NCUA Board Member Debbie Matz offered the following models as examples to CDCUs of partnerships she said should be emulated:
* Some smaller CUs partner with larger CUs to pay for their volunteers and staff to attend training programs.
* CDCUs use Federation scholarships to travel to NCUA's free Partnering and Leadership Successes workshops.
* Alternatives FCU partners with Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, a community-based organization that helps the credit union fund affordable mortgages and offer advanced financial education courses.
* Three small CDCUs (Lower East Side People's, Union Settlement, and Homesteaders) formed a consortium that underwrites business loans and provides entrepreneurial training for members of all three CDCUs.
Matz encouraged more CDCUs to apply for NCUA's newly expanded Technical Assistance Grants (TAGs), which now include nearly $1 million to fund training, partnerships, and new services that benefit low-income members.
"NCUA is committed to helping small credit unions, especially low-income credit unions, invest in their future," Matz concluded. "I am pleased that this year, we are able to provide more financial assistance than ever before."
