CNote | Community Partners Blog Section
Where Are They Now? A Check In with Cortaiga Collins
Cortaiga Collins: Redefining Community Impact When we first introduced Cortaiga Collins in 2021, she was…
Great Lakes Credit Union: Filling a Banking Desert in Chicago’s Austin Neighborhood
The Austin neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side, home to nearly 100,000 residents, has long been…
Meet Piedmont Community Services, The Behavioral Health Service Provider Taking Care of Its Community
Although his educational pursuits and military service took him away from Martinsville, Virginia, Greg Preston…
Supporting BIPOC-Owned Small Businesses: The Challenges and Opportunities for Growth
Across the United States, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) entrepreneurs are building businesses…
At Hope Credit Union, Climate Change Is The Deep South’s Wealth-Building Opportunity Of A Lifetime
When it comes to our shared climate reality, Hope Credit Union’s members are familiar with…
Meet Clean Energy Credit Union, The Member-Owned Cooperative Making It Easier For Everyone To Access Affordable Green Lending
Like the majority of people, Nicole Burford sometimes feels weighed down by the challenges presented…
For Opportunities Credit Union, Energy Efficiency Loans Help Low-Income Individuals Save Money—And Combat Climate Change
Over the span of 48 hours in mid-July 2023, most of Vermont was battered with…
From Farm To City: How ChoiceOne Bank is Championing Michigan Agribusiness
ChoiceOne Bank’s vision isn’t a secret: it’s front and center on its website. “We want…
How Asian Bank Is Providing Personalized Support To Philadelphia’s Small Business Owners
In a word, Tina Miao-Granatt would describe her life as “blessed.” Her family moved from…
Meet Beardstown Savings, The Community Bank That’s Speaking The Same Language As Its Multilingual Community
Rich Eckert never expected to become the president and CEO of a community bank. The…
How Labor Credit Union Is Creating Opportunities And Expanding Its Impact With Dora Financial
Thomas Domingue is passionate about opportunities. More specifically, the CEO of Labor Credit Union is…
How Freedom First’s Affordable Housing Program Is Taking A Non-Conforming Approach To Homeownership
Allison Wolf got her start in the financial services industry as a college student in…
How NYU Federal Credit Union Is Forging Partnerships To Support Their Members
Mira Ness comes from humble beginnings: in her words, she was born into a very…
Creating an Impact Framework for Impact-Driven Depository Institutions
Impact-driven banks and credit unions provide vital services to under-resourced communities. However, in CNote’s extensive…
How Kaua’i Federal Credit Union’s Rent Relief Program Has Stabilized Local Small Businesses—And Local Culture
The COVID-19 pandemic turned Chef John Paul Gordon’s life upside down. One day, John Paul…
How Indian Land Capital Company Is Strengthening Tribal Sovereignty, One Loan At A Time
Rjay Brunkow, an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, has dedicated…
How Comunidad Latina Federal Credit Union Is Empowering Undocumented Immigrants to Achieve Financial Stability
For many, Azul Sanchez’s story is a familiar one. According to Azul, as the daughter…
How Freedom First Credit Union Is Leveraging Creative, Character-Based Lending To Approve Community Members For Auto Loans
When Norma Fralin needed a car in 2016, she didn’t know where to go. She’d…
Meet NorthPark Community Credit Union, The Country’s First And Only Fully Virtual Credit Union
How does an infant with hearing loss, an ill anesthesiologist, and a Chapter 13 bankruptcy…
New Covenant Dominion Credit Union’s Small Staff Has Big Dreams For The Bronx—And Beyond
Since New Covenant Dominion Credit Union came to life in 2007, Rachel Macarthy has worn…
How Opportunities Credit Union Is Setting Up Itself—And Its Community—For Financial Success
From a young age, Kate Laud dreamed about someday being a CEO. At Dartmouth, Kate…
Revolutionizing sustainable growth: Black-led financial institutions unleash potential with capital access and financial resources
Authored by CNote's Director of Due Diligence, Julia Phipps In the U.S. much of how…
How First Southwest Bank Is Helping Community Banks Become Better Banks
In 2013, Kent Curtis had a question to answer. As the president and CEO of…
How Chicago Community Loan Fund Is Filling Lending Gaps To Grow Wealth
When Wendell Harris found himself out of a job in 2013, he wasn’t exactly sure…
Meet The Disability Opportunity Fund, The CDFI Behind West Virginia’s First Fully Accessible Hotel
Charlie Hammerman didn’t aspire to start his own CDFI; however, since his daughter was born…
How VCC Bank Is Using Mission-Driven Lending To Strengthen The Commonwealth
When Virginia Community Capital was established by a group of bipartisan state legislators in 2006,…
Meet Kaua’i Federal Credit Union, The CDFI Investing In Its Island Community
“I never thought I would end up working in a financial institution,” says Ivory Lloyd…
How Metropolitan Economic Development Association Is Scaling Itself To Shrink Minnesota’s Racial Wealth Gap
Over the course of their careers as inpatient nurses, Murwo Elmi, Ikraan Abdulle, Farhia Abdulahi,…
How Capital For Change Uses CNote To Create More Possibilities In Its Community
For the better part of 15 years, Charles Bodie worked for a large, multinational investment…
Easy As C-C-C: How Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs Uses Capital, Coaching, and Connections to Help Georgia’s Small Business Owners Thrive
Martina Edwards knows what it’s like to be given an opportunity to break down barriers.