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Our Work

Self-Help Credit Union is dedicated to creating and protecting ownership and economic opportunity for all while providing affordable and accessible financial services to underserved communities. Our focus areas include sustainability, racial equity, and gender equity. These core areas are interrelated, and we are committed to advancing them through our work.
Sustainability

60% of our direct lending (1980-2022) has been to Justice40 disadvantaged communities.

 

Environmental justice is economic justice. Many of the communities we serve are disproportionately affected by climate change, pollution, and related economic and health impacts. That’s why our environmental commitment is embedded in everything we do. 

Core principles of our environmental work include:
  • We do not finance fossil fuel extraction, infrastructure or delivery. 
  • We lend to organizations that have a positive environmental impact.  
  • We are expanding green financing options to help reduce energy burden for the communities we serve. 
  • We benchmark energy usage, prioritize energy efficient investments, and follow green building guidelines in our real estate development. 
  • We’re leading the way in carbon footprint tracking in the CDFI field. 

    We have joined Climate United, a coalition of experienced, mission-driven lenders and investors dedicated to bringing accessible clean energy solutions to Justice40 communities across the country. Climate United has been awarded a historic $6.97 billion grant from the Environmental Protection Agency's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. This substantial investment is the largest ever to combat climate change. The grant recognizes Climate United's potential impact in Justice40 communities.

    Climate United’s dedication to environmental justice is inextricably linked to economic equity. Many communities served by Self-Help experience a disproportionate climate burden through pollution, economic disruption, and health impacts. This funding will catalyze initiatives nationwide to reduce emissions, promote renewable energy, and mitigate climate challenges.

    We are committed to creating a cleaner, healthier, more sustainable future for all. The coalition welcomes new financing partners and project proposals aligned with this transformative opportunity to drive meaningful change. Visit www.weareclimateunited.org to learn more about getting involved.

     

    Racial Equity

    Since our founding, Self-Help has made $5.6 billion in loans to borrowers of color.

     

    We’re committed to the mission of creating economic opportunity for all, especially people of color.

    Our vision is not just to provide consistent, high-quality services and products to our own members of color, but to help create a broader financial system that is more inclusive and racially equitable.

    Although we aim to expand opportunity for people of color on multiple fronts — from our supplier diversity program to our real estate development and more — we believe that homeownership has an especially important role to play.

    Some key wins so far include:
    • Our flagship mortgage loan product, “Equity Boost”: With its built-in subsidy, 0% down-payment requirement, and affordable rates, Equity Boost provides an accessible path to homeownership for homebuyers who may not have the privilege of generational wealth.
    • Our Secondary Market program: By partnering with other lenders via the secondary market, we can serve more borrowers and help shift the mortgage market itself towards more accessible, inclusive products.
    • Impactful partnerships: We’re continuing to partner with other community leaders, housing finance agencies, other lenders and more to develop smart, strategic programs that effectively create more homeownership opportunities for people of color.

    In 2021, we launched the Racial Wealth Gap Initiative (RWGI), a multi-year commitment focused on homeownership for people of color.

    The long-term vision of the RWGI is to significantly reduce the racial wealth gap by creating a holistic program to help people of color develop wealth through homeownership.

     

    Gender Equity

    Since our start, 40% of our loans (1980-2022) served female borrowers

     

    Self-Help supports women as they create economic opportunities for themselves and their families. We serve women who are building assets by opening their first savings accounts, starting their own businesses, or buying homes.

    As a leading CDFI and an economic justice organization, we have demonstrated the power of community-based finance and provided equitable banking experiences for our members since our founding. Our mission openly states our commitment to gender equity as it is ‘creating and protecting ownership and economic opportunity for all, especially women and other chronically underserved communities.’ Our various initiatives such as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Racial Wealth Gap Initiative, and Supplier Diversity Initiative take gender equity as one of the core guiding principles.

    Today 37% of our Credit Union members identifies as women. 

    Since our start, 40% of our loans (1980-2022) served female borrowers. We provided more than 1,200 loans to woman-owned businesses.

    Today and always, we strive to achieve parity in our impact and provide entirely equitable and inclusive services to our members and partners by embracing a holistic gender equity perspective internally and externally.

     

     

    Investing in Self-Help is more than just a financial decision. It is a statement of your commitment to building a more equitable and sustainable future.

    Join us in our mission in creating and protecting ownership and economic opportunity for all. Invest in a more inclusive tomorrow with Self-Help.

     

    Learn More About Our Work

    Read more about Our Mission.

    View our Annual Report.

     

    Invest In Mission

    View our investment options.

    Reach out to our Investor Relations Team.