Ouachita Valley Federal Credit Union

Ouachita Valley Federal Credit Union is a corporate, tax-exempt entity registered as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) to provide financial and development services to underserved communities. As a CDFI credit union, it aims to promote financial inclusion and community development by offering affordable financial products and services to low-income individuals and areas that lack access to mainstream banking.

Over the past few years, Ouachita Valley Federal Credit Union has received several significant federal grant awards from the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund). In 2023, it was awarded a $3.7 million Project Grant under the CDFI Fund's Equitable Recovery Program to expand lending, grantmaking, investment activities, organizational capacity, and technology acquisition to support underserved communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, in 2021, the credit union received a $766,530 Project Grant from the CDFI Program to strengthen its financial capacity and increase lending and affordable financial services for low-income individuals and underserved communities across the United States. It also received a $1.8 million Project Grant in 2021 through the CDFI Rapid Response Program to provide financial products and services in response to the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic in its service areas. These grants from the CDFI Fund enable Ouachita Valley Federal Credit Union to fulfill its mission as a CDFI by increasing access to capital, credit, and financial services in economically distressed communities.