Most low- to moderate-income households in North America must contend with the critical shortage in medium-density housing. Since the mid-1940s, American cities have been emblematic of low- and high-density developments with little in-between. The...

Business Oregon is the state's economic development agency. The Business Oregon Commission oversees the agency's activities to ensure a coherent, integrated approach to economic development and a continuous policy direction that can transcend...

Production methods such as regenerative agriculture are associated with climate adaptation and resilience. Such methods offer the best path forward to preserving long-term viability of an industry that is foundational to basic societal needs. From a...

The Strategy will help the U.S. meet its National Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal, to halve food loss and waste by 2030 and contribute to achieving the National Recycling Goal to achieve a 50% recycling rate by 2030, as well as contribute to the...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury published the SSBCI Guidebook: Communications and Media Relations to provide general communications best practices and how they could be applied to State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) programs in...

The Climate Capital Guidebook aggregates current federal funding opportunities—including grants, loans, loan guarantees, and cooperative agreements—for small- and medium-sized companies, both start-ups and established businesses, focusing on clean...

On May 10, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury published updated FAQs for the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Capital Program. The update covers the Conflict-of-Interest Standards for Equity/Venture Capital Programs.

During this installment of the CDFA Tribal Financing Webinar Series, practitioners present strategies and highlight finance programs that are helping to increase access to capital and aiding the creation of successful small businesses.

On April 5, 2024, the U.S. Treasury Department published updated FAQs for the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Investing in America Small Business Opportunity Program (SBOP).

On March 29, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury published its second State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) quarterly report, covering the period of October 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023.

On March 28, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury published updated reporting guidance for the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Technical Assistance Grant Program.

On March 26, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury held an informational webinar on the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Investing in America Small Business Opportunity Program (SBOP). The webinar also had guest speakers from the...

On March 18, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury published an updated FAQ for the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI). The update provides clarity on conflict-of-interest standards.

On March 18, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury published updated FAQs for the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Small Business Opportunity Program (SBOP).

On February 21, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury published updated FAQs for the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI). The update provides an answer to the question: "How does Treasury identify CDFI Investment Areas for purposes of...

This issue brief produced by the Yale Center for Business and the Environment examines the varying definitions of regenerative agriculture and details the three types of factors that make financing regenerative agriculture difficult: outdated...

A groundbreaking report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Equity Commission features more than 60 recommendations designed to make policies affecting farming and rural America more fair. A few key recommendations include...

The Rhode Island Food Policy Council has released a first-of-its-kind resource providing a data-driven assessment of the status of Rhode Island's food system, incorporating the best available research and data, and presenting information on the...

On February 21, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury published updated reporting guidance for the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Capital Program.

On February 16, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury clarified the State Small Business Credit Initiative's (SSBCI) socially and economically disadvantaged individual-owned (SEDI-owned) business reporting certifications. Treasury stated that...

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) adopted the alternative size standard for its 7(a) Business and Certified Development Company (CDC/504) Loan Programs (collectively “Business Loan Programs”) and the statutory limits for contract size...

Local and Regional Foods are a small but vitally important part of agriculture sales in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Local and Regional Food Systems Resource Guide is intended to help stakeholders navigate USDA...

This report, developed by the Croatan Institute in collaboration with the Meridian Institute, explores major on-farm, off-farm, and systemic risks that the agricultural industry faces and how finance can increase the resilience of those systems...

The SLM White Paper, Investing in Regenerative Agriculture: Reflections from the Past Decade, sets out the investment and environmental case for regenerative agriculture, while also highlighting the risks and challenges. It is an update to an...

On January 31, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury provided a quarterly all-jurisdiction update for the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI).

During the January 2024 State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) quarterly all-jurisdiction call, the National Institute of Standards and Technology provided an overview of the CHIPS for America program and its small business opportunities.

During the January 2024 State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) all-jurisdiction overview, the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) presented a summary of the Regional Technology & Innovation Hubs Program.

On January 24, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury published updated FAQs for the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Small Business Opportunity Program (SBOP).

On January 19, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury published an updated FAQ document for the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI). The update concerns questions about a jurisdiction's venture capital fund program.

On January 11, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury Published a draft template for the State Small Business Credit Initiative Investing in America Small Business Opportunity Program (SSBCI Investing in America SBOP).

On January 9, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury published a frequently asked questions (FAQ) document regarding the Small Business Opportunity Program (SBOP) under the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI).

On January 8, 2024, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) published answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) about the State Small Business Credit Initiative 2.0 (SSBCI) based on the facts and circumstances presented in the...

The CDFA-NASDA Foundation Socially Disadvantaged Farmers & Ranchers Access to Capital Toolkit is a set of best practice resources designed to provide practical assistance to communities looking to invest in socially disadvantaged farmers and...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury released the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Quarterly Report for the Third Quarter of 2023.

On December 7, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) released a snapshot on its implementation of the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) program with Tribal governments. To date, Treasury has received applications from...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury released updated guidelines for the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Capital Program on December 4, 2023.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury Released an updated FAQ document for the State Small Business Credit Initiative on December 4, 2023.

Croatan Institute and Self-Help announce the release of a major new collaborative report that explores leading challenges faced by the Farm Credit System – the largest lender in the agricultural sector. This new report documents leading...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced the approval of 20 additional state awards under the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Technical Assistance Grant Program, totaling more than $50.8 million. These awards will be used to...

On November 6, 2023, the U.S. Treasury Department held a webinar outlining the SSBCI Investing in America Small Business Opportunity Program (SBOP) Notice of Funding Opportunity.

The 2023 Caren S. Franzini Fellowship class prepared a white paper summarizing their recent research exploring challenges that small businesses face when accessing capital. This paper presents findings on best practices, strategies, and initiatives...

Accelerator for America and the International Economic Development Council present the first segment in a two-part series exploring the needs and opportunities to drive more equitable entrepreneurship and small business growth in communities across...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced the new $75 million Investing in America Small Business Opportunity Program, a competitive grant program under the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) to support technical assistance for very...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury released an interim report on the progress the Department has made in implementing the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), which illustrates how the funding has both supported the small business boom...

This playbook provides community, city, and regional leaders with a set of tools to create more just landscapes of opportunity through actionable, coordinated strategies that target the intersecting structural, relational, and market forces that...

The U.S. Department of the Treasury released updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) on September 28, 2023.

The purpose of this toolkit is to provide an overview of the tools in the development finance toolbox -- such as bonds, tax increment finance, tax credits, and revolving loan funds -- and how they can direct and attract capital to rural businesses...

State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) credit support programs present an opportunity for community development financial institutions (CDFIs) to expand their lending to eligible small businesses, including to underserved small businesses...

This publication uses data from the 2022 Small Business Credit Survey (SBCS) to examine startup firms owned by people of color (that is, firms owned by people of color that launched in 2020 or later).

The “Reframing Farmland as an Investment: A Compelling Opportunity in an Inflationary Environment” report explains why interest in the farmland asset class has never been higher - from historically being one of the most stable asset classes...