Resilient Communities Through Collaboration + Investment

Access to finance means access to opportunity.

The ripple effect of CFE’s financial investments and business expertise is felt across neighborhoods and across generations. We are in it for the long haul — helping local residents remain in their homes, affordable housing developers save money on green energy, and small business owners and community organizations grow. We also serve in the critical role of financial first responder, working alongside local government agencies to deploy relief funds to small businesses, enabling them to pivot in the face of COVID-19.

View CFE’s 2020 Impact Report

The Impact of the Equitable Growth Fund, 2019-2021

$17.2 million

invested in Areas of Economic Distress

22,310

community beneficiaries (e.g., health clinic patients, childcare slots)

1,072

housing units created or preserved, benefiting 2,278 people

34 loans and $14.6 million

to Latinx- and African-American/Black-led businesses

$9 million

invested in 14 women-led businesses

864 jobs

created and/or retained

$10.4 million

invested through 19 loans in DC Wards 7 and 8

“CFE, in its support of mission-driven enterprises across the District like my family’s (Lamont Homes), truly lives up to its name. Not only did CFE provide us with access to the capital we needed to improve our facilities and the quality of life for our residents, it also coached us every step of the way to ensure we had a stronger and more sustainable business upon loan execution. Lamont Homes’ ambition to provide safe and supportive residential care to DC’s most vulnerable residents has been significantly fortified by the opportunity afforded to us by CFE. In that way, they really have put our city first.”

– Paul Harris, Jr., Board Member, Lamont Homes

The Impact of Managed Grants, 2020-2021

  • 3,195 applications processed
  • $44 million disbursed
  • 2,300 housing units preserved through funding 223 small housing providers
  • 4,000 tenants retained housing
  • 2,155 small businesses funded
  • 752 majority women-owned businesses received $8.1 million
  • 426 minority-owned businesses received $15.3 million
  • 103 small businesses funded in DC Wards 7 and 8
  • About 24,000 jobs retained or created

 

Learn more about investing

Annual Impact Reports

Highlights from 2021 coming soon

Highlights from 2020

This Is CFE: Immigrant Entrepreneurship

Described by locals as a hidden gem, La Cabaña is a family restaurant serving authentic Mexican food in the Dundalk neighborhood of Baltimore. The restaurant was opened in 2016 by the husband-wife team of Oscar and Lucia Rodriguez Hilario, who have 19+ combined years of experience in the restaurant industry. CFE’s commercial loan to La Cabaña allowed them to purchase the premises, saving $600 a month compared to their long-term lease — and allowing them to build equity.