Executive Summary
At the Filene Research Institute, we believe if we provide credit unions access to bright talent, quality research, innovative ideas, and tools for real-world application, then we enhance insight and knowledge of consumer needs, enable the sustainability of the cooperative finance model, and ensure hardworking people have access to an alternative, Main Street financial institution: a credit union.
What is the research about?
This Filene impact report is a chance to reflect on the past 12 months, as well on what lies ahead. In the last year, we have:
- Published 37 REPORTS.
- Hosted 3 COLLOQUIA and 8 DONOR ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS.
- Brought to life 5 INNOVATION PROJECTS that were an outgrowth of i3 ideas.
- Supported 954 CREDIT UNIONS and SYSTEM PARTNERS.
And while those numbers are impressive, they only tell part of the story—and not even the most important part.
What are the credit union implications?
Filene offers you this impact report to see—and judge—for yourself the impact of our efforts, including how our research influences credit union policy, leadership, and strategy and, most important, how Filene innovations are transforming the lives of hardworking North Americans. Further, you will glimpse the breadth of Filene’s reach across the consumer finance world and trace the financial and human resources that make Filene’s work possible. As a research institute, we’re always learning. Always striving. Always challenging ourselves and searching for ways to make the mission of cooperative finance real for our supporters and for credit union members.