I don't want to let myself think that the philanthropic world has cooled on CDFIs but it is hard not to feel that way

It is exceedingly rare, in this political season, to find members of Congress on both sides of the aisle who agree on the value of a government policy to their constituents and the economic infrastructure in the red and blue states they represent. Community Development Financial Institutions, created through the Reigel Act of 1994 have earned that distinction because they deploy capital and technical guidance in low-income and rural communities that banks fail to serve. These 1,300 (mostly) nonprofit CDFIs are financial springboards for people and organizations who want to launch a community-oriented food business, preserve rental affordability through land trusts and facilitate worker owned enterprises. At a time in which Americans are deeply divided and economically stressed I wanted to know how CDFIs are faring and meeting the moment. For this episode of Power Station, I turned to trusted community development advisor John Holdsclaw, President and CEO of Rochdale Capital, for answers. In this episode of Power Station, we discuss the disconnect between what smaller funds need to serve community needs and what philanthropy is willing to provide. They need equity to sustain themselves and to make grants as modest as $5,000, which the data shows can be transformational. The stories are the data. We all need to listen.