Save the Dates for 2025 OFN Events and Training!

July 8, 2025 – 

OFN’s 2025 events and training will bring together mission-driven lenders, partners, and other advocates across the country to learn, network, and collaborate.

Originally published December 17, 2024

Read time: 5 minutes

OFN’s latest 2025 event and training schedule is now available! 

Each year, OFN convenes thousands of community development financial institutions (CDFIs), practitioners, and other mission-driven lenders and partners across the country at dozens of in-person and virtual events and training workshops to advance our industry’s mission to create equitable economic opportunity for all.

In 2025, we’ll host a virtual CONNECT+ Forum, five Regional Meetings, Small Business Finance Forum, one-day practitioner summits, 41st annual OFN Conference (OFN41), 70 in-person and virtual trainings, including training focused on OFN’s Clean Communities Investment Accelerator program.
 
Stay tuned for further details about registration, agendas, speakers, and more!

What’s New in 2025? 

Here are a few new things to expect in 2025.

• Our new CONNECT+ Forum format will feature 6 virtual events throughout January, including member-only office hours, versus one half-day of sessions. We’ll also be sharing new resources throughout the month. Register now! 
• After more than a decade in Chicago, we’re taking the annual Small Business Finance Forum to Austin, Texas, in June! 
• A new climate-focused forum to convene mission-driven lenders focused on financing clean energy solutions. 
• One-day practitioner summits that will bring together professionals in similar roles, such as marketing and communications and human resources, for a day of community building, peer learning, and collaboration.
• Regional training institute in Minneapolis, featuring a curated selection of trainings offered over a 2-3 day period to meet our members where they are. 

2025 OFN Events

2025 CONNECT+ Forum: CDFIs & Technology

• Tuesday, January 14: Webinar | Beyond the Buzzwords: Building a Tech-Ready CDFI Culture

• Wednesday, January 15: Member-Only Office Hours | Cybersecurity and Data Privacy for CDFIs 

*This session was not recorded.

• Tuesday, January 21: Webinar | Equipped for Impact: Technology Adoption and Implementation 

• Wednesday, January 22: Member-Only Office Hours | Working Smarter, Not Harder: Technology Strategies for Small CDFIs 

*This session was not recorded.

• Tuesday, January 28: Webinar | AI in Community Finance: Ethics and Opportunities

• Wednesday, January 29: Webinar | Technology and Your Community: Bridging Divides 

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The Business Model of CDFI Loan Funds: Research Report Release Webinar

• Monday, February 24, 2025

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2025 Southeast Regional Meeting – Asheville, NC 

• March 4-5
• Training: CDFI 101
• The Collider: 1 Haywood Street, 4th Floor, Asheville, NC 28801

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2025 OFN Marketing & Comms CDFI Practitioner Summit

• Tuesday, April 22
• Convene’s Observation Hub – Arlington, VA

**This event has passed.

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2025 Midwest Regional Meeting – Detroit, MI

• April 28-30
• Training: CDFI 101, Pitch Perfect: Optimizing Your Capitalization Approach
• The Beacon: 1 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48226

**This event has passed.

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2025 Northeast Regional Meeting – Springfield, MA

• May 13
• MassMutual Center: 1277 Main St, Springfield, MA 01103

**This event has passed.

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Small Business Finance Forum (SBFF) – Austin, TX

• Training on Wednesday, June 11: CDFI 101, Financial Management, Small Business Lending 101, Impact Measurement & Management (IMM) 201
• Forum on Thursday-Friday, June 12-13 
• Austin Marriott Downtown: 304 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin TX 78701

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Innovation Initiative

OFN is launching the CDFI Innovation Initiative – a sustained investment to institutionalize innovation, reimagine the structuring of community development finance, and develop new tools to deepen impact across the country.

• Submit ideas, proposals, and applications by July 17.

Watch a recording of the Innovation Initiative Overview and Office Hours to learn more about how to engage with the program.

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Practitioner Summit: Human Resources (HR) 

• September 12, 2025
• Washington, D.C. 

More details to follow.

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OFN Conference (OFN41) 

• Monday-Thursday, October 20-23 
• Washington, D.C. 

Call for sessions is now open! Submit a session proposal by July 9, 2025.

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Regional Training Institute: Minneapolis 

• Wednesday-Friday, November 12-14 
• CDFI 101, Pitch Perfect: Optimizing Your Capitalization Approach, and more! 

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2025 West Regional Meeting 

• December – date to be announced soon! 
• Training: CDFI 101, Financial Management Workshop 
• San Diego, CA 

2025 OFN Training

We’ll add more than 10 new offerings to our course catalog in 2025, with over 20 different trainings available to members by the end of the year! Topics include:

• CDFI Essentials – CDFI 101: Orientation to the Industry 
• Strategy & Governance – Governance 101: Developing a Strong Board; Governance 201: Effectively Managing a Board for Impact; Executive Training for CDFI Board Members
• Capitalization – Capitalization 101: Sources & Uses; Capitalization 201: Loan Fund Business Model; Pitch Perfect: Optimizing Your Capitalization Approach 
• Financial Management –CDFI Financial Statements 101; Financial Management for Emerging CDFIs; Financial Management Workshop, and more!
• Lending – Small Business Lending 101; Single-Family Lending 101; Multi-Family Lending 101; Climate Lending 101; Purpose to Practice: Centering Equity in Lending, and more!
• Impact Measurement, Management (IMM) & Research – IMM 101, IMM 201, Evaluation 101, and Evaluation 201 

Did you know? OFN members receive a 30-50% discount on training fees compared to OFN ally and general attendees. Become a member!

Register now for the following trainings:

• Financial Statements 101 – July 16. Register now!
• Multifamily Housing Lending 101 – July 29. Register now!
• CDFI 101 – August 12. Register now!

View our latest training schedule for details on fees, dates, and locations, and stay tuned for additional offerings throughout the year!

Promote Your Industry Events on CDFI Connect!

Want to promote your own industry event geared toward CDFI practitioners and partners? Share it on the CDFI Connect calendar!

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Tags: CDFI Leadership, Community Development, OFN Conference, OFN Membership