Opportunity Finance Network

05/29/2026

05/27/2026

Almost every business in America is small. In fact, 99.9% of them fit the bill—and these small businesses are uplifting and transforming the nation’s economy. They employ 62.3 million people, and their economic activity accounts for 43.5% of our GDP.

At OFN, we know supporting these small businesses means providing flexible funding, business coaching, and technical expertise when they need it. Our member CDFIs are doing that every day, creating paths to capital that allow entrepreneurs to thrive.

Next month, this influential group will come together for our Small Business Finance Forum to talk about serving small businesses, navigating difficult moments with them, and exploring current trends.

Learn more and register here: https://www.ofn.org/blog/register-for-ofns-2026-small-business-finance-forum-in-austin-tx/

05/26/2026

Earlier this month, OFN hosted its 2026 Northeast Regional Meeting in New York City—bringing together more than 100 attendees from across the Northeast to connect, learn, and share what's working on the ground.

From climate lending to career technical education funds to new database investments, OFN members are finding creative ways to meet community needs.

Read the full recap to see the ideas and conversations that came out of the day: https://www.ofn.org/blog/ofn-northeast-regional-meeting-recap/

05/22/2026

What does five years of sector-by-sector data reveal about CDFI member loan funds?
OFN’s new CDFI Research Update: Sector Trends in OFN Member Loan Fund Lending (2020–2024) finds that members across affordable housing, community and commercial, and small business lending sectors continued to grow and stabilize in 2024—even while managing elevated borrower stress and serving diverse community needs.
The findings offer important context for where members stood before 2025.
Read the full update here: https://www.ofn.org/cdfi-research-update-sector-trends-in-ofn-member-loan-fund-lending/

05/21/2026

When Cedar Falls Mobile Home Park in Bangor, Maine, came up for sale, the community was concerned. They wanted to avoid a private-equity acquisition and maintain their affordable housing.

With the help of Genesis Community Loan Fund, a CDFI experienced in supporting housing infrastructure, the group formed a cooperative and outbid a private investor. The win preserved affordable housing for 130 families and created new space for 28 more.

This is how flexible, responsible capital and long-term investment help communities grow, and economies thrive—and it’s an expertise our members demonstrate again and again.

Read the story: https://www.ofn.org/impact-stories/unlocking-ownership-how-resident-ownership-of-mobile-home-communities-demonstrates-the-high-return-of-federal-investment/

05/21/2026

What does it actually take to advance a new idea inside a CDFI—not just develop the concept, but scope it, test it, and make room for it while everything else is still demanding your attention?

That's the conversation we're having Tuesday, May 26 at 2 p.m. ET.

Leaders from Northern Initiatives, Impact Ventures, and Next Street spent six months in OFN's CDFI Capital Solutions Accelerator working to unlock new sources of capital for the field—and they're being candid about what worked, what didn't, and what they'd do differently.

If you're in community development finance and trying to move something forward at your organization, this webinar is for you.

Register here:

Building something new is hard—especially inside an organization already running at full capacity. How do you make space for a new idea? How do you scope a pilot without losing momentum? How do you test your assumptions before you've committed too much? In this webinar, three organizations from OF...

05/19/2026

Hampton Roads, Virginia, needs roughly 50,000 additional units to meet demand. In the Daily Press, Jane Ferrara of Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) laid out a regional path forward, and her three-step plan describes the work our network does every day:

Build a strong pipeline of affordable housing developers. Our member CDFIs provide the patient capital and technical assistance that pipeline depends on.

Rethink the vision for affordable housing. Mixed-income and mixed-use developments build resilient communities, reduce transportation costs, and expand school access. CDFIs finance this vision.

Align leadership with capital partners. Land contributions, zoning, streamlined approvals, and CDFI financing move these from plans to reality.

Read Jane’s column during this Affordable Housing Month: https://www.dailypress.com/2026/04/25/a-regional-path-forward-advancing-affordable-housing-in-hampton-roads-expert-column/

05/15/2026

New research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland documents the impact of CDFIs, and it aligns with what our network has long known. The flexible underwriting, long-term capital, and technical assistance that our members provide turn loans into business outcomes for borrowers often overlooked by traditional finance.

The Fed calls CDFIs “critical connectors in the financial ecosystem.” We agree. At OFN, we call it Capital Plus: financing paired with the coaching, education, and trusted relationships that build lasting financial health.

Read the full report: https://www.clevelandfed.org/publications/cd-reports/2026/20260414-how-cdfis-support-community-and-economic-development