Low Income Investment Fund

What Low Income Investment Fund does

Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) is a nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI) founded in 1984 and headquartered in San Francisco, with regional offices in Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., and Atlanta. The organization mobilizes capital and partnerships to finance affordable housing, early care and education (ECE) facilities, charter schools, federally qualified health centers, and other community facilities serving low-income communities, primarily in the United States. As of June 30, 2025, LIIF reports $3.9 billion invested cumulatively since inception, serving 2.6 million people, and is 77% of the way toward a $5 billion 2020-2030 investment goal.

Name

Low Income Investment Fund

Legal name

Low Income Investment Fund

Website

https://liifund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Low Income Investment Fund is a nonprofit CDFI founded in 1984 that provides flexible loans, New Markets Tax Credits, and grants to finance affordable housing, early care and education, charter schools, and community facilities in low-income U.S. communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Finance

NAICS

Other Financial Vehicles (52599)

akta.pro primary industry

Impact Investing & Social Finance (Funds, CDFIs, Microfinance) (BPAGALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Affordable Rental & Multifamily Housing Finance Programs (LIHTC/Tax Credits/Subsidized Loans) (FSALAKAF), Community Development & Affordable Housing Funds (FSANAJAK), Development Finance & Blended Finance Facilities (BPADAOAD)

Keywords

• Community development finance
• Affordable housing lending
• New markets tax credits
• Early care education financing
• Community facilities lending

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Lending Interest Income: LIIF provides loans to affordable housing developers, ECE providers, charter schools, and community facilities. Revenue is generated through interest on loans and lending fees.
2. Fund Management: LIIF manages funds such as the Brighter Futures Fund (BFF) in partnership with Goldman Sachs, providing fund management services for ECE facilities financing.
3. Grants and Technical Assistance: LIIF provides grants and technical assistance to community facilities and ECE providers, often in partnership with government agencies like California for the Infrastructure Grant Program.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) is a nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI) that mobilizes capital and partnerships to provide flexible, below-market financing for affordable housing developers, early care and education providers, charter schools, federally qualified health centers, and other community facilities serving low-income communities. Its core offerings include real estate lending tools (construction, acquisition, predevelopment, mini-perm, leasehold, permanent loans), New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation with over $500M in authority, the Brighter Futures Fund ($20M partnership with Goldman Sachs), Capital Magnet Fund, CDFI Bond Guarantee Program, and LIHTC-NAHT, complemented by grants and technical assistance.

Product overview

Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) is a nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI) that mobilizes capital to expand access to funding for affordable housing, early care and education, and community facilities. The organization operates a multi-product lending platform centered on flexible financing tools including real estate lending, New Markets Tax Credits (over $500M allocation authority), the Brighter Futures Fund ($20M partnership with Goldman Sachs for child care facilities), Charter School Financing (up to $16M per project), Capital Magnet Fund, and CDFI Bond Guarantee Program. LIIF also provides direct lending products including acquisition loans, predevelopment loans, and Equity with a Twist loans. The portfolio spans 16 states with financing for 220 schools and 110,000 seats, and $3.9 billion invested in communities since 1984, serving 2.6 million people. The company drives a strategic goal of $5 billion in investments (2020-2030).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lending Tools Comprehensive real estate lending products for affordable housing, early care and education, and community facilities, including construction loans, mini-perm loans, acquisition loans, leasehold loans, and permanent financing offered to mission-driven developers and providers.
• New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) Below-market rate, patient financing for community facility projects in underserved, low-income neighborhoods, with LIIF holding over $500 million in allocation authority deployed through qualifying community development entities.
• Brighter Futures Fund (BFF) Financing program in partnership with Goldman Sachs to create and preserve child care facilities, with priority for facilities co-located with affordable housing, deploying $20 million in low-cost loans with grants and technical assistance.
• Charter School Financing Financing up to $16 million per project for charter schools including acquisition, construction, mini-permanent, permanent, and leasehold loans, with credit enhancement through U.S. Department of Education awards.
• Community Facilities Financing Flexible capital for community facilities including charter schools, early care and education facilities, and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) serving low-income communities.
• Capital Magnet Fund (CMF) Flexible financing administered by the CDFI Fund to increase affordable housing opportunities and economic development in low-income communities through acquisition, rehabilitation, and preservation activities.
• CDFI Bond Guarantee Program Up to 30-year long-term financing at affordable rates for affordable housing and community development projects, leveraging federal bonds for economic growth in under-resourced communities.
• National Funds Multi-investor investment funds that pool capital for deployment across LIIF's focus areas, including affordable housing and community development nationwide.
• Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) - NAHT Tax credit financing through the National Affordable Housing Trust (NAHT) for affordable housing development and preservation, delivered through LIIF's joint venture with SAHF.
• Early Care and Education (ECE) Lending Grants and technical assistance plus affordable, flexible capital loans for child care operators acquiring, developing, or renovating licensed child care centers in economically distressed communities, often paired with 75+ hours of ECE technical support.
• Department of Education Credit Enhancement for Charter Schools Federal grants to enhance charter school credit for facility acquisition, construction, and renovation at reasonable cost, layered with LIIF's charter school loan products.
• Equity with a Twist A 10-year, low-cost, enterprise-level investment product designed for community development projects, providing long-term, patient, subordinated capital.

Quantifiable outcome

• $3.9 billion invested in communities serving 2.6 million people as of June 30, 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic, mission-aligned joint venture partnership that strengthens LIIF's ability to build, protect, and preserve affordable homes and create communities of opportunity across the country.
• Reinvestment FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIIF and Reinvestment Fund jointly financed charter schools including Ethos Classical Charter School ($9.1M each) and other community facility projects through CDFI Racial Equity Collaborative.
• National Affordable Housing Trust (NAHT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIIF's joint venture with SAHF utilizes NAHT for LIHTC transactions in affordable housing projects like Villages of East River.
• Hope Federal Credit UnionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Fort Smith, Arkansas Community School of the Arts project; LIIF provided $7M participation in $15M loan led by Hope Federal Credit Union.
• Lift to RisemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWe Lift: The Coachella Valley's Housing Catalyst Fund partnership providing predevelopment loans for affordable housing in Coachella Valley.
• BuildUp OregonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with mission to preserve, improve and expand child care throughout Oregon state; LIIF serves as partner providing funding expertise.
• SF Recreation & Park DepartmentsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Connecting Children with Nature program creating green outdoor play spaces at San Francisco child care centers.
• Rebuilding Together SFsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Connecting Children with Nature program providing volunteer support for child care center outdoor space renovations.
• Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIIF administers OSSE's Access to Quality Child Care Grant program, providing grants to establish or expand child development facilities in Washington D.C.
• Early Years Climate Action Task ForcesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIIF Senior VP Angie Garling served as member of first-of-its-kind task force exploring climate change impact on young children.
• SHINE (Harris County)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIIF serves as facilities fund manager for SHINE, a $17.3M program focused on child care infrastructure in Harris County, Texas.
• Purpose Built CommunitiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPurpose Built Communities model guiding FCS's Brownsville Pointe project in Atlanta with three-pronged strategy for neighborhood-level impact.
• Alembic Community DevelopmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Wilcox Academy for affordable housing component of New Orleans co-location project.
• Volunteers of America TexasmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVOATX partnership in Harris County for SHINE Fund deployment and climate resilience work.
• Breaking GroundmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner converting historic Stewart Hotel into 550+ affordable apartments for low-income and formerly-homeless New Yorkers.
• Slate Property GroupmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProperty developer partner with Breaking Ground for Stewart Hotel conversion project.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Reinvestment Fund: A major nonprofit CDFI providing capital for affordable housing, charter schools, ECE, and community facilities, often co-financing deals with LIIF (e.g., Ethos Classical). Closest comparable in mission, product mix (NMTC, LIHTC, Charter School Financing), and geographic footprint.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): One of the largest U.S. CDFIs with a multi-product lending platform (NMTC, LIHTC, bridge loans, predevelopment) focused on affordable housing, education, and community facilities across dozens of cities. Directly comparable in scale, scope, and CDFI structure.
• Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit CDFI deploying NMTC, LIHTC, and debt capital for affordable housing and community development. Overlapping product set, borrower base, and federal program access make it a direct peer.
• Capital Impact Partners: Nonprofit CDFI providing NMTC, lending, and capacity-building for community development, with growing emphasis on ECE facilities financing. Closely comparable mission and product set to LIIF.
• Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF): Mission-aligned nonprofit affordable housing intermediary and LIIF's JV partner. Comparable in mission, deal sourcing, and LIHTC strategy, with overlapping capital deployment into affordable housing preservation.
• Self-Help / Center for Community Self-Help: CDFI family with deep charter school, ECE, and affordable housing lending. Overlapping borrower base (especially charter schools and ECE) and similar federal program utilization (CDFI Fund, NMTC).
• National Equity Fund (NEF): Major nonprofit LIHTC syndicator that partners with CDFIs and developers on affordable housing finance. Comparable in deploying federal tax credit capital and serving the same nonprofit developer ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Opportunity Finance Network (OFN): Trade and financing intermediary for the CDFI industry; not a direct lender to LIIF's borrowers but the largest umbrella organization for CDFIs, comparable in being part of the same federal program ecosystem.
• Grameen America: Nonprofit microfinance organization serving low-income entrepreneurs; a peer within the broader CDFI/impact finance ecosystem, though its product set (microloans) differs materially from LIIF's real-estate-heavy lending.

Regional players

• Coastal Enterprises Inc (CEI): Regional nonprofit CDFI operating primarily in rural New England with NMTC, small business, and affordable housing lending. Comparable CDFI model but different geographic focus than LIIF.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.liifund.org%2F2026%2F03%2F02%2Fliif-provides-8-9-million-in-acquisition-loans-to-spur-development-of-four-properties-in-greater-chalmette-louisiana%2F&title=LIIF+Provides+%248.9+Million+in+Acquisition+Loans+to+Spur+Development+of+Four+Properties+in+Greater+Chalmette%2C+Louisiana&source=https://www.liifund.org
• Xx.com/liifund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Low Income Investment Fund