Recently honored as one of Women in Housing & Finance’s “40 under 40,” OFN Vice President of Public Policy Dafina Williams has been quietly driving transformational change in communities across the country over her past 13 years at OFN.
An industry veteran, Dafina is brimming with valuable insights on CDFI challenges, opportunities, and impact. The OFN team recently caught up with Dafina to capture some of her knowledge and perspectives, including her thoughts on OFN’s relocation from Philadelphia to Washington D.C.
“For CDFIs, the community is not an afterthought. They’re the priority.”
Recently, the Philadelphia, PA, April 14, 2016 (CDFI Connect)—This month, JPMorgan Chase & Co. launched Partnerships for Raising Opportunity in Neighborhoods (PRO Neighborhoods), a $125 million, five-year initiative to identify and support solutions for creating economic opportunity in distressed neighborhoods around the country.
Philadelphia, PA, April 13, 2016 (CDFI Connect)—The Kresge Foundation recently announced Kresge Community Finance, a $30 million program-related investment (PRI) finance offering to certified Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFI) and quasi-public and private Development Finance Authorities (DFA) expanding opportunities in America’s cities. The foundation will select applications through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP). Successful nonprofit applicants also will receive an equity grant, equivalent to five percent of the amount of PRI financing disbursed. Information on how to apply can be found below.