This 2021 EIG report explores whether the Opportunity Zones policy and regulations are working as intended, what its early effects have been, and details the improvements needed to ensure the policy fulfills its promise. While the early findings...

Organizations received $175.35 million from the FY2020 round of the Capital Magnet Fund. Awardees plan to develop nearly 23,000 Affordable Housing Units, including more than 20,300 Rental Units and more than 2,600 Homeownership Units. Combined, 97%...

This interactive data tool from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis shows total SSBCI investments, percent of investments in LMI and rural areas, investments by MSA, investments by loan programs, CDFIs, and more.

To address local disparities and help struggling areas thrive, governments at all levels have spent billions of dollars on a range of geographically targeted, or "place-based," economic development programs — mostly in the form of financial...

The following questions and answers document describes actions that can be taken by HUD and communities to assist Section 108 business borrowers experiencing economic distress as a result of coronavirus.

This report by Chamberlin/Dunn offers an evaluation of two consecutive years (FY19-FY20) of the Appalachian Regional Commission's POWER Initiative. The report aims to understand successes, challenges, and lessons learned through implementation, and...

This evaluation was designed to help ARC and its stakeholders learn from the POWER Program's implementation successes and challenges; identify technical assistance needs; and report on the qualitative impact of investments made, to date, with POWER...

Economic development that is equitable, inclusive, and outcome-driven for residents begins by prioritizing community engagement and clearly linking that engagement to actionable initiatives with measurable results. This white paper addresses ways...

This guide, authored by CDFA and Skeo, provides an overview of various development finance tools and suggestions for how communities could use these tools to finance projects in Opportunity Zones. Each section includes additional resources to learn...

This quick guide, authored by CDFA and Skeo, outlines five key strategies for engaging Opportunity Zones investors including resources and tips that can help communities attract investment to their revitalization efforts.

There are many models to financing broadband and finding the correct approach for your community may be challenging. As part of our collaboration with Ice Miller, this video will dive into the details of successful locally owned municipal network...

COVID-19 has highlighted the need for broadband and the gaps in broadband access. As part of our collaboration with Ice Miller, this video is designed to provide a review of the various approaches to expanding broadband access and how to assess...

The 2020 Housing Instability & Homelessness Report Series is a collection of reports by UNC that utilizes local data to provide informative and actionable research to engage a variety of stakeholders including elected officials, policymakers,...

This piece from the Urban Institute examines how the students, parents, community organizers, and local leaders in Camden, NJ, Perry County, KY, and Hayward, CA are using data to make their communities better for themselves, for their neighbors, and...

For most of 2020, the country has been beset by the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest sparked by longstanding racial injustice, and the devastating impacts of climate change. Although low interest rates and continued growth in some sectors have...

The Local Food Facility hopes to become a pivotal hub in the King County local food network, helping to grow businesses and connect local food partners. ECONorthwest's analysis led to conclude that this food facility concept could be financially...

In this brief, the Urban Institute identifies seven big ideas to address these concerns that together constitute their “New Agenda for Community Development Finance.” The Seven Big Ideas would Expand Access to Capital, Lessen Racial Disparities, and...

County leaders have witnessed firsthand the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on their neighbors and constituents and are well-informed on needs arising in their local communities. While county governments are uniquely positioned to support recovery...

This paper addresses the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by providing timely and accurate information on the impact of the current pandemic on income and poverty to inform the targeting of resources to those most affected and assess the...

This report from Columbia University presents monthly poverty rates in the U.S. before and throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. In contrast to measures of poverty based on a family’s annual resources, the study projects poverty rates based on a...

CDFA's first publication of the CDFA Charter Schools Financing Initiative series, funded with support from the National Alliance For Public Charter Schools. This paper demonstrates how charter schools can access development finance tools and public...

This is the sixth and final white paper in a series examining the potential creation of a food systems asset class that supports the market growth of local and regional food systems. This paper presents three replicable strategies for restoring...

More than 30 USDA grant and loan programs provide support and assistance for local and urban food producers and producer groups. These grant and loan programs may be grouped into several broad program categories, including marketing and promotion;...

The New Markets Tax Credit program, created to spark investment in disadvantaged communities, has become a valuable source of flexible capital for healthcare providers and health systems to tackle the immediate needs of both their organizations and...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is committed to supporting robust regional food economies across the food chain. This graphic is designed to be a guide for which programs are best suited for different parts of the supply chain.

The Department of the Treasury Office of Inspector General (OIG) is responsible for monitoring and oversight of the receipt, disbursement, and use of Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) payments. Treasury OIG was also assigned authority to recover funds...

History informs us that some people, especially the wealthy, flee cities in response to pandemics and other major catastrophes. In past pandemics and crises, refugees have typically returned, remaining attracted to the social and cultural dynamism...

This report from the White House' Council of Economic Advisers compares the advantages of OZs with those of other Federal antipoverty programs and documents the characteristics of the nearly 8,800 low-income communities designated as OZs. It also...

USDA’s Forest Service (FS), Rural Development (RD), and the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) have developed this resource guide for rural communities to identify resources that develop the recreation economy.

The CDFI Fund has released its calendar year 2019 awards for the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program. The round of funding awarded over $3.5 billion in NMTC allocation to 76 community development entities.

This is the 2020 edition of NMTC Coalition’s annual report on the loans, investments, and community impact of the New Markets Tax Credit.

A new paradigm is emerging – one in which mainstream investors increasingly want to invest in the social, economic, and environmental well-being of communities. LISC's research paper, CDFIs and the Capital Markets: Tapping into Impact Investors,...

The Columbus & Franklin County Local Food Action Plan provides a framework of common goals and actions that serve to unify residents, schools, community organizations, businesses, and local government in supporting a healthy, strong, and resilient...

Despite being viewed primarily as an economic development tool in low-income communities—that is, positioning the local economy on a higher growth trajectory—many proponents have suggested that OZs also have a community development purpose of...

During this installment of the CDFA // BNY Mellon Development Finance Webcast Series, we explored financing programs that support healthcare development and showcase successful projects that have increased access to healthcare for rural communities.

The SBA's Community Advantage Loan Program provides mission-oriented lenders, primarily nonprofit financial intermediaries focused on economic development, access to 7(a) loan guaranties for loans of $250,000 or less. This program participation...

The National League of Cities, National Low Income Housing Coalition, and National Alliance to End Homelessness, and Mayors & CEOs for U.S. Housing Investments prepared this guide for elected officials to help maximize federal resources made...

During this installment of the CDFA // BNY Mellon Development Finance Webcast Series, we will explore the challenges of historic preservation projects and how financing tools can be combined to make preservation projects possible.

During the May 1, 2020 Weekly COVID-19 Development Finance Briefing, listeners heard how four prominent leaders in impact investing are responding to both the economic crisis and the public health crisis, learned about the types of solutions and...

During the April 24, 2020 Weekly COVID-19 Development Finance Briefing, listeners were given updates from SBA and HUD on early statistics for the PPP and EIDL programs, as well as additional actions taken by both agencies such as payment forgiveness...

The Quick Guide to CDBG Eligible Activities to Support Infectious Disease Response provides grantees with information on implementing CDBG funds in a coordinated effort with local health authorities before undertaking any activity to support state...

During this installment of the CDFA // BNY Mellon Development Finance Webcast Series, we will explore if the performance of social impact bonds (SIBs) is living up to the hype and how SIBs can be used as a powerful tool for community development.

On April 16, 2020, HUD and FHA published these answers to frequently asked questions pertaining to all multifamily housing stakeholders. Topics include Emergency Preparedness, CARES Act assistance and other funding available Asset Management,...

This white paper looks at how 5 successful programs can be used to finance the recovery from COVID-19. The 5 programs are C-PACE and R-PACE, State Historic Tax Credits, State Opportunity Zones Programs, State New Markets Tax Credits, and Solar and...

USDA and its Federal partners have programs that can be used to provide immediate and long-term assistance to rural communities affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. This resource matrix organizes funding opportunities identified in the CARES Act and...

During the April 10, 2020 Weekly COVID-19 Development Finance Briefing, Bruce Katz from Drexel University, Rachel Reilly from the Economic Innovation Group, and Katie Kramer from CDFA examined relief efforts run by local governments, philanthropic...

The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina published this business relief resources document with FAQs and links to important resources for North Carolina business owners.

During the April 3, 2020 Weekly COVID-19 Development Finance Briefing, experts from the North Carolina Rural Center, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and the New Orleans Business Alliance discussed their respective approaches to local...

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has issued this guide to help small businesses and self-employed individuals prepare to file for a loan.

This is a summary of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act from the Congressional Research Service. This is the third in a series of legislative packages addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.