By: Frank Altman, founding CRF CEO The violence we have seen against Asian Americans and immigrant-owned businesses is abhorrent to everything we stand for at CRF. In 2020, racial-based bias crimes against people of Asian descent increased by 150 percent nationwide and as much as 800 percent in places like New York City. Sadly, even as we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander […]
Category: Opinion
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month: How Asian-Owned Businesses are Transforming Communities
May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, a month to celebrate the history, culture, and traditions of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month started between 1978 and 1979, when Congress designated the first ten days of May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. The celebration was expanded to a month in 1990. Today, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated across […]
MinnPost Community Voices Features CRF’s Anisha Murphy
CRF’s Director of Community Advancement, Anisha Murphy, Esq., wrote a compelling opinion piece for MinnPost in the wake of the Derek Chauvin murder conviction. The article pinpoints the role economic racism plays in driving social and institutional racism. We need a financial system that priorities equity and access to capital for BIPOC-owned businesses. We can do this by […]
Environmental Poverty is a Real Problem: Here’s an Organization Trying to Change it
The health of our environment and the welfare of our people are inextricably linked—something that we’re becoming increasingly aware of through events like Earth Day. Environmental justice is key to providing underinvested communities with access to clean air, clean water, and open, natural spaces. A lack of funding and income, particularly in communities of color, has a […]
Justice has been served
Justice has been served. This verdict is a step in the right direction during a divisive time. We all know there is so much more to do to remedy institutional racism. CRF is committed to fighting systemic inequities – both social and economic – as the repercussions of this verdict will be felt far and wide. As we move forward as a community, let us do […]
Technology Drives Opportunity as Connect2Capital Hits $100 Million
By: Patrick Davis When Connect2Capital launched in 2018, we envisioned a collaborative community of banks and mission-driven small business lenders that would improve access to capital for entrepreneurs across the country. In a landscape full of payday and predatory lenders, Connect2Capital provides a trusted network of more than 70 lending partners, responsible loan products and an easy-to-access […]
New SBA PPP Guidance Prioritizes Businesses and Nonprofits with Fewer Than 20 Employees
On Feb. 22, 2021, the Biden Administration and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued new program guidelines for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The SBA will be implementing a 14-day exclusive PPP loan application period for businesses and nonprofits with fewer than 20 employees. This 14-day period begins Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 9:00 a.m. (ET) and ends on March 9th at […]
2021 Holds Optimism, Rewards for Community Development and Economic Justice
By: Frank Altman, founding CRF CEO 2020 revealed that there is still much work to be done to help under-resourced communities battle the devastating impact of COVID-19. But thanks to the hard work and dedication of small business owners, state and local governments, and the financial services industry, new opportunities were revealed in the face of unprecedented challenges. It is against a backdrop […]
WE STAND IN SOLIDARITY
Community Reinvestment Fund, USA (CRF) is heartbroken over the senseless killing of George Floyd. Our commitment to the people, small business owners and community development organizations of South Minneapolis is firm: we will fight the systemic and institutional racism that still permeates and destroys the community we love. CRF will remain dedicated to supporting the […]
