What CDFI Friendly Fort Worth does

CDFI Friendly Fort Worth is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in January 2022 and headquartered at 2833 Crockett Street in Fort Worth, Texas. It operates as a free matching intermediary between prospective borrowers and a curated network of 12+ certified Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) serving the Fort Worth market. The organization does not lend directly; instead, prospective borrowers (Fort Worth residents, small business owners, affordable housing developers, nonprofits, and commercial real estate developers) submit an inquiry form hosted on Cognito Forms, and CDFI Friendly Fort Worth routes the request to one or more appropriate CDFI partners based on use case. Its segments are segmented by vertical (small business, housing, consumer, nonprofit) and prioritize minority, women, and BIPOC borrowers in historically under-financed communities.

The organization is funded primarily through institutional grants and commitments rather than fee-based revenue. Capitalization includes $3 million in launch funding from the City of Fort Worth and a $10 million commitment from Bank of America, supplemented by a $1 million Capital Enhancement Fund and sub-grants to partners such as William Mann Jr. CDC ($200,000) and Tarrant County College ($225,000). Revenue-generating or programmatic product lines include the 0% Interest Buy-Down Program with LiftFund (interest-free loans of $500 to $100,000), lending cohort events with Amegy Bank (over $1 million in loan commitments to 20 clients), and structured technical assistance referrals to Capital Impact Partners, LISC San Antonio, National Development Council, and Neighborworks Training Institute. The underlying technology stack is minimal: a Squarespace-hosted website and a third-party web form, with no proprietary platform, API, or AI/ML capability. Operations are led by Executive Director Glenn S. Forbes (since January 2023) and governed by a community-controlled Board of Fort Worth residents.

Since inception, the organization's partnerships are estimated to have produced $32 million in lending and investment activity in Fort Worth, against a stated five-year goal of $250 million. The business model is impact-driven and grant-funded: borrowers access the service at no cost, the organization monetizes through grants, capital enhancement, and institutional partnerships, and there is no disclosed revenue or membership fee. Competitive positioning rests on community legitimacy, the breadth of its CDFI partner network, the credibility of its anchor funders (City of Fort Worth, Bank of America), and the convenience of a single application connecting to multiple lenders — rather than on any technological differentiation.

Name

CDFI Friendly Fort Worth

Legal name

CDFI Friendly Fort Worth

Website

https://cdfifriendlyfortworth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CDFI Friendly Fort Worth is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit intermediary that matches prospective borrowers in Fort Worth, Texas to a network of 12+ certified Community Development Financial Institutions, channeling capital to small businesses, affordable housing, and consumers in under-financed communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Worth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: CDFI Friendly Fort Worth operates as a nonprofit that receives grant funding from the City of Fort Worth ($3 million initial), Bank of America ($10 million), and other institutional investors to support operations and the CDFI Enhancement Fund.
2. Capital Enhancement Fund: The organization received $1 million in capital for credit enhancement, shared lending, and programmatic partnerships. This capital is deployed to increase CDFI lending activity in Fort Worth.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CDFI Friendly Fort Worth is an independent nonprofit intermediary that matches borrowers in underserved Fort Worth communities—small businesses, housing developers, nonprofits, and consumers—with a curated network of 12+ Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) capable of providing capital. Its core deliverable is a free borrower inquiry and referral service, supplemented by a 0% interest Small Business Buy-Down Program, the CDFI Enhancement Fund, lending cohort events, and technical assistance resources targeted at small business owners, real estate developers, and prospective homeowners.

Product overview

CDFI Friendly Fort Worth is an independent, nonprofit organization that exists solely to match CDFIs (Community Development Financial Institutions) to financing needs in Fort Worth. The organization does not lend directly but serves as a connector between borrowers and CDFIs. Core offerings include a borrower inquiry form for matching prospective borrowers (individuals, small businesses, developers, nonprofits) with certified CDFIs; the Small Business Buy-Down Program (0% interest loans up to $100,000 in partnership with LiftFund); and various technical assistance resource referrals for small business, consumer, real estate developer, and home ownership needs. The organization also runs lending cohort events and workforce development grants in partnership with banks and educational institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CDFI Borrower Inquiry and Matching Service Free referral service that connects small business owners, housing developers, nonprofit organizations, and individual consumers in Fort Worth with 12+ Community Development Financial Institutions capable of providing loans and other capital. Borrowers submit an inquiry and are matched to a partner CDFI whose products fit their needs.
• Small Business Buy-Down Program (0% Interest) Interest rate buy-down program that reduces the effective interest rate on qualifying small business loans to 0% for borrowers in Fort Worth, funded through CDFI Friendly Fort Worth's philanthropic and sponsor capital. Loans are originated and serviced by partner CDFIs.
• CDFI Enhancement Fund Capital pool deployed to recapitalize and strengthen partner CDFIs in the Fort Worth region, expanding the lending capacity and product range available to small businesses, housing developers, nonprofits, and consumers served through the matching service.
• Lending Cohort Events Structured educational cohort events designed to walk prospective borrowers through the CDFI lending process, financial readiness, and product selection. Intended for small business owners, real estate developers, and prospective homeowners in the Fort Worth area.

Quantifiable outcome

• $32 million in estimated lending and investment activity produced since inception
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Tarrant County CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 October 2025$225,000 workforce development grant to Tarrant County College to broaden Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) initiatives. The grant helps bridge the financing gap for the cohort and fosters small business ownership and economic growth.
• LiftFundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 April 2025CDFI Friendly Fort Worth partnered with LiftFund to launch the 0% Interest Buy-Down Program, providing up to $100,000 in interest-free loans to eligible small businesses in Fort Worth. The program reduces borrowing costs and addresses financial disparities in communities facing systemic lending challenges. Since May 2024, the program has produced 10 loans disbursing over $641,000 and created/retained 71 FTEs.
• William Mann Jr. Community Development Corporation (WMCDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024Partnership with William Mann Jr. CDC to provide micro-lending funding opportunities for Fort Worth business owners. CDFI Friendly Fort Worth granted $200,000 to ramp up micro-lending activities within the Fort Worth business community as part of the Trinity Economic Fund.
• Amegy BankmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023Collaboration with Amegy Bank for three lending cohort events focused on small business, real estate, and day care business ownership. Forums were held in Evans-Rosedale and Eastside communities with legal and accounting professional support. 20 cohort clients served with over $1 million in loan commitments.
• CDFI Friendly AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022CDFI Friendly America helped launch CDFI Friendly Fort Worth, providing the strategy framework and expertise. The organization's model was based on CDFI Friendly South Bend. CDFI Friendly America continues to advise on connecting CDFI financing to communities.
• Capital Impact PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Provides the Equitable Development Initiative offering training, mentorship, and financing for minority real estate developers in Fort Worth
• LISC San AntoniomajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Local Initiative Support Corporation providing developer training and capacity building for Fort Worth area
• National Development CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Provides development finance courses and technical assistance for developers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area
• Neighborworks Training InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Provides training and professional development for housing and community development professionals

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Accion: A global nonprofit CDFI network providing small business loans and financial inclusion services — comparable in serving under-financed small-business borrowers through a CDFI infrastructure.
• National Community Reinvestment Coalition: A national advocacy and capacity-building organization focused on fair lending and community reinvestment — comparable mission alignment around expanding access to capital in under-served communities.
• Grameen America: A national microfinance nonprofit serving women entrepreneurs in under-served communities; overlaps with CFFW's small-business and BIPOC-focused mission and target borrower segments.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): A large national community development intermediary providing capital, capacity, and technical assistance to local partners — overlapping with CFFW on developer training and equitable-development programming.
• Opportunity Finance Network: The leading national CDFI industry association and capital aggregator; comparable as a convening and capacity-building organization for the broader CDFI ecosystem in which CFFW operates.
• Capital Impact Partners: A national CDFI that partners with CFFW on the Equitable Development Initiative; operates comparable programs in equitable development, affordable housing, and community finance.

Direct peers

• LiftFund: The CDFI partner operating the 0% Buy-Down Program with CFFW; a 30+ year-old small-business lender serving entrepreneurs across 15 states, and a direct operational partner in CFFW's core small-business program.
• CDFI Friendly America: The national framework organization that helped launch CDFI Friendly Fort Worth and supports replication of the CDFI Friendly city model; the closest strategic peer and parent framework.
• CDFI Friendly South Bend: The original 'CDFI Friendly' city intermediary that inspired CDFI Friendly Fort Worth's model, with the same mission of matching borrowers to CDFI lenders in an under-served market.

Emerging players

• Kiva: A global crowdfunded microfinance platform serving small businesses and under-banked borrowers; comparable in mission to expand affordable capital access, though via a marketplace model rather than a CDFI-matching model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CDFIFriendlyFW
• Facebookfacebook.com/CDFIFriendlyFortWorth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cdfi-friendly-fort-worth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CDFI Friendly Fort Worth