund has been one of the most efficient, market-based tools in the federal toolkit: leveraging an estimated $8 in private investment for every $1 in public funding. In 2023 alone, CDFI Program recipients financed 109,151 businesses and 45,255 affordable housing units. Cutting the Fund threatens economic growth and weakens Main Street, jeopardizing thousands of projects that create local jobs, build affordable housing, and drive opportunity in communities across the country that rely on CDFIs as their primary source of affordable capital. We urge Congress and the Administration to protect this proven investment. Read our full statement here: ofn.org/news/ofn-statement-o… #CDFIFund #OpportunityFinance #AffordableHousing #SmallBusiness #EconomicOpportunity #CDFI

Austin: the fastest-growing city for small business in 2026, and a place where rising costs are pushing underinvested entrepreneurs out of their own neighborhoods. That's exactly why OFN’s #SBFF13 is in Austin. OFN members have financed 1.26M businesses. The work isn't done. Join us June 10–12: web.cvent.com/event/51eff726… #SmallBizFinance2026