Join Working Solutions CDFI, Community Vision, and CDFI industry leader Cliff Rosenthal for a preview of Cliff’s upcoming book, CDFIs Rising, and a strategic discussion on the current state of the field.

Cliff Rosenthal is the author of Democratizing Finance and Community Capital, which together offer a comprehensive history of the CDFI movement through 2016. His upcoming third volume, CDFIs Rising, will cover the years 2016-2024, including the role of CDFIs during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

CDFIs Rising draws on Rosenthal’s interviews with dozens of CDFI leaders across all sectors of the community development financial institutions movement, including loan funds, credit unions, and venture funds; intermediaries; funders; banks; impact investors; and regulators. He will describe the impact of the various federal programs—PPP, RRP, ERP, and ECIP—and invite discussion on the state of the field as it faces a period of adversity.

Rosenthal, a cofounder of the CDFI movement, served as president and CEO of the community development credit union federation, now known as Inclusiv, from 1983-2012. He was inducted into the national Cooperative Hall of Fame in October 2024 and has been similarly honored by the African-American Credit Union Coalition, the Opportunity Finance Network (Gramlich Award), the National Credit Union Foundation, and the Insight Center for Community Economic Development.

This event is co-hosted by Working Solutions CDFI and Communty Vision.