-Overview
The Intro Tax Increment Finance Course offers an in-depth look at the guiding principles and appropriate application of TIF. Topics discussed include the basics of TIF, negotiating and structuring TIF deals, understanding various financing structures, and combining TIF with different capital sources. Several case study examples from active TIF deals will be presented with explanations for how the community was proactively engaged in the process.
The Intro Tax Increment Finance Course is designed to bring TIF deal-making and best practices into focus and support the entire TIF community including economic developers, public agencies, bond issuers, legal professionals, developers, financial advisors, and other stakeholders.
This course qualifies for the CDFA Training Institute's Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) Program. Join us online, and start down the road to personal and professional advancement today.
Register
Course Objectives
- Learn the building blocks of TIF and essential best practice principles
- Dissect TIF deals from start to finish including community buy-in, redevelopment planning, bond issuance, and post-project monitoring
- Understand TIF bond issuance and mechanics
- Examine project- and district-based TIF approaches
- Explore the benefits of using special districts, credits, and overlays
- Receive a copy of the Tax Increment Finance Best Practices Reference Guide
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Topics Covered
- The basics of TIF
- How to create a TIF
- Typical improvements
- Site-specific vs. district-wide approaches
- Addressing community buy-in
- Financing variations
- Credits and overlays
- Case studies
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Who Should Attend?
- Bond Issuers
- Economic Development Professionals
- Community Development Professionals
- Developers
- Brokers/Dealers and Underwriters
- Elected Officials
- Government and Nonprofit Finance Officers
- Attorneys
- Accountants
- Financial Advisors
- Policymakers
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Course Advisor
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Toby Rittner
Council of Development Finance Agencies
President & CEO
Toby Rittner is the President & CEO of Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA), a national association dedicated to the advancement of development finance concerns and interests. CDFA is comprised of the nation’s leading and most ... knowledgeable members of the development finance community representing hundreds of public, private and non-profit development finance agencies. Mr. Rittner runs the day-to-day operations of the Council including the organization’s various educational, advocacy, research, resources, and networking initiatives. He also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the CDFA Foundation.
Rittner is one of the most vocal and recognized leaders of the development finance industry nationwide and has advised local, state, and federal leaders, including Presidents Biden and Obama, on economic development finance policy. Through his leadership and guidance, CDFA was successful in preserving private activity bonds and other critical development finance tools during the 2017 tax reform deliberations and has had numerous pieces of legislation introduced in the United States Congress. In 2021, Rittner successfully led a national effort to reauthorize and fund the $10B State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) program as part of the American Rescue Plan Act. He has written and crafted dozens of strategic finance plans for development finance agencies and advised communities throughout the world on development finance approaches.
Rittner focuses on sustainable finance with an emphasis on infrastructure, clean energy, food systems, small business, and innovations in the development finance industry to drive sustainable outcomes. He has written extensively about impact ready initiatives that leverage and engage capital in ways that drive local sustainability in business and industry and the environment and economy.
Rittner is a frequent speaker at local, state, and national conferences and events focused on economic development finance. He has been featured in The Bond Buyer, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, NPR and other national media publications concerning the advancement of development finance tools. He is the author of CDFA's highly acclaimed Practitioner's Guide to Economic Development Finance and co-author of CDFA's Unlocking Capital: A Handbook for Becoming a High Performing Development Finance Agency.
Rittner is an adjunct faculty member at The Ohio State University and Carnegie Mellon University. He is also a Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) and has completed the prestigious Oxford University Sustainable Finance Foundation Course.
Mr. Rittner previously served on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Financial Advisory Board and is a member of the Advisory Board for the National Community Fund I. Mr. Rittner holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master's of City and Regional Planning degree from The Ohio State University. Mr. Rittner was awarded the Ohio State University College of Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2016. (More)
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-Agenda
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Tue 12:00 PM - 12:15 PM |
Welcome & Overview
Welcome to the course! This session will introduce CDFA, explain how to use the online software, and discuss the framework for the two-day Intro Tax Increment Finance Course.
Speaker(s)
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Tue 12:15 PM - 1:00 PM |
Setting the Stage: The Basics of TIF
TIF is perennially one of the nation’s most effective and popular development finance tools, but also one of its most misunderstood and controversial. As such, it is imperative for development finance professionals to have a solid understanding of how TIF works to build a successful toolbox of financing programs. This session will focus on understanding TIF and why communities use it to achieve economic development objectives.
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Tue 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM |
TIF Legal & Procedural Nuts & Bolts
Creating a TIF district, for either a large long-term redevelopment or for an individual site/project, requires a detailed understanding of the legal, technical, policy, and strategic issues related to TIF in each state. This session will look at the legal and procedural nuts and bolts of creating a TIF, the main types of development activities that TIF can fund, and district vs. site-specific considerations. Speakers will also cover the similar considerations associated with setting up a special assessment district—a related tool that is increasingly being used in combination with TIF.
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Tue 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM |
Break
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Tue 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM |
TIF Financing Variations
TIF is a very flexible tool and offers multiple variations of the specific revenue sources it can generate and the different ways these revenues are used to support project financings. Speakers will discuss the typical sources for TIF repayments, including property tax, sales tax, and special assessments. The range of ways in which TIF funds can be made available, during or after construction will be addressed, including “pay-as-you-go,” developer financing, revenue notes, standalone TIF revenue bonds, and TIF bonds combined with or enhanced by other funding sources. This session will cover how to establish special assessment districts for additional financing.
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Tue 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM |
The Most Overlooked TIF Element: Addressing Buy-in Public Policy
TIF is designed to be a tool that facilitates both physical and economic improvements that combat blight and disinvestment and support community revitalization. TIF is a taxpayer-funded tool that impacts the local development landscape, TIF requires community input and political support, both of which are critical to a TIF program’s success and all-too-often overlooked. This session explains how cities should engage and incorporate input from citizens, business owners, school districts, and neighboring or overlapping jurisdictions as they design and administer TIF programs.
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Tue 5:00 PM |
Adjourn
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Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Wed 12:00 PM - 12:15 PM |
Revisiting Day 1
Day 2 will begin with a review of key takeaways from Day 1 and the agenda for the second half of the course.
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Wed 12:15 PM - 2:00 PM |
The Basics of TIF Underwriting & Deal Making
Underwriting and structuring are critical elements of TIF transactions and may have significant effects on the project’s chances of success. Due to TIF’s role as a public financing source, the underwriting process can become heavily intertwined with public decision-making about TIF projects. The speakers will provide an introduction to the three main components of TIF underwriting: market analysis, TIF revenue projections, and financial feasibility/”gap” analysis. They will also discuss core elements of a TIF deal, including term sheets, deal components, and development agreements.
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Wed 2:00 PM - 2:15 PM |
Break
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Wed 2:15 PM - 3:30 PM |
Understanding TIF Bond Financing
TIF bonds are one of the core methods by which TIF revenue streams are monetized to fund project costs. This session will cover the process and mechanics associated with these types of bonds and the various considerations around how and when to bond. Speakers will discuss changing market dynamics for TIF bonds and the key characteristics that make a TIF bond marketable.
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Wed 3:30 PM - 3:45 PM |
Break
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Wed 3:45 PM - 5:00 PM |
Combining & Leveraging TIF with Other Tools
During this session, attendees will learn how TIF may be paired with other complementary financing mechanisms to solve difficult gap financing challenges and improve project feasibility. Across the country, communities are reinforcing TIF districts with special assessments and combining TIF with tax credits, tax-exempt bonds, subordinate loan programs, and other federal tools. Speakers will discuss the creative ways to use TIF and how to facilitate successful financing of high-impact revitalization projects.
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Wed 5:00 PM |
Adjourn
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-Location
The Intro Tax Increment Finance Course will take place on Zoom. The course will meet each day from 12:00-5:00 PM Eastern. Attendees must have access to a computer and the internet to attend the course.
-Registration
This training course qualifies for the CDFA Training Institute's
Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) Program. Start down the road to personal and professional advancement today.
Scholarships are available to attend this event. Learn more about the
CDFA Scholarship Program,
and submit your application today.
Please note that the application deadline is two weeks prior to the course start date.
CDFA permits only one person to log in and participate in the course. If multiple people are accessing the course without paying to attend, we will terminate the connection and access. CDFA offers group discounts for organizations that wish to register multiple people.
CDFA Member: $500
Non-Member: $825
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CDFA Member: $625
Non-Member: $950
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Register