Welcome to the Finance Fund Blog!Last week I attended the CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) Institute held in Washington, DC. The Institute is “the” meeting for the various parts of the CDFI industry. It is put on by the CDFI Coalition which provides opportunity for CDFIs and their many partners, including the full spectrum of community development finance funders and [...]
Adversity is the first path to truth. (Lord Byron)
In the midst of clamor, distress, insecurity, and despair, 2009 was a good year for Finance Fund though it was, by most accounts, unique and demanding. William Shakespeare said “Is it not strange that desire should so many years outlive performance?” If 2009 were to judge us [...]
This is a pretty important day in the history of Finance Fund. We learned this morning that we have been awarded $50 million in New Markets Tax Credits from the CDFI Fund in the U.S. Department of Treasury. The funding will be used to offer low-interest financing for projects that revitalize both urban and rural low-income [...]
He does exist! I’m back from DC and am pleased with our activities while there.
The week included two NMTC conferences (Novogradac and NMTC Coalition), a NMTC Coalition Board meeting, a couple of media interviews (Cleveland Plain Dealer and Wall Street Journal), a panel presentation at the Coalition conference, a fundraising breakfast with Rep. Richard [...]
As my week in DC is winding up I wanted to share some exciting information with you.
The morning of June 17th, I sat eagerly listening to Chairman Bernanke give a speech that substantially focused on Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI). Please check out the Chairman’s speech, as he gives his thoughts about CDFI lenders and [...]
I begin today with two days at the Novogradic New Markets Tax Credit Conference talking about current hot button issues in the industry.
The most prevalent is the recently release GAO report “Minority Entities Are Less Successful in Obtaining Awards Than Non-Minority Entities” that attempts to identify reasons for the lack of success. I have some [...]
In yesterday’s USA Today, this story appeared. It is worth sharing in full.
Stimulus money gives a boost to small start-ups
By Sue Kirchhoff, USA TODAY
LANCASTER, Pa. — The Community First Fund has spent 17 years proving that lending to poor people is good business. It may soon get millions of dollars in fresh capital to help [...]
I like my chair and have had it for some time. It wasn’t a frivolous acquisition but took a good deal of forethought and decisive action to obtain. It sits in a sunny area of the back room of my home and is perfect for relaxing and reading. Though it is appropriately worn, it fits [...]
Every few years Finance Fund has taken an informal look at the “Low Income Community” market by soliciting input from groups of stakeholders and using the information to inform strategies, work planning, and product development. The drive is to always play to what the market needs and tailor resource offerings around that center.
With the implementation [...]
Media around the world is focused on the U.S bail out. I know this as
a fact, sitting in a hotel room in Venice hearing CNN, CNBC, BBC, &
SKY News spend significant time on bonuses paid with stimulus money.
In the Congress we now have hearings on who knew what about who all of
which I tend to [...]