Access to financial capital can be a significant barrier to development in poor communities. To address this problem, 18 of the 33 rural EZ/ECs (Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community) established a community development financial institution (CDFI) as part of their overall development strategy. Four rural EZ/ECs share their strategies in setting up these institutions and in the process offer insight on the factors necessary to make CDFIs viable institutions and effective community development tools.