OFN42 is one week away. 2,000+ CDFI leaders. 125+ sessions. 14 tracks. One city: New Orleans. ⚜️ If there’s someone you’ve been meaning to meet, they’ll be there. Last call to register: ofnconference.org/event/1704… #OFN42 #CDFI

Save the dates: #OFN43 heads to Houston Oct. 26-29, 2027, and the Small Business Finance Forum comes to Austin June 23-25. Plus, 5 summits and 5 regional meetings across the country. View the full lineup: ofn.org/blog/save-the-dates-… #CDFI #CommunityDevelopment #OFN43

CDFIs remain resilient—but the pressures they face are becoming more interconnected. OFN’s 2026 Annual Portfolio Performance & Trends Review, based on responses from 158 OFN borrowers, examines capital access, lending demand, portfolio quality, financial sustainability, liquidity, and organizational risk. Key findings: • 61% reported increased lending demand • More than 50% reported increasing delinquencies • 79% reported 6+ months of operating liquidity • 82% of those seeking new debt financing closed a transaction • 65% identified federal public policy among their top 3 organizational risks Read the full report:cdficonnect.org/ofnresources…

Mergers, coalitions, and other forms of integration across organizations have helped CDFIs cut administrative costs, coordinate lending, and present the scale investors respond to. The scan is honest about the tradeoffs—integration is disruptive and isn't right for everyone—and points to the industry examples that got it right. Week 11 of 13. Read the scan: ofn.org/innovation-initiativ…

OFN welcomes the CDFI Fund's release of $289M in FY 2025 awards, helping CDFIs finance small businesses, housing, and community facilities nationwide. Read the statement ofn.org/news/ofn-statement-o…

Join more than 2,100 community development finance professionals in New Orleans for the conversations, connections, and ideas shaping the future of the field. With 100+ sessions across 14 tracks, there will be plenty to learn in the rooms—and, as always, plenty to learn from each other over coffee, at receptions, and throughout the week. Register today! ofnconference.org/event/1704…

Most CDFIs hold every loan to term—capital that could be lent twice works once. Secondary markets change the math: sell portions of a portfolio, recycle the proceeds into new loans, meet more demand with the same balance sheet. Recent transactions demonstrate that it may work for CDFIs; the path runs through standardization and the right market infrastructure. Week 10 of 13. Read the scan: ofn.org/innovation-initiativ…

This year's compensation numbers are in! OFN's 2026 CDFI Loan Fund Compensation Survey Report, developed in partnership with Quatt Associates, is now available for purchase and download. The report benchmarks pay for sixty-nine positions across 174 CDFI loan funds nationwide—giving mission-driven lenders the data they need to attract, reward, and retain the people behind their work. Get your copy: ofn.org/product/2026-cdfi-lo…

What does it look like when CDFIs meet capital markets on their own terms? Preferred equity: investors provide equity that supports additional lending in exchange for a fixed dividend on pooled loans. Aggregation platforms bring the scale and performance history investors look for. It's diversification, liquidity, and resilience—built in partnership with the market. "Innovations in preferred equity structures offer a promising solution to unlocking the power of the nonprofit structure for CDFIs; with a stronger net asset base, CDFIs will have the balance sheet resilience to increase lending, drive earnings, and grow sustainably which translates into more impact in our communities," says Jessel Amin, Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer at OFN. Week 9 of 13. Read the scan: ofn.org/innovation-initiativ…

What would your CDFI do in the first 72 hours after a disaster? Join OFN Sept. 29, 2–3 p.m. ET, for CDFI Disaster Readiness: The First 30 Days. Hear from CDFI leaders, explore real-world response strategies, and take an interactive readiness assessment. Register: ofn-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi… #CDFIs #DisasterReadiness

Build a stronger capital strategy at #OFN42. Explore sessions on capitalization roadmaps, investor relationships, capital agreements, equity capital, new funding sources, public capital markets, and more. Join us in New Orleans, Oct 20-23. ofnconference.org/event/1704…? _gl=1*1t66ol*_ga*NjM3OTE3MTQ0LjE3ODg4OTkwODE.*_ga_XJR7QDGHSL*czE3ODk2NTc4NzckbzkkZzAkdDE3ODk2NTc4NzckajYwJGwwJGgw

When disaster hits, recovery capital is often slowest to reach the communities that need it most. CDFIs are already on the ground with deep local ties—a centralized Disaster Recovery Loan Fund and Relief Hub would keep them operating through the crisis and move recovery dollars faster, without every CDFI building costly emergency infrastructure alone. September is National Preparedness Month; readiness is infrastructure too. Week 8 of 13. Read the scan: ofn.org/innovation-initiativ…

Could a community facility loan be divided into shares investors buy? Tokenization would create digital representations of real-world assets, letting CDFIs sell portions of asset-backed portfolios—commercial real estate, housing, community facilities—to a broader base of investors, and recycle that capital into new lending. The technology asks a lot up front; the liquidity potential is real. Week 7 of 13. Read the scan: ofn.org/innovation-initiativ…

OFN42 is coming October 20–23, and if you’ve been waiting to register, now’s the time. Early-bird pricing ends Friday, Sept. 11. This isn’t just four days of conference sessions. It’s an opportunity to learn, connect, celebrate, and get a firsthand look at the work happening across the CDFI industry. We’ve got an agenda full of exciting ideas to explore, with over 100 sessions and more than 30 networking opportunities. Don’t miss your chance to save—and to be part of OFN42. ofn.org/blog/opportunity-nex…

CDFIs drive mission impact in communities. However, the industry lacks a one shared way to measure that impact. A unified, CDFI-specific impact measurement framework—flexible across sectors, sizes, and geographies, and practical enough for any CDFI to adopt—would give investors, funders, and policymakers a common language for what this capital achieves. "CDFIs’ deep responsiveness to community needs is a defining strength. A common impact framework can help translate that localized work into shared evidence and a clearer, more aligned story of industry-wide impact, while respecting sector and regional differences," says Erick Montenegro, VP of Evaluation and Impact Measurement at OFN. Week 6 of 13. Read the scan: ofn.org/innovation-initiativ… This topic will be explored as part of the third annual CDFI Research Symposium on October 20 at #OFN42. Register today! ofn.org/ofn-conference

OFN has launched the Financial Product Lab, deploying up to $1.05M to help 7 CDFIs build new small-business lending products—from AI-supported underwriting to flexible repayment structures. Meet the cohort: ofn.org/blog/announcing-the-…

On Oct. 20, the third annual CDFI Research Symposium comes to New Orleans alongside #OFN42. Researchers, funders, and policymakers will explore CDFI growth, housing finance and outcomes evaluations. More: ofn.org/blog/building-the-ev…

Today, OFN released a statement congratulating Chris Miller on his appointment as Director of the CDFI Fund. CDFIs are an essential, proven part of America’s financial system, financing small businesses, affordable housing, childcare centers, community facilities, and local infrastructure that help communities grow. “Chris’ firsthand experience working within a CDFI gives him an important understanding of how these institutions put capital to work financing businesses, creating jobs, strengthening local economies and expanding opportunities in communities across the country,” said OFN President and CEO Harold Pettigrew. OFN also thanks Deputy Assistant Secretary Alexandria Smith for her leadership of the CDFI Fund as Interim Director during an important period for the industry. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Alexandria and working with Chris and the entire CDFI Fund team to strengthen CDFIs and expand the flow of capital to communities across America. Read the full statement: ofn.org/news/ofn-statement-o… #CDFI #CDFIFund #CommunityDevelopment

Every dollar lost to fraud is a dollar that never reaches a borrower. Like all lenders, CDFIs likely face rising rates of identity theft and falsified documentation—and tools that catch it can also replace slow manual checks, freeing staff capacity for the relationship-based lending CDFIs do best. Stronger controls, greater trust, more capital delivered. Week 5 of 13. Read the scan: ofn.org/innovation-initiativ…

OFN is expanding our CDFI Executive Board Training designed specifically for CDFI boards, advisory boards, investment committees, and other governing bodies. From CDFI 101 to capitalization strategy to succession planning, learn more about the range of customizable offerings here: ofn.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/… #CDFI #BoardDevelopment #OFN