Hello friends!
We created this CDFI Connect Community as a platform for sharing information, cross-pollination of ideas, and organization around the topics of clean energy, efficiency, and climate resilience. Several overlapping groups wanted to be able to share their ongoing conversations and bring in new ideas and new voices. Participants will be able to find background documents, ask questions, and collaborate around events and shared goals.
While this CDFI Community is currently by invitation-only, we hope members will recruit other others who working to build a resilient future to participate. You'll notice posts from people who have been working together in some specific issue areas:
- The Commercial Energy Lenders (focused on financial products, underwriting, and lending specifics)
- Sustainability in Affordable Housing Lender Learning Network (SAHLLN) – mostly multifamily
- Climate Crisis CDFI working group
- Precovery Labs screening framework
Here's how the Connect Community is set up:
- Discussions
- This is where you can pose a question for discussion, reply to discussions, and participate in the conversation.
- We encourage you to label the subject line of your posts for easy reading. Examples:
[CLIMATE CRISIS] How can banks get CRA credit for climate crisis response?
[LOANS] Do you require appraisals for small rooftop solar loans?
- We encourage discussion related to financing, portfolio risk, and technical assistance to borrowers and members. This might include clean energy loan products, ways to alleviate energy poverty, and advance climate justice. We'll focus on topics of CDFI practices, policies, and programs. We aim to maintain a conversation tone that is authentic, personal, professional, collegial, respectful and understanding.
- Should there be an instance where you want to post a question to the community anonymously, directly message Hannah Vargason, Melissa Malkin-Weber or John Egan.
- Library
- Resources have been uploaded into the library and we encourage all community members to share files here as well. A CDFI Connect User Manual has been uploaded to help you understand the features within the community.
- Calendar
- This is the shared calendar for the community. Look here to find out about events upcoming that address clean energy and climate resilience broadly. We will also share sessions of interest at conferences often attended by CDFI Industry representatives.
- Directory
- This is the directory of all Community members. You've been added to this OFN Community because you have attended an OFN conference session on resilience and/or have expressed interest in resilience, climate crisis, energy, or related topic. Look here to find contact information or send a message directly to someone.
- This CDFI Community is currently by invitation-only, and includes folks from partner organizations that are not CDFIs. As a member, you will have the ability to invite and add new members by clicking the "Settings" icon and following instructions. To add a new member, the individual will need to be your contact within CDFI Connect. If you have any questions about adding new community member, please let me know.