Last week we received some wonderful news – that PATF has been re-certified as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Organizations certified as CDFIs provide traditionally under-served communities with access to capital, financial services, and technical assistance. CDFI certification allows PATF to access community development funding in the form of technical and financial assistance grants, two of which we have received since our original certification in 2012. This funding will continue to be utilized to realize our goal of making assistive technology attainable and affordable for Pennsylvanians with disabilities through low- or no-interest loans and financial education programs.
PATF is proud of its ability to serve the needs of low to moderate income Pennsylvanians with disabilities. We are the only consumer loan program in the state with a mission to serve people with no credit history or a negative credit history due to disability.
About the CDFI Fund
The CDFI Fund invests in and builds the capacity of community-based, private, for-profit and non-profit financial institutions with a primary mission of community development in economically distressed communities. These institutions – certified by the CDFI Fund as Community Development Financial Institutions or CDFIs – are able to respond to gaps in local markets that traditional financial institutions are not adequately serving. CDFIs provide critically needed capital, credit and other financial products in addition to technical assistance to community residents and businesses, service providers, and developers working to meet community needs. The CDFI Fund’s vision is an America in which all people have adequate access to affordable capital, credit and financial services. http://www.cdfifund.gov/