Anne O’Shaughnessy, Communications Director, Fed Communities Project

Whether they’re serving margaritas to go, providing accounting services on an IOU, or trying to maintain stock at a small market deep in the desert, small businesses are finding creative ways to stay open amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Laura Callanan, Founding Partner of Upstart Co-Lab

Editor’s note: In January, the New York Fed hosted “Transforming Community Development Through Arts & Culture,” a forum focused on an evolving era in community development that infuses art and cultural practice. This guest column was contributed by one of the New York Fed’s community development partners as a follow-on to that program. The views presented are the author’s alone and are offered to contribute to discussions on this topic.

Marisa Casellas-Barnes, Associate Director, Communications and Outreach, New York Fed; and David Dante Troutt, Distinguished Professor of Law & Founding Director of the Rutgers Center on Law, Inequality and Metropolitan Equity (CLiME)

In recent years, the New York Fed’s community development team has focused on solutions for equitable growth — or economic development that aims to maximize resources for underserved neighborhoods, residents, and institutions. The goal has been to identify ways to raise living standards and create shared prosperity in Second District communities. With the coronavirus pandemic, that focus has now shifted.

Chelsea Cruz, Associate Director of Community Development Finance; Carmi Recto, Community Development Finance Associate; and Arlinda Berdynaj, Community Development Finance Analyst, Communications and Outreach

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Federal Reserve has taken extraordinary actions to support the economic and financial stability of the nation, including the establishment of a number of lending facilities to improve access to credit and liquidity for affected businesses and communities. At the same time, community engagement remains critical to informing the Fed’s work, and a major area of concern is how the COVID-19 crisis is affecting low-income communities and people of color. To spotlight this critical issue, which is deeply influenced by existing financial and economic disparities, the New York Fed launched a new event series called “The Fed and Main Street,” which convenes business, community development, nonprofit, and policy leaders to focus on the effects of the COVID-19 crisis and efforts to support the recovery.

Carmi Recto, Community Development Finance Associate, Communications and Outreach

During this time of extreme economic shock, community development financial institutions — commonly known as CDFIs — have demonstrated their ability to deliver capital to underserved communities, many of which are reported to be taking the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic’s impacts. Many CDFIs acted early in infusing much-needed capital to address financing gaps resulting from the pandemic, and their expertise could help ease the tension between timely delivery of capital and accountability to ensure responsible lending. They would benefit from a broad set of partners to continue in that role.