driven by mission
About the Economic Justice Fund
dedicated to advancing opportunity for all
We believe that all Americans, regardless of income, race, gender, or zip code, should have access to fair, affordable financing. The Economic Justice Fund is a nonprofit organization created to serve the underserved and is certified as a Community Development Financial Institution by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
our mission
To provide fair and affordable financing, financial training, and credit building services to empower individuals in underserved communities.
our core values
We envision a financial system that provides equal access to capital and opportunity for all Americans.
justice
We are committed to creating opportunity for those who are excluded from the economic mainstream of American life.
Integrity
We are dedicated to acting with honesty, fairness, transparency, and accountability in everything we do.
Community
We are committed to respecting diverse perspectives and to working in harmony with others for the benefit of others.
Impact
We measure our effectiveness by the positive impact we generate in the lives of the individuals and communities we serve.
our team
The Economic Justice Fund’s is composed of highly experienced professionals with over 200 years of combined experience in the community development finance industry and is guided by a deep commitment to creating opportunity where opportunity is needed most.
Scott Berman is the Chief Executive Officer of the Economic Justice Fund (EJF). As EJF’s founder and first Governing Board President, Scott oversaw the successful growth of EJF into a mission-driven CDFI dedicated to empowering individuals, families, and entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams. His commitment to this mission and transforming the lives of people excluded from economic opportunities drives EJF’s strategic focus.
Scott has more than two decades of professional experience in the community development finance industry. He previously held several senior management positions at the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the U.S. House of Representatives, and, most recently, at a national CDFI loan fund. Scott also serves on the Board of Directors of the national CDFI Coalition.
He has proven management ability and a successful track record in leading public and private sector initiatives, issue advocacy, loan product development and implementation, capacity-building programs, coalition building, and strategic planning.
In his eight years at the CDFI Fund, Scott led a legislative agenda that nearly quadrupled the CDFI Fund’s annual budget. In addition, he spearheaded efforts to grow the agency’s flagship CDFI Program and to ensure that several new programs were authorized and funded by Congress. Scott most recently led the policy work at Capital Impact Partners, where he was responsible for guiding, implementing, and advocating for policy priorities on a wide range of community development finance issues.
Throughout Scott’s professional career, he has led federal, state, and local public efforts that promote community development and increase access to affordable credit, small business financing, health care, high-quality education, affordable housing, and healthy foods. Through extensive professional experience, Scott has developed a broad network of contacts and collaborated closely with countless organizations in the community development finance industry.
Ms. Gambrell served as the Director of the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) from 2007 to 2013. She was the first African American woman to be appointed to lead the CDFI Fund and is still the agency’s longest-serving Director. During her tenure, the CDFI Fund experienced significant growth, more than doubling the funding available under its flagship CDFI Program, thus enabling the CDFI industry to expand its capacity to provide affordable capital, credit, and financial services to low-income communities across the country. Under Ms. Gambrell’s leadership, the CDFI Fund also designed and administered a number of new programs to serve underserved markets, including the Capital Magnet Fund, the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, and the CDFI Bond Guarantee Program.
Ms. Gambrell currently serves as the President and CEO of Appalachian Community Capital. She is responsible for attracting and directing investments to enable CDFIs to make loans to small business owners, including entrepreneurs of color and women entrepreneurs. Previously, Ms. Gambrell served in several executive positions at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), including Deputy Director for Compliance and Consumer Protection. In addition, she was responsible for overseeing the FDIC’s national compliance bank examinations.
In addition to her current duties, Ms. Gambrell is a non-resident visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. She also serves as a board member for the Association of Enterprise Opportunity, a national membership organization and voice of microbusiness development in the United States; the Low Income Investment Fund, a leading national CDFI that connects low-income communities with the capital markets; and Opportunity Finance Network, which shapes policy, conducts research, and creates partnerships and programs that assist their members in investing in economically distressed communities.
Ruth Jaure
Ms. Jaure has over 30 years of experience in community development finance. At the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund), she served as Manager of the agency’s flagship program, the CDFI Program, which also includes the Native American CDFI Assistance Program. In that role, Ms. Jaure managed more than $140 million in annual grants and oversaw contracts for technical assistance and training totaling $50 million. In addition, she ensured that all processes and procedures complied with federal rules, regulations, and applicable laws.
Before joining the CDFI Fund, Ms. Jaure worked as the Director of Federal programs for the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF), where she implemented a portfolio of federal grants for credit unions. In addition, she was responsible for compliance with Office of Management and Budget circulars; grant agreements; sub-grantee compliance; and reporting requirements for NCUF’s federal grants program.
Since 2014, Ms. Jaure has led Jaure Consulting, which provides capacity-building services to support nonprofit organizations’ community development lending programs. In addition, she offers a wide range of organizational development and grant-writing services to nonprofits working in underserved communities.
Scott Sporte is Community Vision’s senior director of credit, providing expertise in underwriting CDFIs and nonprofit social service organizations, affordable housing development, capital development strategies and loan fund management. He has worked nearly 30 years in lending and program development positions, at regional and national certified Community Development Financial Institutions, providing financing to community-based health care providers, nonprofit educational institutions, affordable housing developers, community facilities, multifamily properties, mixed use projects, small entrepreneurial businesses and retail grocers. His experience includes the development of a number of programs and initiatives, including an expansion to Detroit, programs to extend capital and technical assistance to community health centers, and a statewide program to finance access to healthy foods. Early in his career he helped finance entrepreneurial businesses across Michigan’s rural Upper Peninsula. Scott has nearly 30 years of experience in community development finance. He holds degrees from Kenyon College and Yale Divinity School
Ms. Rebanal is a community development professional with 20 years of experience in public finance and social impact investing and over 15 years of experience in financial structuring, specializing in entrepreneurs of color and women. She is currently Chief Impact Officer at Ecotrust, a non-profit organization that creates economic opportunity, social equity, and environmental well-being in California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. Ms. Rebanal leads work across Ecotrust’s key program areas—food and agriculture, fisheries and coastal communities, forestry and ecosystem services, social finance, and green workforce development—and implements systems-scale solutions that advance economic opportunity, environmental stewardship, and racial equity.
Previously, Ms. Rebanal was the Director of Inclusive Food Systems at Capital Impact Partners. She managed the organization’s strategy, initiatives, and partnerships related to building equitable food systems to increase access to affordable healthy food and create opportunities within the food economy in underserved communities. Before working at Capital Impact Partners, Ms. Rebanal served as Director at National Development Council, launching and managing regional small business loan programs for the Grow America Fund, whose strategy is cultivating community wealth through business ownership and entrepreneurship. She holds a BA in Bio-Medical Ethics from Brown University and an MPA in Public Finance from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service.
Ms. Suarez is Vice President of Community Development within the Office of Corporate Responsibility at JPMorgan Chase & Co., a global leader in corporate philanthropy with more than $300 million invested in communities annually. She is responsible for helping establish and execute the firm’s global philanthropic strategies on affordable housing and community development.
Before joining JPMorgan Chase, Ms. Suarez was a Market Lead for Capital Impact Partners, a national Community Development Financial Institution. In this role, Abigail led Capital Impact’s investment strategy for half the country. Abigail started her career at the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund as a Policy and Program Officer in the New Markets Tax Credit Program team. She holds an MBA from the University of Virginia, Darden School of Business, and a bachelor’s degree. In finance from St. Edward’s University.
Our Coalitions & Partners
The Economic Justice Fund is proud to collaborate with leading organizations in the field of community development finance.
Credit Builders Alliance (CBA) is an innovative national network of nonprofits dedicated to helping individuals participate in the mainstream financial system by building credit. CBA bridges the gap between nonprofits and credit bureaus to unlock credit as an asset for all.
CDFI Coalition is a unified national voice of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). Its mission is to encourage fair access to financial resources for America’s underserved people and communities.
Opportunity Finance Network is a leading national network of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). OFN’s mission is to ensure communities underserved by mainstream finance have access to affordable, responsible financial products and services.
CAMEO is California’s leading statewide network dedicated to growing a thriving ecosystem of resources for all entrepreneurs. CAMEO builds the capacity of CDFIs to provide financing to advance economic mobility and community prosperity.
Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) is a leading voice of innovation for microfinance in the United States. AEO’s mission is to create economic opportunities for underserved borrowers.
National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) and its member organizations create opportunities for people to build wealth. NCRC works with community leaders and financial institutions to champion fairness in lending.