Community Development Credit Union Model

CDCUs are federally regulated depository and lending institutions, each dedicated to a specific low-income community and targeting the most marginalized and economically vulnerable in our society. With a purely geography-focused membership, CDCUs are able to bring much needed capital and tailored financial services to disenfranchised individuals and encourage the retention of member assets for local reinvestment.

CDCUs play a vital role in a local economy where mainstream financial services are scarce and predatory banking services have been quick to fill the need for access to credit and basic transactional services. At the core of our mission and business model is an acknowledgment that providing transactional services and loans to low-income individuals is high-risk and labor intensive--yet critical to disrupting the cycle of poverty generated through lack of participation in the mainstream economy. With a rich and long history, CDCUs have emerged as the leaders in creativity and innovation regarding the delivery of financial services to marginalized communities.

To learn more about CDCUs visit our affiliated organizations:

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CREDIT UNIONS

NEW YORK CITY FINANCIAL NETWORK ACTION CONSORTIUM