CRF works to complement and amplify the scale and effectiveness of the small business ecosystem with its lending, technology and service solutions.
Photo: Tamiko Bailey of Bailey's Premier Services
CRF's Unique Approach
Lead with impact
CRF leads with impact and focuses on providing capital not readily accessible to under-resourced small businesses and communities that support small business growth.
Ensure small businesses access capital
CRF’s primary goal is to ensure under-resourced small businesses have access to capital whether its through CRF lending efforts or connecting small business through our technology platform to local CDFIs who provide the capital.
Engage local communities as invited in
CRF is a national CDFI. Our consistent place-based work will only be in Minnesota, and we will engage with local communities as invited in by local stakeholders.
Help CDFIs access capital
CRF helps CDFIs access fixed-rate, long-term capital to support community development as a qualified issuer of the Bond Guarantee Program.
Work with community stakeholders on creation of programs
CRF provides loans directly to small businesses when invited to do so by: national stakeholders who are looking for a one-stop shop for their programmatic goals, local CDFIs seeking additional capacity, smaller cities and rural communities that don’t have locally-rooted CDFIs, and referral partners looking to secure capital in partnership with businesses they represent.
Innovate on financial products
CRF leverages its balance sheet in innovative ways to drive new product development beyond SBA and pilot products for CDFIs more broadly.