Restricted access to capital has been a longstanding factor limiting the ability of many minority-owned businesses to increase scale and drive economic development for their communities and the nation at large. The COVID-19 crisis, which has been disproportionately devastating for African Americans, has hit Black-owned businesses especially hard. Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) are federally designated financial institutions with well-evidenced track records of targeting underserved populations, albeit at small scale. This session will explore how MDIs and CDFIs can democratize access to capital and the role that government and private lenders should play in realizing that objective.