Minnesota’s Latino Economic Development Center honored with the Outstanding CDFI Award
Opportunity Finance Network, the nation’s leading investment intermediary and network of community development financial institutions (CDFIs), recognized St. Paul-based Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) with the Outstanding CDFI Award at The Opportunity Honors Award Ceremony and Reception on October 22 at the 42nd annual OFN Conference in New Orleans.
“LEDC and [other award winners] represent the very best of community development finance: leaders who see what their communities need and act with urgency, imagination, and resolve,” said OFN President and CEO Harold Pettigrew. “When fear and disruption threatened small businesses across the Twin Cities, LEDC moved quickly to protect livelihoods and keep neighborhoods intact.”
The Outstanding CDFI Award recognizes a CDFI that has gone above and beyond over the last 18 months in serving its communities and advancing the CDFI industry.
Natural disasters and public health crises often trigger emergency relief efforts, but from late 2025 through early 2026, businesses across Minneapolis-St. Paul faced unexpected community disruptions that caused sudden revenue losses, threatening their survival. In just three weeks, LEDC launched the Emergency Business Relief Fund and raised $1.2 million that helped small businesses stay open, preserve jobs, and continue serving their communities.
