THERE’S A FUNDING SOURCE HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT. While most nonprofits chase the same foundation grants and individual donors, billions of dollars in bank funding remain largely untapped by mission-driven organizations. The secret? The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA): a federal law that essentially requires banks to invest in your community.

At Bridge Philanthropic Consulting, we’ve spent decades helping organizations discover funding streams they never knew existed. With more than 800 years of combined experience and over $2 billion raised for our clients, we understand that diversifying your funding portfolio isn’t just smart: it’s essential for long-term sustainability and social impact.

Let’s unlock this goldmine together for our communities.

Decoding the CRA: Why Banks Are Legally Required to Invest in Your Community

The Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 isn’t just another piece of legislation: it’s a game-changer for nonprofit fundraising strategies. Here’s the deal: federal regulators require banks to demonstrate they’re meeting the credit and community development needs of the neighborhoods where they operate, especially low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities.

Banks receive CRA ratings that are publicly available, and these ratings matter. A poor rating can block mergers, acquisitions, and branch expansions. This means banks are actively seeking partnerships with organizations like yours to improve their regulatory standing.

“Most nonprofits don’t realize that banks need them just as much as they need the banks,” says Dwayne Ashley, CEO and Founder of Bridge Philanthropic Consulting. “When you understand that you’re solving a problem for financial institutions: not just asking for a handout: everything changes. You become a strategic partner, not a supplicant.”

This is the foundation of effective strategic counsel for nonprofits: positioning your organization as the solution to someone else’s challenge.

The Three Pillars of CRA Support: Grants, Loans, and Service

Banks don’t just write checks under the CRA. Their support comes in three powerful forms, and savvy nonprofits leverage all of them.

1. Grants: The Gift

   This is the most straightforward: direct philanthropic contributions to support CRA-eligible activities. Banks set aside substantial grant budgets specifically for community development work.

2. Loans: The Growth

   Below-market-rate loans and lines of credit can fuel your organization’s expansion. Whether you’re building affordable housing or launching a social enterprise, CRA-motivated lending can provide the capital you need at terms you can actually afford.

3. Service: The Brainpower

   Don’t overlook this one. Banks can receive CRA credit when their employees volunteer their expertise to nonprofits serving LMI communities. That means free access to financial advisors, marketing professionals, IT specialists, and board members.

   Key benefits of CRA partnerships include:

   • Multi-year funding commitments that provide stability

   • Access to corporate volunteer talent and pro bono services

   • Enhanced credibility when approaching other funders

   • Potential for naming rights and visibility opportunities

   • Gateway to other corporate giving programs within the bank

Finding Your ‘Perfect Match’ Bank: Strategic Alignment is Everything

Not every bank is the right fit for your organization. The key to successful social impact consulting is identifying financial institutions with a mandate in your specific service area and program focus.

Here’s how to find your perfect match:

• Geography matters. Banks get CRA credit for investments in the communities where they have branches. Research which banks operate in your service area.

• Check their CRA ratings. Banks with lower ratings are often more motivated to find qualified nonprofit partners. These ratings are publicly available through the FFIEC.

• Understand their priorities. Many banks publish community development plans or annual CRA reports outlining their focus areas: whether that’s affordable housing, small business development, or financial literacy.

• Look at their history. Which nonprofits have they funded before? This gives you insight into their preferences and capacity.

• Start with relationships. Does anyone on your board have connections to bank leadership? Personal introductions dramatically increase your success rate.

The BPC Strategy: 5 Steps to Positioning Your Nonprofit as a CRA-Eligible Powerhouse

At Bridge Philanthropic Consulting, we’ve helped countless organizations transform their approach to bank partnerships. Our value proposition has been demonstrated through success in securing prospect meetings, providing strategic guidance, and helping close gifts with UHNW prospects and major institutions alike.

Here’s the framework we use:

Step 1: Audit Your LMI Impact

Before approaching any bank, you need crystal-clear data on how your programs serve low- and moderate-income populations. Document the percentage of clients who qualify as LMI, the zip codes you serve, and the specific outcomes you deliver.

Step 2: Speak Their Language

Banks respond to metrics and compliance terminology. Frame your work using CRA language: “community development,” “LMI beneficiaries,” “economic development for small businesses,” and “revitalization of distressed areas.”

Step 3: Build Your CRA-Ready Case Statement

Create a dedicated document that maps your programs directly to CRA-eligible activities. This isn’t your standard grant proposal: it’s a compliance-focused pitch that shows exactly how supporting you helps the bank meet its regulatory obligations.

Step 4: Identify Decision-Makers

CRA funding decisions typically involve Community Development Officers, CRA Officers, or Community Relations teams: not traditional philanthropic staff. Target your outreach accordingly.

Step 5: Propose Multi-Year Partnerships

Banks prefer sustained relationships over one-time grants. Come to the table with a vision for longterm collaboration that includes grants, loans, and volunteer engagement.

“The organizations that win CRA funding are the ones that think like partners, not applicants,” notes Dwayne Ashley. “When you can articulate how your mission advances their regulatory and business goals, you’ve moved from competition to collaboration.”

Beyond the Check: Building Long-Term Strategic Partnerships with Financial Giants

The real magic happens when you move beyond transactional funding into true strategic partnership. Here’s what that looks like:

• Joint programming: Co-create financial literacy workshops or homebuyer education programs that serve your clients and meet bank needs

• Board engagement: Invite bank executives to serve on your board or advisory committees

• Visibility opportunities: Offer naming rights, event sponsorships, and recognition that banks can leverage in their CRA documentation

• Data sharing: Provide regular impact reports that banks can include in their regulatory filings

• Advocacy alignment: Partner on policy initiatives that advance shared community development goals

The banks that invest in your organization want to see you succeed: your success is their success. When you approach these relationships with a partnership mindset, you create the conditions for sustained, transformational support.

Voices of Authority: The Institutional Mandate for Community Investment

THIS IS WHERE COMMUNITY INVESTMENT GETS REAL (AND REALLY STRATEGIC). When the biggest banking leaders are this direct about the Community Reinvestment Act, it’s a signal to non-profits and public partners: community investment isn’t optional—it’s baked into how capital is moving. At Bridge Philanthropic Consulting, we’ve watched this shift up close. With 800+ years of combined experience across our team and more than $2B raised for clients worldwide, we help mission-driven organizations turn CRA alignment into real dollars, real partnerships, and real systemic change.

Here are 2026 voices shaping what “CRA-aligned” looks like right now:

Jamie Dimon (CEO, JPMorgan Chase): “The Community Reinvestment Act is a cornerstone of our efforts to foster economic inclusion. We are doubling down on driving capital into underserved areas because a stronger community means a stronger economy for everyone.”

Jane Fraser (CEO, Citigroup): “Sustainable community investment isn’t just a goal; it’s a strategic imperative. We are focused on robust funding mechanisms that empower local organizations to create lasting, systemic change.”

Charlie Scharf (CEO, Wells Fargo): “Our commitment to community development under the CRA framework is about more than compliance—it’s about creating real opportunities for homeownership and small business growth in every neighborhood we serve.”

Bill Rogers (CEO, Truist): “CRA funding is essential for sustainable community growth. By partnering with local nonprofits, we ensure that our investments are meeting the unique needs of the people and places we serve.”

William Demchak (CEO, PNC): “CRA modernization must reflect today’s economic realities. We are leading the way in leveraging these funds to drive innovation and equity in community development financing.”

So what does this mean for your mission right now? Based on how we support clients’ hardest fundraising and partnership challenges—including demonstrated success securing prospect meetings, providing strategic guidance, and helping close gifts with UHNW prospects and major institutions—here are the moves we’re seeing win:

• Lead with outcomes, not just need. Banks want measurable LMI impact they can document with confidence.

• Pitch “partnership packages,” not one-offs. Pair grant requests with volunteer expertise, lending pathways, and multi-year reporting.

• Make it easy to say yes. A CRA-ready case statement + clean geography/impact data reduces friction fast.

• Stay mission-forward and business-smart. The sweet spot is when your community impact also supports a bank’s growth and risk priorities.

“I tell folks all the time: this is the moment to show up ready,” says Dwayne Ashley, CEO and Founder of Bridge Philanthropic Consulting. “When CEOs are saying CRA is strategic—and not just compliance—that’s our green light. If you can clearly show community impact and make the partnership simple to execute, you’re not asking for money—you’re offering a solution.”

Your Next Move: Turning Knowledge into Action

The CRA represents one of the most significant: and underutilized: funding opportunities in the nonprofit sector. But knowledge without action is just potential.

At Bridge Philanthropic Consulting, we specialize in helping mission-driven organizations unlock funding streams like CRA support. Our team brings more than 800 years of combined experience and a track record of raising over $2 billion for our clients. We understand the intersection of nonprofit fundraising strategies and institutional partnership development.

Ready to tap into the CRA goldmine? Visit bridgephilanthropicconsulting.com to learn how we can help position your organization for transformational bank partnerships.

Together, we can move your mission forward.

 

BPC adheres to the highest ethical standards in its work as members of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Association of African-American Development Officers, and the Giving Institute.