Local economies across the United States are feeling the pressure of the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. What was billed as a strategy to protect American jobs and industries has instead created higher costs for producers and consumers and new barriers for small businesses that are already operating on razor-thin margins.

The recent tariffs have raised the cost of many essential imports. Duties on Chinese goods now reach as high as 145 percent, while steel and aluminum imports face rates of up to 50 percent. This means small businesses are paying significantly more for raw materials, packaging, and finished products. The effective U.S. tariff rate is now nearly 19 percent, the highest in more than 90 years.

For returning citizens—individuals reentering society after incarceration—access to capital remains one of the biggest barriers to stability and success. By aligning CDFI programs with public-sector initiatives, communities can multiply the impact of their efforts and ensure broader, more sustainable success for returning citizens.

With agreements between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF)-awardees finally in place, it is time for CDFIs planning to participate by identifying environmental projects in their pipelines and in their markets.
The Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA) and the National Clean Investment Fund (NCIF) have different requirements for what types of projects can receive GGRF funding. So, we asked our GGRF researcher, Nathan Lesch, to summarize the different requirements. We hope it is helpful!

Given the complex interplay between GGRF programs, awardees, and the CDFI industry we have created a variety of resources to improve our understanding of the program. These concise and useful resources are organized, reference-style below.

Our Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF)-researcher, Nathan Lesch, has attended a variety of GGRF-related events in the last several weeks. During those events, he observed that many experts and practitioners in the community development field have expressed concerns about complying with the Davis-Bacon Act, the Justice40 initiative, and the Build America, Buy America Act, as GGRF requires. This blog post is meant to shed a bit of light onto these regulations. 

CDFI Friendly America’s New, Free Online Tool Spotlights CDFI Growth Opportunities & Identifies ‘CDFI Deserts’

Mark Pinsky is the President and Founder of CDFI Friendly America (CFA). Prior to forming CDFI Friendly America, with Adina Abramowitz, his late business partner, Mark served as the President & CEO of Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) for 21 years.

The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) is a $27 billion program created by the Inflation Reduction Act and administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, target benefits to low-income and disadvantaged communities, and mobilize financing for clean energy projects.