The all-new CDFA Winter Institute debuts February 23-27, 2026! Designed for busy professionals, courses are scheduled without overlap, allowing you to complete multiple core classes in a single week while building a practical, integrated understanding of development finance. This is one of your only opportunities in 2026 to complete CDFA's core introductory training courses. Knock out your DFCP requirement courses this February! Early Bird rates end February 6!

President Trump signed a $1.2 trillion fiscal year 2026 minibus spending bill providing full-year discretionary funding for federal agencies covered in five of the 12 annual spending bills, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security was funded with a continuing resolution through Feb. 13. This action ended a partial government shutdown that had begun Jan. 31, following the Jan. 30 expiration of the FY 2026 continuing resolution that provided funding for much of the federal government since Nov. 12.

The Vermont Economic Progress Council launched the Community and Housing Infrastructure Program, or CHIP Program. It lets smaller and more rural towns use Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to build infrastructure—meaning that the construction will be paid for with tax revenue in the coming years, and encourages new housing across the state. For municipalities interested in making use of the program, the first step in the process is to fill out an online interest form.

The budget reconciliation act of 2025 permanently extends the Opportunity Zone tax incentive and calls for a new round of census tracts to be designated as qualifying Opportunity Zones in July 2026. This map depicts which census tracts will be eligible for nomination by governors and subsequent designation based on the criteria laid out in the legislation and according to the latest available data (currently the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates).

The U.S. Census Bureau released American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates for 2020–2024, which federal officials have signaled will determine census tract eligibility for the next round of Opportunity Zones (OZ) designations. With this data in hand, state and local officials can see which of their census tracts meet the low-income community criteria and are therefore eligible for OZ status. Officials can also now calculate how many total tracts they will be able to nominate. The knowledge will allow them to begin the zone selection process in earnest.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced a major milestone for its 7(a) Working Capital Pilot (WCP) Program, which has delivered more than $150 million in new lending since its inception, of which more than $125 million was approved since President Trump took office last January. The success of the program is driven largely by small manufacturers, who make up 98% of all U.S. manufacturers and who are experiencing a resurgence thanks to the Trump economic agenda that is restoring American industrial dominance.

The Caren S. Franzini Fellowship was established to cultivate and celebrate exceptional women in development finance, recognizing their leadership and commitment to advancing the industry. Administered by the CDFA Foundation, this six-month fellowship is open to women employed by a CDFA member organization with less than 10 years of experience in the field. Apply by Friday, March 13, at 5:00 PM Eastern!

The incumbent will assist the Controller of General Accounting within the Division of Finance and Administration. This position has direct oversight of invoicing, payments for operating expenses, subsidized mortgage, grant disbursements, construction loan draws, and reviews accruals at year-end, payroll allocation, direct and indirect overhead allocation, inventory, and reporting and financial analysis, including trending data to support strategic decision-making. This incumbent works closely with accounting staff to ensure accuracy and timeliness of invoicing, payments, and cash receipts. This incumbent will be responsible for ensuring smooth month-end and year-end closings, resolving FMIS errors related to journal entries and RFPs, while maintaining compliance with the State Treasurer's close-out schedule.

The Program Manager position is responsible for the development, implementation, management, and monitoring of rehabilitation programs for single-family homes. This position performs under a high degree of independence and requires proactive problem-solving skills. Duties include overseeing the qualification and assignment of applicants, review of provided services, setting production goals, developing and monitoring budgets, developing and providing guidance to partnering organizations, evaluating performance metrics, training for staff and partners, preparing agreements and contracts, analyzing program data and preparing reports.

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