We are proposing a sixty (60) minute, moderated panel discussion for a 2023 BMCC session. We will emphasize the enormous need for organizations such as Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to provide additional assistance to emerging homebuyers, that is deliberately designed to mitigate or remove known barriers to accessing lower cost, traditional bank financing. We will highlight the power of thoughtful collaboration with other community-based non-profit organizations (TA Providers) for greater impact, with intentionality, to address the widening racial wealth gap in our respective service areas. This engaging session will provide a high-level overview of this cooperative concept by sharing some of the goals and best practices that OppFund has utilized through its Justice Fund Initiative. The panel will be comprised of three to four (3-4) Technical Assistance practitioners from mission-aligned partner organizations and agencies and will detail why collaboration is paramount to addressing the issue of financial insecurity in communities. The session will begin with a brief overview of OppFund's JFI focus, followed by the sharing of expertise experiences and best practices of our invited partner panelists. All will take place in an interactive discussion format. Attendees will gain valuable insights into how collaboration can enhance the overall impact of financial empowerment initiatives. The session will be structured to provide attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the benefits and challenges of collaboration. The session will include some interactive panel discussion and conclude with opportunities for the audience to ask pertinent question about the covered topic. We anticipate this panel to be both lively and thought-provoking. Our goal is for attendees to utilize the information as a model to inform their own respective debate collaborations to bring about financial empowerment with their target populations. We believe that attendees will leave with a new appreciation for the power of collaboration in achieving greater impact in their work.