Community Development Finance Association
The Community Development Finance Association (CDFA) is the voice for providers of fair and affordable finance. It represents and supports a strong national network of community development finance institutions or CDFIs.
CDFIs provide simple responsible credit to people and businesses across the UK. By providing finance for disadvantaged and underserved communities, CDFIs bring wealth, well-being and economic prosperity to these areas. According to CDFA research, in 2013, CDFIS in the UK helped to start 8,000 businesses, created and saved over 17,000 jobs and saved over 26,000 people from payday lenders.[1]
The CDFA provides support, funding and networking services to CDFIs, raise their profile with government and investors, and seek to create a positive environment for their continued growth and success.
Aims
The CDFA’s mission is to support the development of a thriving and sustainable community development finance (CDFI) sector that provides finance for disadvantaged and underserved communities and, as a consequence, contribute to the increasing prosperity of these communities.
The CDFA’s objectives are:
- To grow, support and strengthen the CDFI sector
- To promote the sector to stakeholders and to government
- To support members in achieving collective influence
- To help forge closer links between individual CDFA members and stakeholders, where appropriate
Activities
The cdfa works with its members to create an operating environment that is favourable to all CDFIs through, for example, engaging with government, banks and other key stakeholders.
The CDFA supports and develops members through increasing access to funding – for example through a Regional Growth Fund programme and the Start Up Loans programme. It also provides members with information and resources, organizes events and the Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards scheme, and oversees best practice standards and an industry code of practice. The CDFA promotes the valuable services provided by its members to the public through the Finding Finance website.
References
- ↑ Inside Community Finance 2013