RECENT RESEARCH
Meeting Women Small Business Clients’ Technical Assistance Needs: A gender based analysis of small business technical assistance and CDFIs’ responses. Read the report here
Certification: FUND Community Institute is exploring how upcoming changes to the CDFI Certification guidelines are likely to affect different CDFI types as well as the industry overall.
Accountability: Leveraging Advisory Boards and Preparing for Changes
This research brief explores one of the core criteria for certification: accountability. CDFI certification statutes require that CDFIs must maintain accountability to residents of its Target Market(s), either through governing boards or advisory boards. These advisory bodies can be an important part of maintaining certification and many CDFIs also leverage their advisory boards to support the capacity of the organization. FUND CI’s research finds that many CDFI’s advisory boards are under prepared for certification changes and likely can further leverage the expertise and knowledge of their assembled advisory boards. Read the full brief here
Emerging CDFIs
Emerging CDFIs have had a unique experience with the delayed release of the certification and the long closure of the application window as they must balance continuing their operations with uncertainty of the timing and content of the final certification guidelines. To that end, Fund Community Institute spoke with John Godwin, Director of the New American Community Lending (NACL), a subsidiary of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS) to learn about how the certification changes affect NACL. Read more about how NACL has handled the delay and uncertainty related to certification updates here.
