For over 25 years, CDFA’s Training Institute has been the nation’s most comprehensive education initiative dedicated to the economic development finance industry. Through the Institute’s vast course offerings and professional interactions, economic developers and finance professionals from both the public and private sectors have gained valuable knowledge and access to the entire development finance industry. Training Institute courses cover a wide range of topics, including:

Fundamentals of Development Finance
Bond Finance
Tax Increment Finance
Tax Credit Finance
Revolving Loan Fund Finance
Federal Financing Programs
State & Local Financing Programs

Energy Finance
Seed, Angel & Venture Capital
Brownfield Finance
Transportation Finance
Access to Capital Finance
Special District Finance
Public-Private Partnership Finance

Every CDFA Training Institute course is customized to provide the highest educational experience possible. Courses are taught using a variety of methods including lecture, case studies, class exercises, panel discussions, peer group workshops, and other interactive approaches. Many topic areas have both introductory and advanced options, and to further maximize access to these educational offerings, CDFA offers multiple courses per week allowing professionals to attend a variety of courses throughout the year. Some topic areas are also offered online as WebCourses, reducing the cost for attending the Institute but still delivering an industry acclaimed educational experience. Development finance professionals are encouraged to attend CDFA Training Institute courses to further their industry knowledge and to complete CDFA's Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) Program.

CDFA’s Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) Program is an intense training course learning experience and is the industry's only comprehensive development finance professional certification program. The DFCP Program is designed to produce graduates with a comprehensive knowledge of development finance concepts, tools and applicability as well as a deep understanding of the entire development finance spectrum. Graduates of the DFCP Program will gain valuable knowledge and experience within the complex development finance industry and achieve a level of understanding unmatched by any other professional certification program.

Graduates of the DFCP Program will be recognized as the most qualified leaders in the development finance industry and will provide graduates better access to professional and personal achievement throughout their career. Your path to a becoming a Development Finance Certified Professional begins with just a few quick steps. Learn more and jumpstart your career today.

CDFA currently offers the following courses. In the coming years, CDFA’s Training Institute will also offer courses focused on access to capital, brownfield finance, transportation finance, as well as advanced courses in tax credits, revolving loan funds, and energy finance. A current schedule of CDFA Training Institute courses can be found online and is updated as courses are scheduled.

Fundamentals of Economic Development of Finance Course

The Fundamentals Course is the foundation for all of CDFA’s educational offerings. This course will help you understand the variety of development finance tools available, from bonds, tax credits and TIF, to federal financing programs, RLFs, and access to capital lending resources.

Intro Bond Finance Course

The Intro Bond Finance Course offers an in-depth look at tax-exempt financing with an emphasis on IDBs and 501(c)(3) bonds. This intro level course provides a solid foundation for building a strong IDB program, which can bring economic growth to your community or expand your client base.

Advanced Bond Finance Course

The Advanced Bond Finance Course is designed for professionals who already have an understanding of tax-exempt financing and seek detailed instruction on complex financing techniques, including the application of financial derivatives, advance refundings, how to spot arbitrage issues, and investing bond proceeds.

Intro Tax Increment Finance Course

The Intro Tax Increment Finance Course offers an in-depth look at the guiding principles and appropriate application of TIF. This course brings TIF deal-making and best practices into focus through a two-day program targeting the entire TIF community including economic developers, public agency representatives, bond issuers, legal professionals, developers, financial advisors, and other stakeholders.

Advanced Tax Increment Finance Course

The Advanced Tax Increment Finance Course builds upon CDFA's introductory TIF Course by focusing more concretely on structuring the deal and developing short- and long-term policies. You will also learn about performance monitoring, feasibility analysis and using TIF in conjunction with other development finance tools.

Intro Tax Credit Finance Course

The Intro Tax Credit Finance Course examines the application of tax credit programs in greater economic development finance efforts. This course will discuss the practical application of tax credit programs including brownfields, new markets, low income housing, historic preservation, and state-specific programs.

Intro Revolving Loan Fund Course

The Intro Revolving Loan Fund Course offers an in-depth look at RLF program development, implementation and management. This course will demonstrate how a RLF program can compliment economic development strategies, encourage investment and assist traditionally underserved businesses.

Seed & Venture Capital Finance Course

The Seed & Venture Capital Finance Course explores the growing seed, venture capital and angel investment industry and provides clear direction for designing and implementing capital formation models at the local, regional and state levels. At this course, the nation’s top innovation finance leaders will discuss how to establish a public-sector driven, but private-sector supported initiative.

Intro Energy & Water Finance Course

The Intro Energy & Water Finance Course explores the wide range of tools available for financing energy & water projects, including bonds, tax credits, revolving loan funds, grant programs, and more. This course will cover how new energy production/generation, energy efficiency, retrofitting and support programs are used throughout the country to encourage investment in large and small projects alike.

Intro Public-Private Partnership (P3) Finance Course

The Intro Public-Private Partnership (P3) Finance Course examines this emerging development finance model with a focus on how development finance agencies can adopt P3 principles to address a variety of projects. This course will cover basic P3 concepts, key players involved in transactions, asset valuation, contract negotiation, risk assessment, revenue stream development, and feasibility analysis.

Intro EB-5 Finance Course

The Intro EB-5 Finance Course examines the basic statutes and regulations governing the EB-5 Program. Topics covered include direct EB-5 vs. EB-5 Regional Center programs, minimum investment requirements, securities regulations, and business plans and economic reports. Plus several case study examples will be discussed to showcase the variety of economic development projects that can benefit from this form of capital.

Intro Food Systems Finance Course

The Intro Food Systems Finance Course examines the development finance programs that sustain a local food system and how investments in that system can drive economic development on a broader scale. Topics covered include federal, state, and local sources of capital, stakeholders involved in the financing process, and case study examples that showcase the variety of financing programs.

Intro Brownfields Finance Course

The Intro Brownfields Finance Course is the industry’s only comprehensive training curriculum that helps economic developers, policy makers and real estate professionals understand and master the financing strategies for the lifecycle of a brownfield property. During this course, attendees will walk through the entire brownfields redevelopment process from understanding the basics of brownfields and legal and regulatory challenges to unearthing the myriad financing tools available to both clean-up and build-up these contaminated or polluted sites.

Intro Rural Finance Course

The Intro Rural Finance Course focuses on how the development finance toolbox can be structured to support rural communities and help them with strategies to invest in infrastructure, redevelopment, and job creation. This course differs from other curriculums in that it focuses on designing programs targeted to serve rural communities. Topics discussed during the course include targeted financing programs available at the federal, state, and local levels for rural communities, along with best practices for employing these financing programs.

Intro Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Finance Course

The Intro Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Finance Course explores the process of creating, operating and maintaining a community based PACE program. This two day course features a comprehensive overview of PACE including program design, capital markets analysis, investor attraction, legal and regulatory considerations, market potential, operations and much more. CDFA’s Intro PACE Finance Course will put your community on the path to energy independence while creating jobs and improving the environment.

Intro Incentives Course

The Intro Incentives Course will examine the role of economic development incentives in conjunction with other development finance programs and explore how incentives can be used effectively and responsibly. This course will consider how incentives are being used in today’s economic environment and outline steps that are being taken to reduce risk and achieve better outcomes. In particular, this course will address the characteristics of well-designed incentive programs and processes to ensure meaningful impact, value, and accountability.

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