Genesis is certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury as a Community Development Financial Institution. Recognized as “financial first responders,” CDFIs step up to provide capital in communities that need it most.

There are more than 1,300 CDFIs across the nation with total assets estimated in 2023 at more than $151.8 billion.

We remove systemic barriers.

CDFIs provide fair, responsible loans and services to rural, urban, Native, and other communities not traditionally able to access mainstream financing. CDFIs can be loan funds, banks, credit unions, or venture capital providers, and can be nonprofit or for-profit.

The CDFI system grew from the tailwinds of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s-70s, to help people and communities systemically excluded from accessing capital to buy a home or start a business.

As the federal CDFI Fund notes, “For a community to thrive economically, it requires access to basic financial services, affordable credit, and investment capital. Yet, historically, that access has often been limited for low-income communities and individuals.”

CDFIs fill this market gap: they finance quality affordable housing, essential community services, small businesses, consumer loans, energy efficient community development, and more, sparking economic opportunity across the nation.

No matter what form they take, CDFIs:

• Expand and promote economic opportunity in communities that face barriers to wealth;
• Provide financing, whether it is debt, equity, guarantees, or other forms of credit;
• Offer services such as financial education and project coaching, alongside their financial products;
• Serve populations that do not meet traditional collateral or underwriting requirements; and
• Meet communities where they are, to respond to their unique needs.

Learn more about the fascinating history of CDFIs, and how we combat systemic barriers to opportunity and prosperity.