CDFA is thrilled to welcome our new CDFA Board of Directors members, Héctor Herrera of BNY and Blair Sundell of Business Oregon! Their wealth of experience, vision, and commitment will help drive our mission forward as we continue to grow and make a positive impact. Please join us in congratulating and welcoming them to the team. We are excited about the future and the incredible work we will accomplish together!

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a $6.3 billion investment in rural and tribal communities across 44 states to improve electric grids, provide clean water, and create jobs. Over 200 projects will strengthen rural infrastructure, boosting local economies. $5.7 billion will fund electric infrastructure improvements, including smart grid technologies, and nearly $642 million will expand access to clean water and waste disposal.

November's Consumer Price Index (CPI) has been released, providing key inflation data. Economists Gus Faucher and Leslie Falconio noted inflation trends, with Faucher noting slower wage growth and reduced rental inflation as key drivers of lower overall inflation. Falconio highlighted a shift toward a more hawkish market sentiment, expecting fewer interest rate cuts than anticipated. She forecasts Treasury yields dropping slightly, with the 10-year yield potentially reaching around 4% in 2025.

CDFA announces Julia Fahrmann as the newest graduate of the Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) program. With over 17 years of experience in resource mobilization and donor funding, Ms. Fahrmann specializes in international development, advocacy, project management, and public-private partnerships across public and private sectors.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Innovation Fund for Housing Expansion proposal, sized at $20 billion for a one-time investment, highlights numerous innovative ideas that need support to bolster America's housing industry, including more domestic manufacturing investment in the form of modular housing to produce apartment units in factories and ship them out across the country, as well as support for "mixed-income public development."

CDFA announces Leslee Rivarola, City Administrator of Basehor, Kansas, as the newest graduate of the Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) program. With 23 years in public service, Ms. Rivarola has led key initiatives like the city's Comprehensive and Active Transportation Plans since becoming City Administrator in 2019.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that 70 applicants across 27 states, three tribal nations, and one territory have been tentatively selected to receive over $735 million to assist in the purchase of over 2,400 zero-emission vehicles through its first-ever Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program. EPA's program, created by President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, will replace existing internal combustion engine heavy-duty vehicles with zero-emission vehicles, while also supporting the build-out of clean vehicle infrastructure, as well as the training of workers to deploy these new zero-emission technologies.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced an investment of $17 million across 14 projects that will accelerate critical materials innovation while promoting safe, sustainable, economic, and efficient solutions to meet current and future supply chain needs. The projects, which span 11 states, are strengthening and streamlining manufacturing for high-impact components and technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells, magnets for high-efficiency motors, high-performance lithium-ion batteries, and high-yield low-defect power electronics.   

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