The CDFA Minority Capital Loan Guarantee Program aims to increase access to capital for businesses in communities that have been historically excluded from opportunity. With the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), CDFA has developed a 10-year, $18 million loan guarantee program to help development finance agencies (DFAs) in the United States deliver capital in a more equitable manner. RWJF is providing additional grant funds to support the training, continuing education, and technical assistance aspects of the program.

We'd like to give an extra special thank you to our sponsors for representing the leaders in the development finance industry and playing a vital role in the ongoing development of the organization. CDFA is exceptionally grateful for their valuable support. We would also like to thank our National Summit Sponsors, including our Presenting Sponsor, Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, whose financial investments made this year's event our most successful yet!

The Council of Development Finance Agencies is honored to present the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award winners during the CDFA 40th Anniversary Celebration at the National Development Finance Summit, presented by Colorado Housing and Finance Authority. Join CDFA in congratulating Brenda Guess from Louisiana Economic Development (LED), Robert Heard from Cimarron Capital Partners, LLC, and Carlton Schwab with Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC).

CDFA has welcomed 100+ new members in 2022 and the growth continues as the year comes to a close. CDFA members get access to a number of avenues that assist the development finance industry including education, advocacy, research, resources, and networking. We would like to thank these valued individuals for their support in 2022!

CDFA continued to expand on SSBCI programming and content in 2022 through monthly updates and facilitated discussions for networking, peer knowledge sharing, and problem-solving to the SSBCI Coalition. The new SSBCI Resource Center and the SSBCI Learning Series helped industry leaders stay informed and navigate the implementation of SSBCI programs in their respective states and across the nation. CDFA especially thanks gener8tor for its generous support of the SSBCI Update Newsletter and the SSBCI Resource Center, as well as those who have joined us and provided insight along the way.

Research on the current ecosystem of food systems finance has positioned CDFA to identify key strategies for the path ahead in this work. CDFA's recent publication of The Food Systems Finance Best Practices Guidebook features how traditional development finance tools can be used to launch and expand food and agricultural-related businesses and projects and create successful food systems finance programs at the local and regional levels.

CDFA was honored to partner with EY to offer a five-part infrastructure finance learning series. This series helped attendees develop a better understanding of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Experts from EY also presented attendees with tactics and strategies to better prepare and apply for the grant. Audiences were able to engage in a one-on-one conversation with speakers.

CDFA has welcomed six new graduates to the prestigious Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) Program so far this year. Congratulations to Ariel Miller, Natalie Abbadessa, Sam Filkins, Krysta Pate, Craig Teamer, and Isaac McGlone.

Presented with our friends at Colorado Housing Finance Authority, CDFA held its first in-person National Development Finance Summit in three years. Hosted in Denver, Colorado, the Summit attracted 347 attendees from across the country, making it the second most attended event in CDFA's history and the perfect opportunity to celebrate CDFA's 40th anniversary.

The EC-Tech Initiative is made possible through a partnership with Presta and with generous support from the Sorenson Impact Foundation. CDFA and Presta are helping DFAs implement stronger lending programs for minority business owners by providing tools that streamline loan processing and remove some of the barriers that minority businesses experience.

CDFA secured, aggregated, and analyzed data from over a thousand loans made to food-focused enterprises to assess the common perception that these types of investments are too risky for traditional lending approaches. Results from this research demonstrate that food system loans perform and that revolving loan funds can successfully support local food system borrowers in their communities.

CDFA is extremely grateful for our ongoing partnership with The Bank of New York Mellon on the CDFA // BNY Mellon Development Finance Webcast series. The monthly webinars cover a wide range of development finance topics, such as forecasting the bond market and financing rural broadband. Thanks to BNY Mellon's support, these webinars are free to our entire network.

This year CDFA and Bricker & Eckler LLC partnered to host a webinar series focused on Financing Green and Sustainable Assets. This series highlighted the various financing options for green and sustainable assets in both the private and public sectors. Topics covered included PACE, green banks, utility scale electric generation, and recent federal legislation.

The Council of Development Finance Agencies is honored to announce the 2022 class of the Caren S. Franzini Fellowship. Join CDFA in congratulating Ellen Roth from the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), Magarita Jules with Minnesota Department of Employment of Economic Development, Jennifer Litwak from Housing on Merit in San Diego, CA, Erin Baca with the Alaska Small Business Development Center and Marina Scarth with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA).

The CDFA Federal Financing Webinar Series convened finance experts from several federal agencies to discuss the variety of federal programs available to restore local economies, preserve small businesses, invest in our communities, and protect our environment. We're thankful to all who have participated in this series!

CDFA held 15 training courses in 2022 that included both intro and advanced level learning. Our expert speakers covered the development finance spectrum and provided education to almost 900 attendees. View our upcoming events to plan your professional development for 2023.

Held in September, CDFA's Ohio Financing Roundtable brought together development finance experts and thought leaders from across the state to discuss the latest development finance tools, authorities, resources, and approaches, and how they are shaping Ohio's present and future. Discussions ranged from updates on Ohio's bond landscape to the latest innovations in the food finance sector, led by representatives from the Ohio Department of Development, JobsOhio, Huntington Capital Markets, and many other public and private organizations working in Ohio.

CDFA hosted four webinars this year on financing food systems. Featured discussions included equitable lending models in agriculture finance, investment in regional food supply chains, and creative financing for meat processing infrastructure and addressing food-related waste. Recorded webinars are available to view on the CDFA website.