-Overview
The Fundamentals of Economic Development Finance Course is the foundation for all of CDFA’s educational offerings. This course will help attendees understand the variety of development finance tools available including bonds, tax credits, tax increment financing (TIF), RLFs, and access to capital lending resources.
The Fundamentals of Economic Development Finance Course is based on CDFA's Practitioner's Guide to Economic Development Finance, the only comprehensive reference guide dedicated to building and utilizing the development finance toolbox. The Practitioner’s Guide to Economic Development Finance provides the insight and practical information needed to critically understand how economic development is financed and the tools, strategies, and techniques used to build strong communities.
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 fundamentals of development finance
- Interact with leading development finance professionals from around the country
- Discuss best practices and case studies that can be implemented in your community
- Gain a greater understanding of the diversity of development finance tools
- Establish a foundation for attending future in-depth financing courses
- Receive a copy of the Practitioner's Guide to Economic Development Finance
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Topics Covered
- Understanding development finance
- The financing spectrum
- Building the development finance toolbox
- Bedrock tools: bonds and the basics of public finance
- Targeted tools: tax increment and special district financing
- Investment tools: tax credit programs
- Access to capital lending tools: revolving loan and mezzanine funds, loan guarantee, innovation finance, and microenterprise programs
- Implementing the toolbox approach
- Trends in development finance
- Development finance challenges and policy considerations
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Who Should Attend?
- Bond Issuers
- Economic Development Professionals
- Community Development Professionals
- Broker/Dealers and Underwriters
- Elected Officials
- Government and Nonprofit Finance Officers
- Attorneys
- Accountants
- Financial Advisors
- Policy Makers
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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 entities. Members are state, county and municipal development finance agencies and authorities that provide or otherwise support economic development financing programs. Mr. Rittner runs the day-to-day operations of the Council including the organization’s various educational, advocacy, research, resources and networking initiatives.
Rittner is one of the most vocal and recognized leaders of the development finance industry nationwide and has advised state and federal government leaders, including President Biden and President Obama’s Administration Transition Teams, 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.
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 both 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 teaching planning and finance for sustainable economic development. He is also a Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) and has completed the prestigious Oxford University Sustainable Finance Foundation Course.
Prior to joining CDFA, Mr. Rittner was the Director of Legislative Affairs for the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). Mr. Rittner has also worked for the Franklin County, Ohio Board of Commissioners and the City of Gahanna, Ohio. 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
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Wed 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 Fundamentals of Economic Development Finance WebCourse.
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Wed 12:15 PM - 1:15 PM |
Understanding Development Finance & the Toolbox Approach
This session will set the stage for attendees to build their core knowledge of the roots and basic principles of development finance. Attendees will learn about the fundamental concepts of building a comprehensive financing strategy.
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Wed 1:15 PM - 3:00 PM |
Bedrock Tools
Bonds are the bedrock of development finance and are the cornerstone of most development finance projects. This session will address the basics of bond finance including the various types of bonds, what bonds can finance, how bonds are issued, and important legal elements to be considered.
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Wed 3:00 PM - 3:15 PM |
Break
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Wed 3:15 PM - 5:00 PM |
Targeted Tools
Targeted financing programs are the most popular form of development finance. Attendees will learn the basics of several financing tools including tax increment financing, special improvement districts/business improvement districts, special assessment districts, and tax abatements as well as how they can be used to meet economic development goals and objectives.
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Wed 5:00 PM |
Adjourn
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Thursday, January 25, 2024
Thu 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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Thu 12:15 PM - 2:15 PM |
Investment Tools
In this session, attendees will learn about the investment tools available for catalyzing job growth, real estate development, community revitalization, and entrepreneurial development. Presentations will cover several highly successful federal tax credit programs and how to effectively apply these programs to development opportunities.
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Thu 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM |
Break
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Thu 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM |
Access to Capital Tools
Important components in any development finance toolbox are tools that address access to capital concerns such as revolving loan funds, mezzanine finance, credit enhancement models, linked deposit programs, and loan guarantee programs. Speakers will discuss the use of innovation finance mechanisms such as seed, venture, and angel funds for encouraging local growth.
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Thu 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM |
Implementing the Development Finance Toolbox
Development finance agencies throughout the country are implementing the toolbox approach. This final session of the course will focus on case study examples of successful agencies utilizing the toolbox model and strategies for putting the toolbox in place at your agency.
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Thu 5:00 PM |
Adjourn
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-Location
The Fundamentals of Economic Development 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.
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.
Register by January 5, 2024 for Early Bird Rates.
CDFA Member: $550
Non-Member: $825
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CDFA Member: $600
Non-Member: $875
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Register