Credit unions will use funds to help with affordable housing, workforce development, household financial stability and more
Credit unions working with CU Strategic Planning have been awarded more than $24.3 million through the U.S. Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund. These awards allow credit unions like Mazuma Credit Union in Kansas City, Mo., which earned a $621,000 award, to improve household stability through financial wellness for families in low-income areas of the city with credit and asset-building products and financial education.
“We are so excited that we get to do more good in our community,” Laura Eblen, Mazuma’s vice president of member engagement and governmental affairs, said. “Working with CU Strategic Planning made it possible to not just win the funds but continue to develop the strategy that will allow us to help more than 1,000 households establish a strong financial foundation.”
Overall, the CDFI Fund awarded CU Strategic Planning clients more than $24.3 million for FY 2025 Financial Assistance awards and FY 2026 Small Dollar Loan (SDL) Program awards. Thirty-three CU Strategic Planning clients received FA awards, accounting for 53% of the 62 FA awards made to federally and state-chartered credit unions and 56% of the dollars awarded to those institutions.
The average FA award among CU Strategic Planning clients was $697,515, nearly $80,000 more than the average among other credit unions.
“These credit unions have waited a long time for this news, while the needs in their communities have continued to grow and change,” CU Strategic Planning President Stacy Augustine said. “We’re thrilled to see this funding finally reaching organizations that have thoughtful, practical plans for putting it to work. We’re also grateful to the CDFI Fund staff who helped bring these award rounds across the finish line.”
CU Strategic Planning clients also received nine FY 2026 SDL awards totaling $1,317,906 in the firm’s first year supporting credit unions with SDL applications. Each of the nine winning clients received $146,434, the highest award amount made through this year’s SDL round.
“These applications begin with understanding what a credit union is seeing in its community and where additional resources could make a meaningful difference,” CU Strategic Planning SVP of Community Advancement Aaron Duffy said. “Our Community Development Managers work closely with each credit union to turn that need into a clear, achievable plan. It’s rewarding to see that work move from an application into something the credit union can now put into practice.”
Across the FY 2025 CDFI and Native American CDFI Assistance programs, the CDFI Fund made 253 FA awards totaling more than $186.2 million. The latest notifications also included 31 CDFI and NACA Technical Assistance (TA) awards, adding to the 56 TA awards announced in fall 2025. The FY 2026 SDL Program awarded nearly $9 million to 71 organizations. FA and SDL awards provide resources CDFIs can use to expand lending and other financial services in the communities they serve.
CU Strategic Planning has worked with credit union CDFIs since 2008, helping institutions identify community needs, develop strategies to address them and pursue the funding needed to put those strategies into action. With this latest round, the firm has helped credit unions secure nearly $1.1 billion in funding across more than 600 awards.