Partner and Stakeholder Newsletter | Volume 11| May, 2026

GUILFORD GAINS LAUNCH EVENT

On April 30, we we hosted our Guilford Gains Launch Event at the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship in Greensboro!


We heard from a panel of CSBDF, Guilford County, and Wells Fargo representatives about Guilford Gains and other small business resources, networked, and were honored to hear a first-hand Guilford Gains success story from RFI Construction, a booming small business in Greensboro.


Thank you to The Nussbaum Center, our partners at Guilford County, and our supporters, Wells Fargo and Pinnacle Financial Partners, for helping us hold this great event!


Check out the highlights of the evening here!




PARTNERSHIP SPOTLIGHT

Last week, Atlantic Union Bank celebrated a partnership with CSBDF, as well as three other CDFIs, committing $625,000 to our organization over the next five years to help ensure we have the resources needed to help small businesses thrive.


We thank Atlantic Union Bank for their generous support of CSBDF and look forward to stoking this great partnership in the years to come!

BUSINESS NORTH CAROLINA POWER LIST


Carolina Small Business Development Fund President and CEO Kevin Dick was recently named to Business North Carolina's The Power List 2026, which showcases North Carolina’s most influential leaders.


Thank you to Kevin for consistently representing CSBDF and his commitment to NC’s small business ecosystem and entrepreneurs, and thank you to Business NC for including our organization in this notable publication.


To read more and see the full Power List, click here!




STAFF MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

At CSBDF, we have a hard-working staff working to serve North Carolina's small business owners through our three-pillar approach of providing capital, technical assistance, and small business policy research. Each newsletter, we will spotlight a few of our dedicated staff members:

Carlos Liriano


Director, CSBDF en Español

Lori Diaz


Vice President, Business Solutions

Magaly Rivera


Business Solutions Officer

Bilal Johnson


Business Solutions Officer

INVESTING IN IMPACT: HOW SMALL BUSINESSES FUNDED BY CSBDF SPUR ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NORTH CAROLINA

Read our new report, Investing in Impact: How Small Businesses Funded by CSBDF Spur Economic Growth in North Carolina. Using IMPLAN economic modeling software, this report estimates the economic impacts of CSBDF’s small business loans during fiscal years 2024 and 2025, as well as the cumulative impact of CSBDF’s lending activity since 2011. The report’s findings show that CSBDF’s fiscal year 2025 lending supported more than 700 jobs, generated over $15 million in payroll earnings, and produced $4.5 million in new tax revenues for localities, the state of North Carolina, and the federal government. These impacts reflect not only the activities of CSBDF’s borrowers themselves, but also the ripple effects that extend through local supply chains and household spending across the state.

 

In addition to documenting the economic impacts of CSBDF’s lending, this report also demonstrates our leadership in applying economic modeling to evaluate the role of a small business-lending CDFI in regional economic development. By pairing loan data with a widely accepted approach for estimating economic impact, CSBDF provides investors, funders, and government partners with a clear picture of how CDFIs generate sustained economic activity over time.

 

This analysis underscores the long-term value of investing in CSBDF, showing that loans made years ago continue to generate jobs, earnings, and tax revenue today. It also positions CSBDF as a thought leader, advancing evidence-based impact measurement within the CDFI industry.


Read the full report:

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Channing Jones


Channing Jones brings a strong network of relationships and strategic vision as he guides Lumbee Holdings, Inc., a company wholly owned by the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, and as such, helps with the development of various programs and services aimed at benefiting its Tribal citizens. He has also served as the Executive Director of Economic Development for Robeson County, NC. and as Vice President of Workforce Development and Continuing Education at Robeson Community College.

 

Channing is a native of Pembroke and has spent most of his life in the Lumbee Tribal Territory. He is committed to advancing the Lumbee Holdings mission and navigating the evolving landscape of government contracting. He’s passionate about innovation and economic growth, and he is a valued member of CSBDF's Board of Directors.

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

In Macon, North Carolina, Bridgette Boyd is igniting her community and following a lifelong passion for service with her business, Unconditional Care Senior Services.


Read her full story here!


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