About Us
Our Mission and History
Capital for Change is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) located in Wallingford, Connecticut. It was established in 2016 as a commitment to provide comprehensive community development lending throughout Connecticut. This commitment allows us the flexibility to participate in filling gaps in community stability and revitalization efforts, particularly in the neighborhoods that are the most sensitive to economic disruption.
||| We're Here To Help
With support from our community-minded investors and partners, we serve people, nonprofits, small businesses and public institutions. Our high-impact programs and products broaden access to affordable housing, energy efficiency and job opportunities for underserved communities.
||| Our Mission
Capital for Change provides community development capital and services that: creates and preserves affordable housing, expands housing opportunity for low- and moderate-income residents, invests in job- and wealth-creating small businesses, and supports community-centered non-profit organizations; with an emphasis on equity inclusiveness and environmental sustainability.
||| Our Vision
Our Community Development Vision is that communities which have historically lacked access to capital, become vibrant, economically strong and environmentally sustainable with energy efficient affordable homes, thriving businesses and healthy community institutions that both reflect and respect racial equity and inclusivity.
Our Vision for Ourselves is to be a trusted, reliable, and innovative community development partner offering capital solutions that respond to community needs which create and sustain lasting, positive impact in the communities we serve.
Our History
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||| Three Become One - The Merger
Capital For Change was created through the merger of three CT Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) in 2016 - the CT Housing Investment Fund (CHIF), the Greater New Haven Community Loan Fund (GNHCLF) and the Community Capital Fund (CCF) in Bridgeport. The organizations merged to address overlapping markets, products and resources by combining their capital, lending programs, services and expertise to better serve more low-and moderate-income communities.
CCF - Community Capital Fund
With a shared goal of facilitating the flow of capital and expertise into housing and economic developments to benefit low- and moderate-income persons in the Greater Bridgeport area, Community Capital Fund was created in 2005 from a merger between the Bridgeport Neighborhood Fund, founded (1986) to provide loans for affordable rental housing, and the Grow Bridgeport Fund, created in 1996, and continued to provide loans to small businesses throughout Greater Bridgeport.
GNHCLF – Greater New Haven Community Loan Fund
The Greater New Haven Community Loan Fund was created by the Downtown Cooperative Ministry in 1987 to address the homelessness crisis through the creation of more affordable housing. With a primary focus on affordable housing lending throughout Greater New Haven, the Fund has overtime, addressed an array of other local needs including loans for nonprofit facilities and cash flow, administration of programs to assist in home purchase and home repair, and foreclosure mitigation counseling. Socially responsible investments have been a key component of the Fund's capital structure.
CHIF – Connecticut Housing Investment Fund
The CT Housing Investment Fund was founded in 1968 to address racial discrimination and promote housing integration in Hartford. It evolved from a fair housing advocacy organization to a statewide financial intermediary providing loans and assistance in affordable housing and energy efficiency and servicing loans for non-profits and government agencies.
Our & Values
||| Our Values
Community: Serving, building, & thriving together.
Equity: Creating and promoting access, opportunity, and advancement for all.
Compassion: Responding to needs with empathy and understanding.
Integrity: Acting always with honesty, fairness, and transparency.
Curiosity/Learning: Cultivating an environment that values innovation and change.
Sustainability: Striving for economic, environmental, and social accountability.
||| Commitment to Community
Capital for Change is committed to being a respected leader in community development by fostering an exemplary model of broad engagement that empowers communities and drives positive change using a multi-pronged approach that prioritizes not just engagement, but also innovation, impact, and communication. Authentic engagement is a continuous process, requiring the ability to adapt and learn from experience.
We collaborate with non-profits, businesses, government agencies, and educational institutions. We will work to leverage their expertise, resources, and networks to respond to opportunities to invest in Strategic Plan FY25-FY27 Capital for Change, Inc. Page 3 of 7 impactful projects informed by and responsive to the communities where they are located, in manner that improves and supports ongoing sustainable development.
||| Our REI Commitment
From its roots in the 1960s fighting racism in housing, Capital for Change (C4C) and its Board of Directors have focused on being an industry leader positively impacting racial equity and inclusion. C4C was intentionally designed to address and work to correct systemic racism in community lending and community development. C4C is committed to reaching out to and providing fair and equitable financing opportunities in Black and Brown communities, to combat and correct years of disregard and biased rejection. C4C strives to be the lender of opportunity by ensuring access to capital for underserved communities of color that want to grow businesses and build strong communities.
In furtherance of this commitment, C4C’s Board of Directors has established the Racial Equity and Inclusion (RE&I) Committee to guarantee a long-term strategy to ensure racial equity, accountability, and inclusion.
***In accordance with federal laws and U.S. Department of the Treasury policy, this organization is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to:
U.S. Department of the Treasury, Director, Office
of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue,
N.W., Washington, DC 20220; call (202) 622-1160; or send an e-mail to:
crcomplaints@treasury.gov.