Join OFN
Join OFN as a Member or Ally
Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) helps money flow to people and places where traditional finance doesn’t reach. We do this by maximizing the effectiveness of our growing membership network of mission-driven community lenders, including community development financial institutions (CDFIs) and industry allies.
By offering access to direct financing, learning opportunities, industry events, advocacy, and more, OFN helps community lenders invest in environmental, racial, and economic justice. Learn how to become either an OFN member or OFN ally below.
OFN Membership
OFN membership is open to CDFIs and other mission-driven community lenders that meet OFN’s member eligibility requirements. Individuals and organizations that do not meet these requirements are invited to become OFN allies to extend the reach, awareness, and impact of the CDFI industry.
Please note that CDFI Fund certification is not a requirement for OFN membership.
Membership Benefits
As an OFN member, you’ll gain exclusive access to direct financing, learning opportunities, advocacy, and more:
Access to Capital
OFN members get access to various funding opportunities, including:
- Finance Justice Fund (FJF)
- EPA’s Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA)
- Have questions? Here we answer our members’ most frequently asked questions about CCIA
- CDFI Fund’s Bond Guarantee Program
- Other special initiatives
Capacity Strengthening
- Receive significant discounts for signature OFN events, trainings, and publications.
- Gain complimentary access to group purchasing through PurchasingPoint.
- Get an individualized, or custom, Peer Comparison report to better understand your organization’s performance relative to its peer group.
Amplified Voice
Receive support with visibility and public policy advocacy that benefits CDFIs and other mission-driven community lenders and the people and communities they serve.
More About PurchasingPoint
Leverage your PurchasingPoint access to funnel more funds directly into the heart of your mission. By cutting costs on everyday essentials, you’re not just saving money—you’re fueling the impactful work you do.
PurchasingPoint is a group purchasing program that unlocks exclusive savings for OFN Members. PurchasingPoint offers significant discounts on office supplies, technology, and other operational costs, as well as prescription medication, car rentals, and other retail items for employees and nonprofit clients.
- OFN has partnered with the National Human Services Assembly to give our members free access to PurchasingPoint, a group discount program for nonprofits that represents over $52 billion in annual purchasing power. The program is designed to help members reduce overhead costs through pre-negotiated discounts with 200+ participating vendors. Start saving on operational costs such as technology and office supplies, and extend discounts to your employees for prescription medications, car rentals, and other retail brands. Once registered, an organization’s nonprofit clients may also access discounts.
- Discover more about how this complimentary benefit can help with efficiency and other significant savings by visiting ofn.purchasingpoint.org
For one-on-one feedback about how you can tailor PurchasingPoint to your organization’s budget, contact Ruth Sigei – Managing Director PurchasingPoint at [email protected] or [email protected]. For insights into how other OFN members have leveraged PurchasingPoint, view the 2023 PurchasingPoint Webinar.
- FREE benefit for being an OFN Member.
- Aggressive pricing on millions of products from hundreds of national vendors
- Easy online registration for single or multi-location nonprofits
- Access to diverse suppliers including minority, women and service-disabled veteran owned enterprises and other small businesses
- Value-adds from select vendors like waived setup fees, white glove service at no additional cost, employee discounts and more
- Employee discounts for prescription medications, car rentals, and other retail
As an OFN member, you can register for free:
- Visit ofn.purchasingpoint.org
- Click on the register button.
- Search by your organization’s zip code.
- Enter your info and complete the electronic agreement.
- When reviewing the electronic agreement, note that users are encouraged to use 80% PurchasingPoint vendors, in accordance with good faith participation in group purchasing. There is no penalty for engaging below this threshold.
- Start selecting vendor discounts!
- To access employee discount codes, view the Employee Discount Code flyer in the members-only community on CDFI Connect.
OFN Allyship
As an alternative to membership, we invite individuals and organizations that don’t meet OFN’s member eligibility requirements to become OFN allies.
Organizational Ally
- Registration discounts for the OFN Conference and Small Business Finance Forum.
Individual Ally
- Registration discounts for the OFN Conference and Small Business Finance Forum.
Hear from OFN Members
Hear from OFN members as they share their success stories and experiences supporting small businesses, affordable housing, community facilities, healthcare, clean energy projects, and more.
