General
CCHD Economic Development Grants Community Development Financial Institutions
Catholic Campaign for Human Development Economic Development Grants Community Development Financial Institutions
Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) are mission-driven financial institutions that provide financial products and services to people and communities underserved by traditional financial institutions. All are marketdriven and locally controlled. Self-help credit solutions date back to the earliest immigrant groups in the U.S. The first community development credit unions were formed in AfricanAmerican communities in the 1930s, and in the late 1960s governmental efforts to address poverty helped launch the first community development corporations (CDCs). In the 1990s the CDFI industry expanded dramatically through both public and non-profit efforts. There are more than 1,000 CDFIs operating in low wealth communities in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia.