Veridian Credit Union was recently recognized for work leading a Racial Economic Equity (REE) Incubator with community partners in Waterloo. Veridian is one of nine credit unions across the U.S. leading REE Incubators designed to take a collaborative approach on efforts to close the racial wealth gap. A team of eight working on the incubator have focused on closing homeownership gaps and access to other consumer lending for African American households in Black Hawk County. Partners of the incubator include 24/7 BLAC, Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity, House of Hope, Try Pie and the city of Waterloo. Together, they created the Achieve Financial Empowerment Program to streamline and expand access to the customized programs offered by each partner, including greater access to mortgages and other consumer loans. Veridian was selected by Filene Research Institute to lead one of the REE incubators in 2023. In July, leaders of the nine REE incubators competed for Filene’s Catalyst Award at the Spark! Conference in Boston, Mass. Veridian was recognized in second place, winning $2,500 for the Waterloo-based REE Incubator.