CRA Network Membership includes full membership in the Wisconsin Economic Development Association (WEDA)!

The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Network of Wisconsin has been developed to assist in building relationships and bridging information gaps that may exist between financial institutions and community development efforts that grow communities across Wisconsin.  The CRA Network will forward local and regional opportunities consisting of: financial literacy, broadband, housing, small business, workforce, community and economic development projects to the regional meetings of the CRA Network.

As a member of the CRA Network, banks will receive the following:

• Annual Performance Context Information – Data will be collected from a survey tool implemented in August and designed to identify the needs and opportunities in the local and regional marketplace. The survey data will be verified at regional discussions in November.  Annual summaries should be released in February.
• Two statewide virtual meetings of Network members focused on expanding relationships with regional and local community development and elected officials. Scheduled in-person regional luncheon meetings will resume as soon as COVID regulations permit.
• Regional bank meetings to review of CRA eligible activities and projects. These projects may be hard to identify, the CRA Network has hired staff to serve as outreach to community organizations seeking and vetting CRA type projects.  The goal of the CRA network is to both identify opportunities and collaborate on how to advance these projects working with banking and community development partners.
• Economic Development Academy programming will provide low cost educational options for bank staff to understand how different community development tools can be used and how projects can be structured.

We invite you to join the CRA Network and automatically become a WEDA member.  WEDA’s primary members are the economic, workforce and community development professionals that are facilitating local development projects through their expertise and experience.  As a professional trade association, WEDA advocates on public policy to advance community development tools, educates members on development tools that advance housing, workforce, community, economic and small business development help to revitalize and stabilize communities.

Watch and Learn More About WEDA and the CRA Network

CRA Network Sponsor:  The WBD, Inc. is proudly a statewide sponsor of the CRA Network.  WBD is one of the most successful Certified Development Companies in the US, helping hundreds of businesses each year get access to low cost, long term, fixed rate financing to help business grow and succeed. As a mission based non-profit organization, WBD reinvests in other economic development activities.