2025 Advocacy Day
“A coalition comes together for the common good and advocates for the field.” – Minnesota CDFI Coalition Senior Advisor Kate Barr
On January, 28, 2025, over 60 participants representing Minnesota CDFIs convened to learn about legislative initiatives, hear from the Minnesota state governemnt Commissioners, and connect with lawmakers in a series of meetings. Advocacy Day was also an opportunity to share the 2025 MN CDFI Fact Sheet, highlighting stories and statistics about the work of CDFIs across Minnesota.
Advocacy and legislation are key aspects of supporting the CDFI ecosystem, and the MN CDFI Coalition and Coalition members are actively working on ways to strengthen support for CDFIs and the communities we serve. For Advocacy Day, Coalition members offered legislative priority updates, including LeeAnn of WomenVenture updating on the Small Business Assistance Partnership, Martha Graves and Jaden Weiss of NDC updating on the Promise Act, Julia Nelmark of MMCDC updating on the First Generation Down Payment Assistance, and Cristen Incitti of Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota updating on the Homeownership Investment Grant Program.
Minnesota Housing Commissioner Jennifer Ho and MN Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Matt Varilek both addressed MN CDFI members, highlighting Minnesota’s priorities and opportunities in an uncertain time. CDFIs are critical partners in advancing just and equitable that make a difference in the lives of Minnesotans. Both Commissioners expressed their appreciation for the work of CDFIs, and Commissioner Ho underscored the vital nature of this partnership in direct terms, saying, “Housing is good. We all want homes that we afford. Do you have a home? Does it make your life better? Does it improve your life to have a home? This is the important work the state does to invest in people having homes.”
Advocates took legislative meetings with elected officials from both sides of the aisle, including with Kevin Parker in the Governor’s office, Senator Aric Putnam, Senator Eric Lucero, Senator Lindsey Port, Senator Bobby Joe Champion, Representative Dave Baker, and Representative Spencer Igo. Thanks to Cristen Incitti and Jeru Gobeze of Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota, Kari Johnson and Kelly Law of Minnesota Consortium of Community Developers, and Anisha Murphy of Community Reinvestment Fund, USA for leading meetings!
