Podcasts about opportunity finance network

September 19, 2024 In this episode Everything Co-op continues to honor the 2024 Cooperative Hall of Fame inductees, featuring an interview with Clifford (Cliff) Rosenthal. Cliff and Vernon explore his extensive contributions to the cooperative movement throughout his career. Cliff Rosenthal's impact on community development finance spans decades. As CEO of the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions (now Inclusiv) from 1980 to 2012, he championed financial empowerment. His original concept paper led to the creation of the CDFI Fund, and he played a pivotal role in the CDFI Coalition. Post-Federation, Cliff managed the Office of Financial Empowerment at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). His initiatives improved access to financial services for vulnerable consumers. As an author, he penned “Democratizing Finance: Origins of the Community Development Financial Institutions Movement” (2018) and co-authored “Community Capital: Race, Equity, and the Credit Union Movement” (2024). His accolades include the Herb Wegner Award, recognition from the Opportunity Finance Network, and induction into the African-American Credit Union Hall of Fame. Cliff's legacy continues through his work as a consulting producer on the TV series “Opportunity Knocks$.”

In this episode, Andrea Longton, a distinguished author and seasoned social justice investor, shares her wealth of knowledge from years of experience at the crossroads of finance and impact. She discusses her work on renewable energy projects in Africa and her strategic shift to community development finance in the U.S. Why Take a Listen: 1. International Development Financing    - Andrea's Career Journey: Explore Andrea's diverse career, from international project development to domestic financing. She provides a detailed look into sustainable energy projects and community-centered financial solutions.    2. Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) & Social Justice Investing    - Role of CDFIs: Understand the pivotal role CDFIs play in underserved communities and how social justice investing can drive both social and climate justice outcomes. Andrea highlights key mechanisms such as community loan funds, venture capital, and crowdfunding.    3. Networking & Professional Relationships for Social Impact Careers    - Building Strong Networks: Andrea shares essential advice on cultivating professional networks in social change sectors. She emphasizes aligning authentically with an organization's mission and how effective networking can open doors in social justice finance. 4. Advice for Aligning Finance and Values    - Balancing Financial Returns and Impact: Andrea offers insights on how to balance financial returns with impactful investments that align with your values. Learn strategies to ensure your financial decisions support both personal and societal goals. This episode is filled with practical tips, real-world examples, and inspiring insights. Don't miss out on Andrea Longton's journey and expert advice on merging financial returns with impactful, justice-driven investments.   Check out her website, podcast and Book the Social Justice Investor Bio: Andrea Longton is an award-winning author and professional social justice investor. She has raised over $1 billion for social justice investments in the United States and has advised on another $1.5 billion worldwide. In addition to her professional experience, Andrea manages her family's finances, including their own social justice investment portfolio. Her professional experiences include positions at Opportunity Finance Network, Freddie Mac, Capital Impact Partners (now Momentus Capital), and Delphos International. Andrea holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder designation from the CFA Institute (Charlottesville, VA), a BA from Centre College (Danville, KY), and an MA from The George Washington University (Washington, DC). Andrea is the founder and author-administrator of "The Social Justice Investor" website and cohost of "Renegade Capital: The Activist's Podcast for Finance and Investments." She lives in Maryland with her husband and three children  

April 11, 2024 Micha Josephy, Executive Director, Carolyn Edsell-Vetter, Program Director, and Johan Matthews, Ecosystem Strategy Manager of the Cooperative Fund of the Northeast (CFNE) discuss CFNE's initiatives and programs. As Executive Director, Micha Josephy is responsible for executive leadership, program development, capitalization, and operations. He first joined CFNE in 2010 as a Program Manager, helping raise grant and loan capital, managing compliance reporting, and new program development. Micha first joined the co-op movement as an Oberlin Student Cooperative Association member and later coordinated the development of Boston Community Cooperative's first housing co-op. He has a background in nonprofit financial management and community organizing. He has also participated in the Opportunity Finance Network's leadership training program. Carolyn Edsell-Vetter is the Program Director at CFNE. She joined CFNE in March 2019. As the Cooperative Business Support Officer, she works with Spanish- and English-speaking applicants and borrowers to assess project feasibility and connect with culturally appropriate technical assistance resources. Carolyn came to CFNE after 19 years with A Yard & A Half Landscaping near Boston, MA, where she led their conversion to a worker-owned co-op and served as co-CEO from 2014-2019. Carolyn serves on the board of the Cooperative Development Institute and has been involved in co-ops since living in a cooperative house in college. The daughter of a Cuban immigrant, Carolyn is particularly interested in using cooperatives to create social and economic justice for immigrants, BIPOC, and others who have faced structural barriers to bringing businesses to scale. Johan Matthews is the Ecosystem Strategy Manager at CFNE. In this role, Johan facilitates the development of equitable co-op ecosystems in emerging communities across the northeast. He also provides culturally informed technical assistance to ensure that communities traditionally excluded from economic investment can engage in cooperative enterprise. Johan joins CFNE after over a decade of collaborating with local leaders and institutions to design and implement community-based economic engagement strategies. CFNE's Mission is to work for economic, social, and racial justice by advancing community based, cooperative, and democratically owned or managed enterprises with a preference to assisting cooperatives in low-income communities.

Andrea Longton is an award-winning author and professional social justice investor. She has raised over 1 billion dollars for social justice investments in the United States and has advised on another 1.5 billion dollars worldwide. Andrea's new book is titled The Social Justice Investor: Advance Your Values while Building Wealth and will be released this month on April 23rd. Her professional experience includes positions at Opportunity Finance Network, Freddie Mac, Capital Impact Partners, which is now Momentus Capital, and Delphos International. Andrea holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation from the CFA Institute and has worked in structured finance investments, capital markets and change management.

LISA'S BIO Born and raised in Oregon, Lisa Mensah joined Oregon Community Foundation in September 2022, following an illustrious career that has taken her from working on rural poverty with the Ford Foundation to serving as an Under Secretary for Rural Development in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, managing a $215 billion loan portfolio, to most recently leading Opportunity Finance Network, the largest network of Treasury licensed Community Development Financial Institutions.  She serves on the Boards of Ecotrust, Feeding America, Fidelity Bank of Ghana, and Heritage and the Cultural Society of Africa (USA). She also serves as a member of the Advisory Committees of Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women and the Gaia Impact Fund.Lisa is widely considered an expert on access to capital in low-wealth communities and has frequently testified before Congress on the subject. The media and others look to her as a voice of authority on the CDFI industry, finance's role in social, economic, and racial justice, and the need for more equitable capital access across the country. Forbes recognized Ms. Mensah as one of five women who safeguarded America's small businesses throughout the pandemic. She holds an M.A. from Johns Hopkins University and B.A. from Harvard University.  “Bridging communities of wealth with communities of poverty, understanding of the coping economy” EPISODE OUTLINE (00:00) - Intro (00:38) - Bio (01:38) - The early days; Ghana, Oregon (02:19) - The power of purpose; bridging wealth and poverty (04:39) - Unsticking resources; power, inertia, and the "coping economy" (08:13) - Essential workers; lenses and x-rays into societal gaps (10:01) - Oregon Community Foundation; what it does with $3 billion (11:18) - Common ground v partisanship; some things transcend  (12:10) - Deserted island castaway; what's on the playlist on repeat (13:13) - Outro LISA RELATED LINKS Oregon Community Foundation Bringing Philanthropy Home Feeding America Fireside Chat: Lisa Mensah and NextDoor's Sarah Fryar This episode was edited by Phil Lepanto. GENERAL INFO| TOP OF THE GAME: Official website: https://topofthegame-thepod.com/ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/topofthegame-thepod/feed.xml Hosting service show website: https://topofthegame-thepod.podbean.com/ Javier's LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/javiersaade & Bio: https://tinyurl.com/36ufz6cs  SUPPORT & CONNECT: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/96934564 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551086203755 Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOPOFGAMEpod Subscribe on Podbean: https://www.podbean.com/site/podcatcher/index/blog/vLKLE1SKjf6G Email us: info@topofthegame-thepod.com    THANK YOU FOR LISTENING – AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PLATFORMS

Clearinghouse CDFI President/CEO Douglas Bystry discusses Organized Money: How Progressives Can Leverage the Financial System to Work for Them, Not Against Them  with the author Mark Pinsky—one of the nation's leading strategists and experts on CDFIs, and co-author of the book.

Is it even possible to center humanity in our work and our systems?  We have become numb to the fact that so many of our government policies, social programs, and even corporate cultures exist to serve every other purpose but our shared humanity.  They fail to acknowledge that humans are complex and that we can't compartmentalize inputs in order to get successful outputs. The solution is to become more developmentally informed to build systems and cultures that center humanity - while still being widely successful and profitable. My guest today talking about these big concepts as well as how they are relevant to the future of work is Michael O'Bryan. Mike shares what it means to be developmentally informed, what shared humanity means, and the real cost of dehumanization. He shares the difference between narrative and story and the influencers of human behavior. We discuss narrative intelligence and how the lack of it can lead to violence and racism like we saw in Buffalo, NY weeks ago. And how all of these concepts relate to the future of work and economic policies and systems. We go deep in this one, but I think you will love the conversation! Key Takeaways:You cannot have the wrong activities and produce the right outcomes. Diversity is a fact. Equity is a choice. Inclusion is an activity. Belongingness is an outcome.You tend to imagine more with pictures with the things that are close to you than the things that are distant from you.  It is to shape your children with narratives; it can take a minute to teach love or hate with an answer to a question.The narratives that you hear shape you. We have to be more critical about what we are hearing, understanding the bias of where those narratives are coming from, and what it is costing us.  “You have got to be cognizant of the fact that you will meet narratives and stories about groups of people before you ever meaningfully engage in a relationship with them.” Mike O'Bryan About Michael O'Bryan + Founder/CEO:Michael O'Bryan is a practitioner and researcher in the fields of community development, organizational culture, and human well-being. He is a Distinguished Resident Fellow at The Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation at Drexel University where he is building a research lab focused on the future of work, economic policies, and systems through the lens of developmental science and social equity. Michael is also the founder of Humanature, a design strategy firm working with a mission of supporting organizations and leaders in centering humanity in the context of their work. Past and current clients include NeighborWorks America, The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, New Jersey Community Capital, Strada Education Network, The Opportunity Finance Network, and The United Negro College Fund. Michael has spoken about his work at such venues as Cornell University's Institute on Employment and Disability, SOCAP, and the Apollo Theater in New York. He is on faculty in Career Studies at the Curtis Institute of Music, a lecturer in city planning at the University of Pennsylvania's Stuart Weitzman School of Design, and most recently served on the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Commission on the Arts. Michael also serves on the boards of two philanthropic institutions in Philadelphia: the Samuel S. Fels Fund and the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.Connect with Michael O'BryanWebsite: https://www.humanature.works/Twitter: https://twitter.com/MisticQuestLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeobryan613/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.obryan25/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/books_and_ish/Empathy Lab: https://www.empathylab.works/Resources Mentioned:Heather Hiscox interview on The Empathy Edge: The Surprising Empathy Gap in Social Impact That Hinders ChangeThe Possibility ProjectOzark on NetflixSeverance on Apple TVJames Ehrlich interview on The Empathy Edge: The Neighborhood of the Future is HereThe Social Instinct: How Cooperation Shaped the World by Nichola RaihaniTeddy Roosevelt Speech: On American Motherhood: https://www.bartleby.com/268/10/29.html   Don't forget to download your free guide! Discover The 5 Business Benefits of Empathy: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy  Connect with Maria: Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.comLearn more about Maria's brand strategy work and books: Red-Slice.comHire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-RossTake my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with EmpathyLinkedIn: Maria RossInstagram: @redslicemariaTwitter: @redsliceFacebook: Red Slice

Is it even possible to center humanity in our work and our systems?  We have become numb to the fact that so many of our government policies, social programs, and even corporate cultures exist to serve every other purpose but our shared humanity.  They fail to acknowledge that humans are complex and that we can't compartmentalize inputs in order to get successful outputs. The solution is to become more developmentally informed to build systems and cultures that center humanity - while still being widely successful and profitable. My guest today talking about these big concepts as well as how they are relevant to the future of work is Michael O'Bryan. Mike shares what it means to be developmentally informed, what shared humanity means, and the real cost of dehumanization. He shares the difference between narrative and story and the influencers of human behavior. We discuss narrative intelligence and how the lack of it can lead to violence and racism like we saw in Buffalo, NY weeks ago. And how all of these concepts relate to the future of work and economic policies and systems. We go deep in this one, but I think you will love the conversation! Key Takeaways:You cannot have the wrong activities and produce the right outcomes. Diversity is a fact. Equity is a choice. Inclusion is an activity. Belongingness is an outcome.You tend to imagine more with pictures with the things that are close to you than the things that are distant from you.  It is to shape your children with narratives; it can take a minute to teach love or hate with an answer to a question.The narratives that you hear shape you. We have to be more critical about what we are hearing, understanding the bias of where those narratives are coming from, and what it is costing us.  “You have got to be cognizant of the fact that you will meet narratives and stories about groups of people before you ever meaningfully engage in a relationship with them.” Mike O'Bryan About Michael O'Bryan + Founder/CEO:Michael O'Bryan is a practitioner and researcher in the fields of community development, organizational culture, and human well-being. He is a Distinguished Resident Fellow at The Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation at Drexel University where he is building a research lab focused on the future of work, economic policies, and systems through the lens of developmental science and social equity. Michael is also the founder of Humanature, a design strategy firm working with a mission of supporting organizations and leaders in centering humanity in the context of their work. Past and current clients include NeighborWorks America, The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, New Jersey Community Capital, Strada Education Network, The Opportunity Finance Network, and The United Negro College Fund. Michael has spoken about his work at such venues as Cornell University's Institute on Employment and Disability, SOCAP, and the Apollo Theater in New York. He is on faculty in Career Studies at the Curtis Institute of Music, a lecturer in city planning at the University of Pennsylvania's Stuart Weitzman School of Design, and most recently served on the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Commission on the Arts. Michael also serves on the boards of two philanthropic institutions in Philadelphia: the Samuel S. Fels Fund and the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.Connect with Michael O'BryanWebsite: https://www.humanature.works/Twitter: https://twitter.com/MisticQuestLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeobryan613/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.obryan25/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/books_and_ish/Empathy Lab: https://www.empathylab.works/Resources Mentioned:Heather Hiscox interview on The Empathy Edge: The Surprising Empathy Gap in Social Impact That Hinders ChangeThe Possibility ProjectOzark on NetflixSeverance on Apple TVJames Ehrlich interview on The Empathy Edge: The Neighborhood of the Future is HereThe Social Instinct: How Cooperation Shaped the World by Nichola RaihaniTeddy Roosevelt Speech: On American Motherhood: https://www.bartleby.com/268/10/29.html   Don't forget to download your free guide! Discover The 5 Business Benefits of Empathy: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy  Connect with Maria: Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.comLearn more about Maria's brand strategy work and books: Red-Slice.comHire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-RossTake my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with EmpathyLinkedIn: Maria RossInstagram: @redslicemariaTwitter: @redsliceFacebook: Red Slice

January 27, 2022 Co-op advocate and Author Clifford N. Rosenthal discusses the role CDFIs play in the development of co-ops, and his book "Democratizing Finance: Origins of the Community Development Financial Institutions Movement." Clifford N. Rosenthal is a nationally and internationally recognized innovator, advocate, and developer of programs to provide financial access for low-income and underserved people. He joined the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions in 1980 and served as its president and CEO for more than thirty years. He also co-founded the national Coalition of CDFIs, and served in its leadership for two decades. Throughout his career Clifford has developed food cooperatives for Native American and migrant farmworker organizations, and written manuals, monographs and articles on community development finance, credit unions, and savings to preserve the knowledge he attained. In 2018 he released Democratizing Finance: Origins of the Community Development Financial Institutions Movement. He has received the highest honors of the National Credit Union Foundation and the Opportunity Finance Network, as well as the Lawyers Alliance of New York City and the Insight Center for Community Economic Development. The Clifford N. Rosenthal Community Center in the St. Claude community of the Upper Ninth Ward of New Orleans honors his assistance in helping the ASI Federal Credit Union recover from Hurricane Katrina. He was inducted into the African American Credit Union Hall of Fame in 2019, the first non-African American so honored.

On this episode of More Than Profit, Bryce talks with Betsy Biemann, CEO of Coastal Enterprises Inc., a nationally-known community development financial institution founded in 1977 that works to grow good jobs, green enterprises, and shared prosperity in Maine and rural regions across the U.S. Bryce and Betsy discuss the seven elements that make up a "good job" and who is responsible for creating those jobs. In addition, they discuss the relationship between capital and justice, the impacts of globalization and technology on workers, the differences between rural and urban CDFIs, and the importance of childcare to a functioning economy. Betsy is a graduate of both Harvard and Princeton Universities and is the Vice-Chair of the Opportunity Finance Network and serves as the Treasurer of both the New Growth Innovation Network and the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation. She dedicated her life to impact-minded work at organizations including the Rockefeller Foundation, The Synergos Institute, Main Technology Institute, and The Aspen Institute. Learn more on this episode of More Than Profit, The Need for Good Jobs with Betsy Biemann. Check out the living wage calculator to estimate the cost of living in your community or region based on typical expenses More Than Profit is a podcast from Access Ventures and is produced by Render. Host: Bryce Butler Executive Producer: Tim Harris Associate Producer, Recording, Editing: Per Nordgren Graphic Design: Olivia Allison Social Media: Per Nordgren

Lisa Mensah is President and CEO of Opportunity Finance Network (OFN), the nation's the leading network of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). Under her leadership, OFN helps CDFIs leverage public funding and private investment to bring affordable, responsible capital to rural, urban, and Native communities underserved by mainstream finance. Since joining OFN in 2017, Mensah has attracted new visibility and investment to the CDFI field through programs like the Grow with Google Small Business Fund and OFN's Finance Justice Fund, a $1 billion socially responsible investment with Twitter as the Fund's first investor. Widely considered an expert on access to capital in low-wealth communities, Mensah frequently testifies before Congress. And recently, Forbes and Morning Joe recognized her as one of five women safeguarding America's small businesses.

Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) were created to deliver responsible, affordable lending to help low-income, low-wealth and other disadvantaged people and communities join the economic mainstream. CDFIs can't do this work alone. They are your partners in community development, not your competition! CDFIs make loans that you can't make due to regulatory constraints, which makes them excellent partners. Reach out to your local CDFI and consider the vast array of partnership opportunities, including:• Instituting a loan referral program (formal or informal arrangements)• Serving on a loan approval or fundraising committee• Helping CDFIs refine their loan underwriting policies and procedures• Developing secondary market vehicles or programs• Assisting in marketing financial services, including the development of advertising and promotions• Co-collaborating on publications, workshops and conferences• Assisting a CDFI in securing a new loan origination system• Providing loan servicing for free or a reduced rate • Providing merchant services or other banking services• Partnering on a New Markets Tax Credit ProjectQuotes• “Community Development Financial Institutions or CDFIs are well-positioned to aid in COVID recovery in partnership with banks. There are so many different ways that banks can partner with CDFIs to do innovative work and to deploy capital in disadvantaged communities.” (1:12-1:32)• “[Referrals] are a very, very key way that you can partner with a CDFI to the extent that you can't extend a loan to a small business, for example, but with proper permission can refer it to a CDFI. You get to keep the deposits and the relationship, then hopefully the CDFI will serve the small business by building their acumen and financial skills and then allowing them to access credit, so that eventually they'll come back to the bank when they are bankable.” (2:09-2:43)LinksCDFI Fund: https://www.cdfifund.gov/Opportunity Finance Network: https://ofn.org/CRA Today Website: https://cratoday.com/ For more information on the CRA Hub, a membership for bankers to connect, inspire, and master the art of CRA: https://cratoday.com/hub/ Copyright © 2021 by CRA Today LLC(No claim to original U.S. government material)All rights reserved. No part of this podcast may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the author and publisher.This podcast is a periodic publication of CRA Today LLC and is intended to notify and inspire recipients of new developments in the Community Reinvestment Act. It should not be construed as legal advice or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own attorney concerning your situation and specific legal questions you have.Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing: https://meetfireside.com/podcast-production-service/

Lisa Mensah, CEO and President of the Opportunity Finance Network, joins Monique to reflect on our newest federal holiday, the sudden widespread interest -- or should we say investment -- in community lending, and today's opportunity for a just Reconstruction. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/impact-alpha/message

Lisa Mensah, CEO and President of the Opportunity Finance Network, joins Monique to reflect on our newest federal holiday, the sudden widespread interest -- or should we say investment -- in community lending, and today's opportunity for a just Reconstruction. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/impact-alpha-briefing/message

Building on the previous episodes on power and leadership, in this episode I examine the place of institutions in organizing, discussing what is an institution, what makes for a healthy institution, how and why institutions are central to the kind of place-based, relationally driven democratic politics organizing undertakes, and why without them the individual is left naked before the power of the market and the state. Also reflected on is a key rule of organizing, which is that all organizing is in the first instance disorganizing.GuestsMartin Trimble is Co-Director of the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF).  He is directly responsible for the IAF's organizing work east of the Mississippi River. He has organized for 25 years with IAF affiliates in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Washington D.C., Virginia, and North Carolina.  Prior to organizing with the IAF, Martin was the founding director of Opportunity Finance Network which supports and provides standards for financial institutions that invest in affordable housing and community development work nationwide.Rev Patrick O'Connor grew up and received his theological education in the West Indies. He is currently the lead pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, a multicultural congregation in the Presbytery of New York City. He has served this congregation since 1992. Under his leadership, First Presbyterian is involved in the development of the “Tree of Life” a $74 million dollar affordable “mixed income” housing development that includes a community space and a health care facility. His leadership extends beyond the congregation to the Presbytery of New York City and the General Assembly of his denomination.  And he is Co-Chair of the Metro IAF Leadership team, Chairman of Queens Power, a Director of the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, and Chairman of First Jamaica Community and Urban Development Corporation and a member of the board of Trustee for the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Resources for Going DeeperMichael Gecan, Effective Organizing for Congregational Renewal (Skokie, IL: ACTA Publications, 2008). Good introduction to organizing and how to use organizing as part of congregational development and institutional renewal; Harry Boyte, Civic Agency and the Cult of the Expert (New York: Kettering Foundation, 2009). A clear-eyed reflection on how to re-imagine institutions that serve the needs of their members, build up the ability of people to act together to achieve public work, and the need to dethrone what Boyte calls “the cult of the expert.” Free to download: https://www.kettering.org/sites/default/files/product-downloads/Civic_Agency_Cult_Expert.pdfIvan Illich, Tools for Conviviality (Marion Boyars Publishers, 2001); Sheldon Wolin, “Contract and Birthright,” The Presence of the Past: Essays on the State and the Constitution.(Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1989), Chapter 8; Hugh Heclo, On Thinking Institutionally (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011); Lee Staples, “‘Keeping it all together: Organizational Development and Maintenance,” Roots to Power: A Manual For Grassroots Organizing, 3rd edn (Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2016), 221-263.

In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were grateful to interview Badger alumni, Jamal Habibi, who was appointed by President Biden to be the Chief of Staff of the Rural Housing Service at the US Department of Agriculture. Jamal is a 2011 Badger grad who majored in Political Science and Languages and Cultures of Asia. Prior to his current position, Jamal worked as a Senior Associate at the Opportunity Finance Network and held executive positions at Discovery Inc. and the US Department of Treasury. We asked Jamal about his time on campus and he shared with us his career pathway to his new leadership role at the Department of Agriculture.

On today's episode of Capital for Good we speak with Lisa Afua Serwah Mensah, the President and CEO of Opportunity Finance Network, and one of the country's leaders, and leading voices and visionaries, in the field of community and economic development. As President and CEO of Opportunity Finance Network (OFN), the nation's leading network of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), Mensah expands sources of capital and provides greater visibility for CDFIs. Under her leadership, OFN helps CDFIs leverage public funding with private investment from mainstream financial institutions, socially responsible investors, and philanthropic partners in distressed communities across the United States. Mensah joined OFN in March 2017. In 2014, Mensah was nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the US Senate for the position of Under Secretary for Agriculture for Rural Development, where she managed a loan portfolio of $215 billion and directed annual investments of $30 billion in critical infrastructure for rural America.  Before this, Mensah was the founding Executive Director of the Initiative on Financial Security at The Aspen Institute.  Mensah began her career in commercial banking at Citibank, after which she joined the Ford Foundation to manage the country's largest philanthropic grant and loan portfolio of investments in rural America.  She holds an M.A. from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of The Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. from Harvard University. We spoke with Mensah at the start of this new year, only days after the attack on the Capitol, and before the inauguration of the Biden-Harris Administration.  In our conversation, we explore the world of community development finance institutions (CDFIs)– their rich history, diversity, and critical role as “financial first responders” during the COVID-19 crisis.  Mensah helps us understand how CDFIs blend traditional banking and financial tools with “a good measure of heart” in the form of patient and flexible capital, technical assistance, and deep community knowledge, making them particularly well suited to meet this moment.  In addition to traditional sources of public sector and philanthropic support, we learn how new sources of capital, including corporate investment, from the likes of Google, Twitter, and others, are making real these companies' commitments to stakeholder capitalism and helping OFN and CDFIs “finance justice.”  We end on a bright note, discussing the resources for CDFIs in the December stimulus, and more broadly ways in which the new administration can support CDFIs to “finance hope” and help struggling communities across the United States build back stronger.   Mentioned in this Episode: Opportunity Finance Network's 2020 Conference Finance Justice Nov 9-12 2020 Opportunity Finance Network's Finance Justice Fund Opportunity Finance Network and Google partnership: Grow with Google Small Business Fund and org grants The December 2020 federal stimulus, or the Bipartisan-Bicameral Omnibus COVID Relief Deal. A summary of the CDFI provisions is here and further information about CDFIs and PPP is here.   Thanks for Listening! Be sure to subscribe on Apple, Google, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And feel free to drop us a line at socialenterprise@gsb.columbia.edu. Follow the Tamer Center on social media on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more!

Hello Everyone and welcome to another great episode of the JOY of Financial Planning podcast. The topics of this podcast are a compliment to the book JOY of Financial Planning, available in stores including Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com JOY of Financial Planning is about the belief that we can overcome the unique economic, and life challenges we face as a generation, by first getting our financial house in order. In fact, we have, no other choice. Now more than ever, we must grow our wealth, follow our passions, live with compassion and find a way to achieve a personalized version of the American Dream. This episode is part of a series of recorded “Zoominars” from my Jason Howell Company YouTube channel; that's where you'll find the video versions. In my business life, my wealth management firm collaborates with many experts; together we transform regular investors into patriarchs and matriarchs of their families and their communities. This episode features some of that expertise. Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) are America's best keep secret. From Appalachia to California to Detroit and beyond, CDFI's are making a financial difference. Join Andrea Longton, CFA of the Opportunity Finance Network (OFN.org) and The Social Justice Investor (TheSocialJusticeInvestor.com) as we discuss: how CDFIs are funded, how many CDFIs there are, how to fill gaps in housing, jobs and healthcare! Andrea answers the following questions: What are “Community Development Finance Institutions?” What is the Opportunity Finance Network? How are CDFIs funded? How many are there? How do the results of CDFIs differ from “Opportunity Zones” What is “Finance Justice” Please send your feedback to Jason@JasonHowell.com and give this episode a rating, especially on Apple Podcasts, if, that's the kind of thing you do. For more about my unique brand of family wealth management, just go to JasonHowell.com Links: Andrea Longton, CFA®: Linkedin Opportunity Finance Network: https://ofn.org/ The Social Justice Investor: https://thesocialjusticeinvestor.com/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/jasonhowell Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/JoyofFinancialPlanning/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGm8ggXF11D4cbA4vWye3Ng/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JasonHowellCo Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonhowell Company Website: https://www.JasonHowell.com

In this episode, we talk with Lisa Mensah, President and CEO of the Opportunity Finance Network about "finance justice."  We talk about how the struggle for justice in our country has much to do with money.  We talk about the work of CDFIs (Community Develop Financial Institutions) and the role that they play in fostering economic justice in some of our nation's most challenged and disinvested communities.  She offers a vision for a path forward and celebrates and encourages participation with some unlikely partners. (Special music credit in this episode goes to Peter Collins. Listen to more on Spotify.)

Clearinghouse CDFI President/CEO Douglas Bystry discusses the birth of the CDFI industry and its evolution over the decades with Mark Pinsky—one of the nation’s leading strategists and experts on CDFIs, and co-author of the book Organized Money: How Progressives Can Leverage the Financial System to Work for Them, Not Against Them.

Micha and Vernon discuss how the Cooperative Fund of New England (CFNE) uses its expertise to address racial inequities in financial institutions, by providing technical assistance, instituting standardized policies that account for racial biases; and partnering with other community organizations to deliver services. As Executive Director, Micha is responsible for executive leadership, program development, capitalization, and operations. He first joined CFNE in 2010 as a Program Manager, helping raise grant and loan capital, managing compliance reporting, and new program development. Micha's co-op involvement goes back to his undergraduate membership in the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association. He has a background in nonprofit financial management and community organizing, and holds a BA in environmental studies from Oberlin College and an MS in Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University. He has also participated in the Opportunity Finance Network's leadership training program. CFNE is a certified CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution), founded in 1975 to work for economic, social, and racial justice by advancing community based, cooperative, and democratically owned or managed enterprises with a preference to assisting cooperatives in low-income communities. CFNE has disbursed $66 million in flexible financing and delivered customized technical assistance to emerging and established cooperatives across the region, of which 75% are still in business. This has created or preserved thousands of jobs and affordable housing units and over 100,000 cooperative ownership opportunities largely in low and moderate income communities. CFNE serves New England and parts of New York.

Join Cinnaire CSO Jim Peffley and longtime CDFI industry leaders Adina Abramowitz and Mark Pinsky for this extremely relevant discussion on the COVID 19 pandemic and early thoughts regarding how it is impacting the affordable housing and community development industries. Jim, Adina and Mark discuss the latest developments and share perspective on: Strategies on how CDFIs should communicate and lead through this rapidly evolving situation. Areas of our work that will be impacted most significantly near term and long term. How the current financial crisis is similar to 2008 and how CDFIs are in a position of strength to respond now. Insight on how funding providers to CDFIs – banks and foundations – are preparing to respond. How we as CDFIs can band together to support our communities and partners through this time of uncertainty and turmoil. Listen to this up-to-the-minute discussion, (recorded March 23, 2020,) on managing through these critical issues facing the affordable housing and community development industries. Adina Abramowitz has been a leader of a CDFI and helped develop the Opportunity Finance Network trade association for CDFIs. Mark Pinsky is a strategist, author, and advisor on public purpose finance and was previously CEO of OFN. Together, Mark and Adina founded CDFI Friendly America and both consult with CDFIs nationally. You can contact Adina Abramowitz at adina@consultingforchange.com and Mark Pinsky at markpinsky@gmail.com.

CDFIs strive to deploy capital where it is most needed.  Nevertheless, a lot of smaller and midsize cities are left without a CDFI to serve them, even as larger CDFIs seek to continue to grow their markets.  After observing this gap, Mark Pinsky, former CEO of the Opportunity Finance Network, decided to develop a solution.  […]

CDFIs strive to deploy capital where it is most needed.  Nevertheless, a lot of smaller and midsize cities are left without a CDFI to serve them, even as larger CDFIs seek to continue to grow their markets.  After observing this gap, Mark Pinsky, former CEO of the Opportunity Finance Network, decided to develop a solution.  […]

CDFIs strive to deploy capital where it is most needed.  Nevertheless, a lot of smaller and midsize cities are left without a CDFI to serve them, even as larger CDFIs seek to continue to grow their markets.  After observing this gap, Mark Pinsky, former CEO of the Opportunity Finance Network, decided to develop a solution.  […]

Each month, Cinnaire’s Advancing Communities Podcast brings together our Chief Strategy Officer Jim Peffley with thought leaders, policy makers and others who are making an impact in the community development and affordable housing industries. Our guests share their experiences and perspective on a  range of topics, each supporting the belief that all people deserve the opportunities provided by living in healthy communities. In this episode, Jim sits down with Adina Abramowitz, founder of Consulting for Change and a pioneer and recognized leader in the CDFI industry. Adina consults with CDFIs nationwide and served with Opportunity Finance Network, guiding the organization’s strategy to develop CDFI growth. In this wide-ranging conversation, Adina discusses CDFIs as a tool to bring about social justice in housing and communities, the role they play as a correction to capital markets and the challenges they face going forward. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @Cinnaire. Thanks for listening!

Background and basics about CDFIs - their history, what they are, who they serve, and how anyone might be able to use a CDFI

Community development financial institutions or otherwise known as CDFIs are powerful tools that are an important player within the continuum of credit spectrum to strategically deploy capital within disadvantaged communities. CDFIs partner with banks and other community development entities to realize the power of partnerships to realize impact. In this podcast, Mark Pinsky shares a few stories of his CDFI journey and will share his new CDFI Friendly Cities initiative and his deep thoughts about community development. Mark will share his insights on how communities gain access to valuable and financing for small business, commercial real estate and housing and how you facilitate and lower the costs for CDFIs to expand their coverage and increase their financing activity into new, underserved CDFI markets. He will also share how CDFI investors expand opportunities and attract new investors who have previously lacked knowledge of and opportunities to invest in CDFIs. Join us on a CDFI journey to transform communities through the power of economic development and the Community Reinvestment Act. Get ready for a fun and meaningful listen! A few highlights and links to explore: Mark Pinsky https://moneypluspurpose.com/about/Opportunity Finance Network https://ofn.org/Chuck Matthei, Equity Trust http://equitytrust.org/chuck-matthei/Cheers! Linda

Terrence Clark heads the New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council, one of the 23 councils within the National Minority Supplier Development Council network. The Council brings together more than 900 certified minority owned businesses and more than 120 corporate members for new business opportunities. He has dedicated his 30 year career to helping entrepreneurs, minority owned businesses, and small business enterprises to grow and prosper. Guest Biography As President and CEO, Terrence Clark provides operational oversight and carries out full management and operational responsibilities for Council staff, including personnel, administration, work delegation and performance evaluations. He also provides supervision and direction related to programs and activities in the Council’s market areas – the State of New York and New Jersey up to the Trenton area. Prior to this position, he served as vice president of Entrepreneurship and Business Development for the National Urban League. He also served as senior vice president of Knowledge Sharing for Opportunity Finance Network, where he was responsible for the management consulting, training and annual conference lines of business for community development financial institutions nationwide. Clark was executive director of the 47th Street Business Improvement District for nine years assisting the 2,600 business owners in New York’s Diamond District in improving economic conditions in the district and marketing its services to a wider client base. He was also executive director of Manhattan Minority Business Development Center, Bronx Small Business Development Center and the Pace University Minority and Women Business Development Center. Clark began his career with the United States Small Business Administration, where he served as assistant district director for Management Assistance. He graduated from Hunter College with a bachelor’s in Economics. Links New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council Connect with the Council on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram Connect with Terrence on LinkedIn In this episode, you will learn: How the New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council works to help minority owned businesses. How businesses that grow can create jobs, lift communities, and build the economy. What it takes for businesses owners to succeed and pitfalls to avoid. Thanks for Listening! To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Share this show on Twitter or Facebook. To help out the show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help, and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes. Special thanks to Jim Kimo West for the music. Until next time!

Building communities up through a lending network started during the Civil Rights Movement. Nancy Santiago Negrón of the Opportunity Finance Network shares why it took three calls from the White House for her to join the Women's Bureau at the Dept. of Labor and what her current organization is doing to help grow underserved communities.

In the social enterprise sector, community development financial institutions have become important vehicles for advancing the well-being of communities through market-based mechanisms. In this audio interview with Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Sheela Sethuraman, CEO Mark Pinsky talks about what his organization, the Opportunity Finance Network, does to support such institutions in improving people's lives in urban, rural, and reservation-based markets. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/mark_pinsky_-_social_enterprise_and_community_development

Lina Page, Executive Vice President of Strategic Communications for Opportunity Finance Network (OFN), and Marcia Stein, Managing Director of Communications for AEO, discuss some of the nuts and bolts of rebranding. Ms. Page also provides an overview of the work that has been done to recreate OFN's brand as an organization, along with the overall brand for the opportunity finance industry.To learn more about Opportunity Finance Network, go to http://www.opportunityfinance.net/To listen to this podcast, click here.