CDFI

Community Development Financial Institutions

Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Certification is a designation given by the CDFI Fund to specialized organizations that provide financial services in low-income communities and to people who lack access to financing.

Benefits of CDFI Certification

Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Certification is a designation given by the CDFI Fund to specialized organizations that provide financial services in low-income communities and to people who lack access to financing. CDFIs include regulated institutions such as community development banks and credit unions, and non-regulated institutions like loan and venture capital funds.

Certified CDFIs are eligible to apply for awards through a variety of programs offered by the CDFI Fund. These awards enable CDFIs to finance a wide range of activities—including mortgage lending for first-time homebuyers, flexible underwriting for community facilities, and commercial loans for businesses in low-income areas. Through varying strategies, each CDFI contributes to the cultivation of a healthy and stable local economy.
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For more information, please see the CDFI Certification Fact Sheet.

Additional Information

We are here to help you with any questions you might have. Feel free to submit a Free Project Analyis Request for more detailed information regarding your specific scenario.

Financial and Technical Assistance Programs

Access to affordable financial products and services is a staple of economically vibrant communities. Yet at least one quarter of American households do not have a bank account or rely on costly payday lenders and check-cashing outlets. Additionally, many small businesses and critical community development projects lack access to the capital investment necessary to spark economic growth in their communities. The Community Development Financial Institutions Program (CDFI Program) actively works to address these issues by investing federal resources—which are matched with private funding—in CDFIs working to serve low-income and underserved people and communities.

As a way to enhance community development, he CDFI Program offers both Financial Assistance and Technical Assistance awards to CDFIs. These competitive awards support and enhance the ability of these organizations to meet the needs of the communities they serve.

Financial Assistance awards for community development are made in the form of loans, grants, equity investments, deposits, and credit union shares, which CDFIs are required to match dollar-for-dollar with non-federal funds.  This requirement enables CDFIs to multiply the impact of federal investment to meet the demand for affordable financial products in economically distressed communities.

Technical Assistance grants are offered to CDFIs and Certifiable CDFIs to build their organizational capacity.

Both Financial and Technical Assistance awards empower CDFIs to grow, achieve organizational sustainability, and contribute to the revitalization of the communities they serve. The community development loan funds help neighborhoods to access better infrastructure which makes it more appealing to small business owners and investors to come to a region.

For more information about CDFI community development, please see the CDFI Programs Fact Sheet, use the website search form for specific questions, or simply reach out to us to learn more about our role in the context of community development financial institutions.

CDFI Bond Guarantee Program

Enacted through the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, the CDFI Bond Guarantee Program responds to a critical market need—long-term, low-cost capital that can be used to spur economic growth and jump start community revitalization. Through the CDFI Bond Guarantee Program, Qualified Issuers (CDFIs or their designees) apply to the CDFI Fund for authorization to issue bonds worth a minimum of $100 million in total. The bonds provide CDFIs with access to substantial capital that is then used to reignite the economies of some of our nation’s most distressed communities.

Unlike other CDFI Fund programs, the CDFI Bond Guarantee Program does not offer grants, but is instead a federal credit subsidy program, designed to function at no cost to taxpayers. The bond proceeds are debt instruments that must be repaid.

The Secretary of the Treasury provides a 100 percent guarantee on these loans, with a maximum maturity of 30 years. The Qualified Issuer sells the government-backed bonds to the Federal Financing Bank (FFB)—a government corporation that ensures the efficient use of federal financing—and bond proceeds are used to extend credit to CDFIs for community development purposes. The Qualified Issuer thus acts as a “go between” financier to the broader CDFI community.

CDFIs benefit from the potential scale of the CDFI Bond Guarantee Program, which offers long-term credit at below-market interest rates. This unique program incentivizes and empowers CDFIs to execute large-scale projects, including the development of commercial real estate, housing units, charter schools, daycare or healthcare centers, and municipal infrastructure. In addition to these projects, eligible CDFIs may use the capital to extend credit to other community development borrowers—or Secondary Borrowers—or refinance existing loans at low interest rates, freeing up capital for additional investments. By promoting large-scale, long-term investment, the CDFI Bond Guarantee program helps breathe new life into economically underserved areas.

For more information, please see the CDFI Bond Guarantee Program Fact Sheet.

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Our Financing Programs

The CBO Financial team specializes in helping project sponsors secure flexible, below-market financing with a focus on high-impact projects in low-income communities. Our financial experts are skilled at combining public and private funding sources so that projects that might have otherwise stalled can move forward quickly and cost-effectively.

We’ve financed over $1 billion in high-impact investments nationwide, including $150 million using New Markets Tax Credits awarded to a CBO subsidiary. Backed by powerful funding tools and expertise, you’ll be pushed through to the finish line.

New Markets Tax Credits

A federal subsidy program designed to incentivize development projects that help revitalize distressed communities.
New Markets Tax Credits

Property Assessed Clean Energy Financing

A new instrument for commercial property owners to finance improvements to existing property or close gaps in financing for new construction.
Property Assessed Clean Energy Financing

Federal Historic Tax Credits

The federal Historic Tax Credit (HTC) is available for the rehabilitation of historic, income-producing buildings determined by the Secretary of the Interior, through the National Park Service, to be “certified historic structures.”
Federal Historic Tax Credits

Community Development Financial Institutions

A federal subsidy program designed to incentivize development projects that help revitalize distressed communities.
Community Development Financial Institutions

US Department of Agriculture

The USDA offers several programs that can be useful for economic development projects, two of which in particular are the Community Facilities and Rural Utilities Programs.
US Department of Agriculture

Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program

The federal Historic Tax Credit (HTC) is available for the rehabilitation of historic, income-producing buildings determined by the Secretary of the Interior, through the National Park Service, to be “certified historic structures.”
Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program

Puerto Rico Financing Programs

Puerto Rico offers many opportunities for mainland investors and local business owners.
Puerto Rico Financing Programs

 Opportunity Zones

The Opportunity Zone program was enacted in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Many of the major policy decisions related to Opportunity Zones were ceded to the states.
 Opportunity Zones

You see challenges. We see possibilities.
Your community sees change.

Established in 1999, CBO Financial is a financial consulting firm that specializes in helping businesses secure funding for development projects in the nation’s most distressed communities. Our experts understand how to present economic, environmental, and societal benefits to public and private organizations so your project receives the funding it needs to move forward quickly and reasonably. A CBO Financial subsidiary, Community Development Funding, LLC, has received six awards under the federal New Markets Tax Credit program totaling $150M. In addition the team has taken a leadership role in securing 18 awards for clients totaling over $400M.
Our Services
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The funding is out there

CBO can be your access point for a variety of flexible financing sources including gap financing using New Markets Tax Credits, Historic Tax Credits, Tourism Tax Credits, Property Assessed Financing, Opportunity Zone Funds and others.
Programs
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 a Significant Impact

CBO is on a mission to help elevate the lives of people living in distressed communities by providing flexible, below-market gap financing to high-impact projects that cannot otherwise move forward. Does your project qualify for financing?
Team
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Million-dollar stories

The CBO team has funded over $1 billion in projects for local and national nonprofits, for-profit developers, and municipal agencies. Our team can help you find the low-cost financing or new market tax credits needed for your projects.
Projects

Does Your Project Qualify for Low-Cost Financing or New Markets Tax Credits?

Reach out to our specialists to discuss how we can work together.
Get a Free Project Analysis