Council of Development Finance Agencies

What Council of Development Finance Agencies does

The Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA), founded in 1982 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, is a national nonprofit membership association that serves as the central knowledge, networking, and advocacy platform for U.S. development finance agencies and practitioners. Its primary members are state and local development finance agencies, supplemented by federal agency partners (USDA, DOE, HUD, EPA, SBA), private capital providers, and economic development professionals. CDFA operates a platform-plus-modules architecture anchored by three core assets: the Federal Financing Clearinghouse, which catalogs more than 200 federal financing programs across 16 federal departments and 4 regional commissions; the CDFA Training Institute, which delivers introductory and advanced courses across bond finance, tax increment finance, tax credits, revolving loan funds, brownfields, opportunity zones, P3, and other instruments; and the Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) certification program.

Revenue flows through five interconnected streams: recurring annual membership dues (the largest and most stable), training and education fees (Summer Institute member rates from $500 versus non-member $825; standard rates $625 versus $950), publications and reference guides sold through the CDFA bookstore in print and eBook format, corporate sponsorship across tiered programs (President's Club, National, State) anchored by financial services firms such as BNY, CohnReznick, KeyBanc Capital Markets, Stifel Nicolaus, Wells Fargo Securities, and event registration for the annual National Development Finance Summit and other conferences. Distribution is direct-to-buyer via cdfa.net, the bookstore e-commerce storefront, and Zoom-delivered events; an active LinkedIn presence and ten-plus topic-specialized email newsletters (Bonds, Brownfields, TIF, Tax Credits, Opportunity Zones, SSBCI, etc.) drive top-of-funnel demand.

CDFA extends its reach through tiered partnerships: a core co-marketing relationship with BNY Mellon on the CDFA // BNY Development Finance Webcast Series, a Bricker Graydon LLP legal webinar series, and substantive collaborations with the U.S. Department of Energy (including authoring the Energy Investment Partnerships Guide for DOE) and the EPA, USDA, SBA, and HUD. In 2026 the organization expanded into fee-for-service advisory with the LIFT Program (in collaboration with ArkP3) and stepped into legislative advocacy via the introduction of the bipartisan Modernizing Agricultural and Manufacturing Bonds Act (H.R.9100).

Name

Council of Development Finance Agencies

Legal name

Council of Development Finance Agencies

Website

https://cdfa.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) is a national nonprofit membership association, founded in 1982, that provides education, certification, federal program intelligence, and networking services to state, local, and federal development finance agencies and economic development professionals across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: CDFA operates on a membership model with annual dues. Membership provides access to exclusive resources, the Federal Financing Clearinghouse, SSBCI Coalition meetings, member-only content, and discounts on training and events. The organization states it houses the largest collection of development finance resources in the world for its members.
2. Training and Education: CDFA generates revenue through its Training Institute, which offers introductory and advanced courses on development finance topics including bond finance, tax increment finance, tax credit finance, revolving loan funds, brownfields finance, and more. Courses are offered in-person at events like the Summer Institute and through self-paced online formats. Pricing varies between CDFA members and non-members.
3. Publications and Bookstore: CDFA sells publications including reference guides, practice guides, and study materials through its bookstore. Publications are available in both print and eBook formats. Examples include the Bond Finance Reference Guide, Tax Increment Finance Best Practices Reference Guide, and the Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) Study Pack.
4. Sponsorship: CDFA offers sponsorship opportunities including the President's Club membership, National Sponsorship, and State Sponsorship tiers. President's Club members include BNY, CohnReznick, Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, KeyBanc Capital Markets, Stifel Nicolaus, and other financial services firms.
5. Event Registration: CDFA charges registration fees for events including the annual National Development Finance Summit (November 18-20, 2026 in Savannah, GA) and the CDFA Summer Institute (August 24-28, 2026). Early bird and standard rates are available with member and non-member pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CDFA is a national nonprofit membership association founded in 1982 that provides education, training, advocacy, and resources to development finance agencies and professionals across the United States. It operates the largest collection of development finance resources, offers the Certified Development Finance Professional (CDFP) certification program, manages the SSBCI Coalition, and delivers technical assistance programs such as the Brownfields TAP.

Product overview

The Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) is a membership organization that serves as a central hub for development finance knowledge, networks, and innovation. CDFA operates as a platform-plus-modules architecture centered around its Federal Financing Clearinghouse (cataloging 200+ federal financing programs), the CDFA Training Institute (offering courses in bonds, TIF, tax credits, RLFs, and more), and the Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) Program. These core offerings are augmented by supplementary modules including webcasts (CDFA // BNY Mellon Webcast Series), the CDFA Bookstore (publications and reference guides), the SSBCI Coalition community, the CDFA Summer Institute intensive training, the CDFA National Development Finance Summit, Brownfields Technical Assistance Program, CDFA Food Finance Portal, CDFA Opportunity Zones Hub, CDFA Scholarships, newsletters (Development Finance Review Weekly), and the Online Resource Database. CDFA also provides advisory services and the LIFT Program for Revolving Loan Fund consulting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CDFA Foundation: The CDFA Foundation supports the mission of the Council of Development Finance Agencies.
• CDFA Training Institute
• Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) Program
• SSBCI Coalition
• CDFA Summer Institute
• National Development Finance Summit

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BNY MelloncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBNY Mellon partners with CDFA on the CDFA // BNY Development Finance Webcast Series, providing educational content on development finance topics to members and professionals. This is an ongoing partnership delivering regular webinar content to the development finance community.
• Bricker Graydon LLPminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBricker Graydon LLP participates in the CDFA-Bricker Graydon Webinar Series, providing educational content on legal aspects of development finance.
• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDFA partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy to produce the Energy Investment Partnerships Webinar Series and accompanying fact sheets examining how state and local governments can leverage private capital to drive clean energy investment. CDFA authored the Energy Investment Partnerships Guide for DOE.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDFA supports EPA programs by providing resources and training related to brownfields redevelopment and environmental financing through its resource centers and educational programs.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDFA provides information and resources about USDA rural development financing programs through its Federal Financing Clearinghouse and resource centers.
• U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDFA provides information about SBA financing programs including the 7(a) Loan Program through its Federal Financing Clearinghouse.
• U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDFA provides resources and training related to HUD programs including CDBG, HOME Investment Partnerships, and housing finance through its resource centers.
• CDFA President's Club MembersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresident's Club members are corporate sponsors including BNY, CohnReznick, Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, KeyBanc Capital Markets, Stifel Nicolaus, Wells Fargo Securities, and others. They support CDFA programs and gain visibility with the development finance community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• The Bond Buyer:
• Bricker & Eckler LLP / Bricker Graydon LLP: Listed as a CDFA partner delivering the CDFA-Bricker Graydon Webinar Series on legal aspects of development finance. Adjacent ecosystem participant — a law firm that itself publishes development-finance content and competes for practitioner mindshare.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Counties (NACo): NACo is a large national association for county governments, providing legislative advocacy, training, and publications. Comparable nonprofit association structure and overlap with county-level CDFA members.
• Council of State Governments (CSG): CSG is a larger, broader nonprofit serving all three branches of state government with policy research, training, and convenings. While not focused exclusively on development finance, it serves overlapping state-government decision-makers and operates a similar membership model.
• National League of Cities (NLC): NLC is a major membership association representing municipal governments with training, advocacy, and resources. It overlaps with CDFA's local-government member base and competes for the same training and event sponsorship dollars from financial-services sponsors.

Direct peers

• Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA): GFOA is a national membership association for state and local government finance officers, offering training, certification (CPFO), publications, and best-practice resources. It is the closest analog to CDFA in mission, member base, and revenue model within public finance.
• International Economic Development Council (IEDC): IEDC is the largest membership association for economic developers, offering training, certification (CEcD), publications, and conferences. Highly comparable in business model — training + certification + events — and adjacent in member overlap with CDFA.
• National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA): NCSHA is a membership organization for state housing finance agencies, providing advocacy, education, and publications. It overlaps with CDFA's housing finance training and federal program coverage (e.g., HUD programs), serving a closely related member audience.
• National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO): NASBO serves state budget officers through research, publications, and peer learning — operating with a similar nonprofit membership model focused on public-sector finance professionals. Highly comparable membership and content monetization structure.
• National Association of Development Companies (NADCO): NADCO represents the nationwide network of Certified Development Companies that deliver SBA 504 loans — directly overlapping CDFA's development finance mission and member base. Same nonprofit trade-association model serving similar DFAs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/council-of-development-finance-agencies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Council of Development Finance Agencies