Publications

This report highlights five examples of higher education-CDFI partnership, involving projects in Philadelphia (TRF and LaSalle University), Chicago (IFF and University of Chicago), Durham, N.C. (Self-Help and Duke University); New Orleans (Hope and Delgado Community College), and multiple communities in North Carolina (LCCU and University of Virginia).

Written in 1994 by OFN CEO and President Mark Pinsky, this report on the CDFI industry is relevant today. It describes the impact the still-young field had already accomplished, as well as how CDFIs could play a lead role in a federally-assisted community development lending program.

Are you facing challenges deploying your small business loan capital? Do you want to increase your lending to small businesses? OFN’s newest Technical Assistance Memo, Deployment Strategies for CDFI Small Business Lenders, can help. Based on a survey and interviews with CDFI small business lenders, the TA Memo shares successful outreach, marketing, product development, and capitalization strategies that have helped small business lenders increase loan volume, have greater impact, and improve their bottom line. This publication is the third in the CDFI Small Business Growth Collaborative TA Memo series and is made possible by the generous support of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses. 

Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) is the leading network of CDFIs.  OFN is the only national membership network exclusively representing all types of CDFIs and offering unparalleled leadership in CDFI capacity building, policy, marketing, and financing.

Learn how to become and OFN Member and the benefits that are associated with it.

Performance Counts is an industry-led collaborative effort to develop industry standards and best practices around financial statements and financial management, and serve as an industry forum for sharing information, documents, and ideas on these topics. The initiative includes a Working Group that develops financial statement standards, guidance, and best practices by CDFIs for CDFIs.

This paper discusses the purpose of net assets, the presentation of net assets on the Statement of Financial Position (SFP), and the presentation of grants on the Statement of Activities (SOA).

This guide reflects an analysis of the FY2014 Notice of Funds Available (NOFA), Application, online webinars, and related materials. It is intended to support CDFIs’ efforts and is not a substitute for a CDFI’s own review of the application materials or for the CDFI Fund’s documents. OFN may update or reissue this document if the CDFI Fund makes changes, issues clarifications, or provides additional resources.

Moderator: Marten Jenkins, Natural Capital Investment Fund
Panelists: Rick Larson Natural Capital Investment Fund; Malini Ram Moraghan, Wholesome Wave; Sandi Kronick, Eastern Carolina Organics, LLC; Gray Harris and Daniel Wallace, CEI

This session will explore in depth outcomes-based approaches to assessing, supporting and financing early-stage food hubs as they move towards sustainable revenue-based models of operation. (USDA’s working definition of a food hub: a centrally located facility with a business management structure facilitating the aggregation, storage, processing, distribution, and/or marketing of locally/regionally produced food products.) We will explore how CDFIs can add value to the sector; provide tips and suggestions for working with food hubs; consider how to partner with foundations and impact investors; discuss appropriate financing tools; and examine strategies that enable hubs to serve low and moderate income communities. We will frame the discussion with recent research; interview a successful hub operator, a technical assistance provider who coordinates investment, and two CDFI representatives; break participants into small groups to problem solve particular food hub financing challenges; and debrief via a large group discussion.

Track: Healthy Foods