Opportunity Finance Network

10/13/2026

Join us to do New Orleans, the way only CDFIs can do it.
kicks off one week from today, and here’s a preview of what’s in store:
Welcome Reception & Block Party: We start in the Expo Hall, then close Chartres Street for live music, local performers, palm and aura readings, and the city’s food and culture. Tuesday, Oct. 20, 5:30–8:30 p.m.
Live music at every plenary, lunch and afternoon break
CDFI in Action Tours at eight sites across the city. Slots are still available!
CDFI Marketplace: Shop skin care, artisanal food, local art and gifts from local entrepreneurs who are CDFI clients.
Opportunity Honors: Dance the night away with Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters. Thursday, Oct. 22, 6:30–9:30 p.m.
The people you want to see will be in New Orleans. Will you?

Register now

2026 OFN Conference

10/09/2026

Save the dates! Our 2027 events take us from Charleston to San Francisco, with OFN43 landing in Houston Oct. 26-29. Whether you're looking for our flagship conferences, a summit with peers in your role or a regional meeting close to home, there's a place for you. View the full lineup: https://www.ofn.org/blog/save-the-dates-ofns-2027-events/

Check out OFN’s upcoming 2026 events and training to learn, network, and collaborate with other mission-driven lenders.

10/06/2026

CDFIs continue to demonstrate resilience—but they’re navigating an increasingly complex financial and operating environment.
OFN’s 2026 Annual Portfolio Performance & Trends Review looks at what 158 OFN borrowers are experiencing across capital access, lending demand, portfolio quality, liquidity, financial sustainability, and organizational risk.
Among the key findings:
• 61% of respondents reported increased lending demand, while more than half reported increasing loan delinquencies.
• 82% of respondents who sought new debt financing successfully closed one or more transactions, but 49% said securing financing at reasonable terms had become more difficult.
• 79% reported at least six months of operating liquidity.
• Federal public policy uncertainty and limited grant funding emerged as the top organizational risks for 2026.
The findings show CDFIs continuing to adapt through funding and revenue diversification, active portfolio management, and forward-looking financial planning in an uncertain environment.
Read the full report and explore the data: https://www.cdficonnect.org/ofnresources/viewdocument/2026-annual-portfolio-performance-trends-review?CommunityKey=639ab37f-fff0-4977-884b-019d6efcb50a&tab=librarydocuments

10/05/2026

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: www.ofn.org/innovation-initiative-resources/mergers-integrations-and-coalitions

10/02/2026

Today, OFN released a statement following the U.S. Department of Treasury's announcement of FY 2025 awards through the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) and FY 2026 awards through the Bank Enterprise Award (BEA) and Small Dollar Loan (SDL) Programs.

The release of the full $289 million in FY 2025 CDFI Program and Native American CDFI Assistance (NACA) Program awards is an important step toward getting capital into communities that need it most. CDFIs use these resources to finance small businesses, affordable housing, community facilities, and local economic development in rural, urban, and Native communities across America.

This announcement reflects the sustained efforts of CDFIs, industry partners, investors, lenders, and bipartisan Congressional champions who worked to underscore the importance of these resources and the impact CDFIs deliver every day.

While this action provides greater clarity for CDFIs and their partners, OFN will continue to advocate for the timely release of FY 2026 funding and engage on additional administrative issues so communities, investors, and CDFIs can move forward with confidence.

Read the full statement: https://www.ofn.org/news/ofn-statement-on-release-of-cdfi-fund-awards/

10/01/2026

Our planning committees have spent the past several months thinking about the challenges CDFIs are navigating and the conversations that will be most useful to have together. We built this year’s program around Opportunity Next—where the field is headed, what’s changing, and what we can build together.
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.
Join more than 2,100 community development finance professionals in New Orleans for the conversations, connections, and ideas shaping the future of the field. Register today! https://www.ofnconference.org/event/1704d336-75ff-4b09-a6d9-e6b239d634c5/home

09/29/2026

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: www.ofn.org/innovation-initiative-resources/secondary-markets

09/25/2026

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: https://www.ofn.org/product/2026-cdfi-loan-fund-compensation-survey-report/

09/24/2026

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: https://www.ofn.org/innovation-initiative-resources/raising-preferred-equity-through-capital-markets/

09/23/2026

If a disaster happened tomorrow, would your CDFI know what to do first?

Join OFN on Tuesday, Sept. 29 from 2–3 p.m. ET for CDFI Disaster Readiness: The First 30 Days, a practical conversation about navigating the critical hours, days, and weeks after a disaster.

Hear firsthand from CDFI leaders about what they faced in the first 72 hours, how they prioritized decisions, and what helped them keep their organizations moving.

You’ll also take part in an interactive readiness assessment to help identify gaps in your own preparedness and explore ways to strengthen your business continuity plans.

Register Today: https://ofn-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hGTMmr0UT8eNulPtQ6bEkg #/registration