What are CDFIs?

Main Street Launch’s Intern – Impact Evaluation & Marketing Linda Ho offers information about CDFIs. This article was originally posted on January 10, 2018.   WHAT IS CDFI? Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) provide access to financial services for local residents and businesses, sharing a common goal of expanding economic opportunity in low income communities.…

Advocacy for and with CDFIs

Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) are mission-driven financial institutions that serve communities and individuals who have not yet had access to traditional financial services, like bank loans. Our organizations typically are focused on serving our clients, so we rely on the work of other organizations to do larger advocacy work that will benefit our clients…

Finding your local CDFI

Main Street Launch’s Intern – Impact Evaluation & Marketing Linda Ho offers information about how to locate your local CDFIs. In our previous post: What are CDFIs?, we talked about what CDFIs do to help strengthen communities’ economy. In this pody, we are going to discuss the importance of CDFIs to our communities and…

Introducing Venturize

This week Venturize launches, a campaign designed to help small business owners understand their financing options so they can make the best choice for their business. Nationally, there are nearly 8 million small businesses owned by people of color and 11.3 million small businesses owned by women that help power their communities. However, entrepreneurs of…

Opportunity Finance Network and Brown Sugar Kitchen

We’re thrilled to share Opportunity Finance Network (OFN)’s post about Main Street Launch’s support of Brown Sugar Kitchen, a long-time client.   Brown Sugar Kitchen is a staple of West Oakland and a destination eatery (some Golden State Warriors players recently took a picture during their meal there). Main Street Launch has been a proud…

Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) and the Citi Foundation Select Jen Leybovich, Vice President – Strategy & Development for Prestigious Citi Leadership Program for Opportunity Finance

Oakland, February 24, 2015 – OBDC Small Business Finance announced today that Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) and the Citi Foundation have selected Jen Leybovich, Vice President – Strategy & Development, OBDC Small Business Finance, as one of 48 community development financial institution (CDFI) professionals who will participate in the second annual Citi Leadership Program for Opportunity Finance.