Wells Fargo BCNA Check

  
This summer we and our fellow Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) , have been busy advocating at all levels of government for continued support for CDFIs. We've been doing that by sharing stories of how BCNA and CDFIs throughout the country create opportunities in low to moderate income communities, in communities of color, and for new Americans and refugees.
Because this mission is now more critical than ever, we are very pleased to announce that BCNA has received an award from the Wells Fargo Diverse Community Capital (DCC) Program. It will provide BCNA with a $200,000 grant and an EQ2 investment of $500,000 for loans to businesses in New York City. We are also looking forward to learning and growing from the information we take away from networking sessions with the other awardees. So far, 44 CDFIs have been selected to benefit from this program. Our thanks to Opportunity Finance Network (OFN), which manages this program in partnership with Wells Fargo's Community Relationship Group.
A formal announcement about this award will be made on August 21st at the Heart and Soul NYC event, which is a celebration of small businesses in New York City. Please watch our Facebook page for information about the event!

Best regards,
Yanki Tshering 
    
Finding Opportunity at OFN's Small Business Finance Forum

The sixth annual Small Business Finance Forum, hosted by Opportunity Finance Network, was the biggest yet with 202 CDFI practitioners from 40 states, 7 foundations, 33 banks, and 12 government representatives in attendance. OFN's new President and CEO - development industry luminary Lisa Mensah - kicked things off with her welcoming remarks, talking about her immigrant heritage and sharing some of her experiences as a child in her father's native Ghana, and inspiring us with her passion for small business which she called "The absolute epic story of hope, challenge, and, hopefully, success..."

 
Power in Unity - New York State CDFI Coalition's Annual Conference
 
The New York State CDFI Coalition's annual conference is something we look forward to each year and this year's conference, which was held May 8-9 in Albany, did not disappoint. Over 70 attendees, including representatives from NYSCDFI Coalition member organizations, funders, experts in the field and representatives from local government offices attended for one of the best conferences to date.
 
BCNA Voices, Inspirational BCNA Speakers

VoicesAnnouncing a brand new initiative: BCNA Voices, an exciting roster of engaging speakers: women entrepreneurs who can share their stories to inspire members of their own communities or to help influence policies that promote entrepreneurship. For more information, click here.
 
Upcoming Workshops on Credit and Starting a Business
 
Please join us for our upcoming evening workshops in our Jackson Heights office about using social media to promote your small business.
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