In this Must Know…
- National CDFI Academy Trainings: Building and Using Financial Projections and CDFI Partnerships: Mergers, Acquisitions, and Strategic Alliances
- Join our Gubernatorial Candidate Forum on May 12, 2026 in Sacramento, CA.
- See Carolina Martinez speak at the California Women’s Economic Summit on May 12–13, 2026
- Take Action: Sign our letter of support for AB 2116!
- Limited time bundle: Register for the 2026 CAMEO Network Conference: Collective Power in Action by April 30 and receive a free ticket to California Advocacy Day.
- This week’s Goodie Highlight is the Federal Reserve’s Small Business Credit Survey’s 2026 Main Street Metrics: Trends Over Time.
National CDFI Academy Trainings
Level up your CDFI’s capabilities this spring with two new courses from our National CDFI Academy in collaboration with U.S. Bank.
On April 30, Building and Using Financial Projections offers a practical walkthrough of multi-year projection models to strengthen planning and stakeholder communication. On May 6, CDFI Partnerships: Mergers, Acquisitions, and Strategic Alliances explores collaboration models to help your organization scale impact and build long-term sustainability.
California Gubernatorial Candidate Forum
Join CAMEO Network and the California SBDC Foundation for our Gubernatorial Candidate Forum on May 12, 2026 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento.
It’s an important opportunity to hear the candidates’ plans for supporting small businesses and their vision for a more equitable California economy.
Antonio Villarraigosa and Betty Yee have confirmed attendance; additional candidates are currently being confirmed.
California Women’s Economic Summit
CAMEO Network CEO Carolina Martinez will speak at the inaugural California Women’s Economic Summit, May 12–13, 2026 in Sacramento. The Summit brings together entrepreneurs, policymakers, funders, and advocates to address women’s wealth-building, access to capital, small business growth and more. Carolina joins colleagues from the California WBC, CalOSBA, and NorCal SBDC for a panel on “Building the Infrastructure of Opportunity.”
The Goodies
New Research
- The Federal Reserve’s Small Business Credit Survey (SBCS) team has released 2026 Main Street Metrics: Trends Over Time.
- New national survey data from Public Private Strategies Institute (PPSI) estimates that fraud, scams, and ransomware cost small businesses at least $131 billion last year.
New Resources
- CDFI Friendly America’s v2.0 of the CDFI Market Map contains transaction-level reporting data through 2023 and other useful new features.
- Read Community Symbol’s latest blog post “The Language of Survival: How Justice-Motivated Organizations Are Staying Funded without Losing Their Soul.”
Other Goodies
- Funding Opportunity: The 2026-28 CalMoneySmart application is now open, with $3.2 million in grants available for non-profits that provide free financial empowerment programs to Californians.
- Jobs: California FarmLink, Ventures, and Public Counsel announced new jobs recently. See who else is hiring!