There are only a few weeks left until August and while many of us may be heading for vacation, it is important to remember that August is a crucial month for advocacy.

On July 13, the House Appropriations Committee approved the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) fiscal year (FY) 2018 Appropriations bill. The bill reduces the CDFI Fund’s budget from FY17 funding level of $248 million to $190 million, a decrease of 23 percent. The bill continues the CDFI Bond Guarantee Program (BGP) with $500 million in guarantee authority.

As the buzz around impact investing grew over the past decade, multiple initiatives and collaboratives emerged to examine how government could play a role in unlocking private capital for social good. Groups like the U.S. National Advisory Board on Impact Investing (NAB), the Accelerating Impact Investing Initiative (AI3), and US SIF have engaged in policy research and advocacy efforts to encourage federal action in support of impact investing.

On June 12, the House Appropriations Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Subcommittee held a hearing, during which U.S.

From May 16-17, 82 OFN Members and Allies from 59 CDFIs across the country came to D.C. to participate in OFN’s 2017 Advocacy Day. This year was our largest Advocacy Day yet, and we could not have done it without the enthusiasm and dedication from our Advocacy Day participants.