The CDFI Market Map shows CDFIs, local officials, and investors where many opportunities are for CDFI expansion and growth. This map identifies 1,292 places, 714 counties, 255 metro areas, and 9 states that are CDFI deserts.

Communities Unlimited connects rural Americans to solutions that sustain healthy businesses, healthy communities, and healthy lives. This feature on Linden, Texas, details their efforts to revitalize downtown, fix infrastructure, and plan for future growth.

To help policymakers understand the economic value of CDFIs in their area, the Urban Institute has calculated the total CDFI investment for each congressional district and state in the country.

Sometimes officials ask, “What should we do first?” or “What are the 10 things we should do?” Becky McCray offers ten steps.

Texas Rural Funders presented as part of this series of lightning talks at the Future of Texas Rural Symposium, where speakers discussed how rural Texas towns can seek out grants and philanthropy to improve their communities.

A budding success story in East Texas offers lessons for other underserved rural regions, philanthropies interested in rural revitalization, and CDFIs pursuing pathways to better engage and serve rural communities.

Data dashboard compiling high-level, summary information about calls made to Texas 2-1-1, a statewide resource hotline that connects Texans to critical, community-based services like housing, healthcare, mental health support, food assistance, and more.

This new resource from Texas Rural Funders offers an introduction to Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI). It includes an overview of how they care serve as a financial tool, examples of how TX Rural Funders members are collaborating with them and a directory of CDFIs in Texas.

Online library of how-to guides for organizational capacity building, public policy briefs, commissioned research on health in South Texas, and more.

Searchable and sortable library of research and articles aimed at deeping our our collective understanding of health inequities.

Jim Reiff completed the Federal Reserve’s Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Survey this summer. The survey results show that his experiences mirror what other CDFIs across the country have faced.

The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) has announced its inaugural cohort of 65 fellows and host communities, including two in East Texas. 

Steady State Impact Strategies can help any organization find critical leverage points, advise senior leaders, and build strategies and infrastructure leading to improved organizational effectiveness.

PeopleFund creates economic opportunity and financial stability for underserved people and communities by providing access to capital, education, and resources to build healthy small businesses. Read their annual report.

Thrive, not just survive, animates development work in East Texas, where a local family foundation, T.L.L. Temple, and a community development financial institution, Communities Unlimited, are teaming to develop bottom-up structural solutions to building rural capacity.

This article highlights 5 questions for family foundations to consider while crafting a strategic plan, and features TRF Member, Hogg Foundation.

For community colleges to reach their full potential as drivers of prosperity and equity, states must create strong, stable, coherent finance systems that enable and incentivize colleges to better meet pressing state interests and student needs.

It remains a priority to strengthen the capacity of rural communities to compete for federal funds and build the mechanisms and technical expertise they require to secure and manage federal awards.

Tool from the U.S. Department of Agriculture features Rural Investment Dashboards to expand access to Rural Development financial data, highlighting Rural Development investments for people in rural America.

Rural capacity map identifying communities where investments in staffing and expertise are needed to support infrastructure and climate resilience projects.

Opening remarks from the 2022 Investing in Rural America Conference highlighting important ways to build rural capacity, including: helping communities write grants, creating pools of match funding, and building local capacity.