What Community Development Financial Institution does

The CDFI Coalition is a private nonprofit membership organization that serves as the unified policy and advocacy voice for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury CDFI Fund. Headquartered at 1155 15th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC, the coalition was established in the 1990s alongside the CDFI Fund (itself created in 1994) and represents hundreds of mission-driven CDFIs that, in aggregate, have deployed over $272 billion in financing since 2005 across all 50 states, every Congressional District, urban, rural, and tribal communities. Its core functional remit is appropriations advocacy for the CDFI Fund (requesting $324 million in FY27), publication of the annual CDFI Progress Report, maintenance of a 2,200+ story advocacy database organized by state and Congressional District, operation of the annual CDFI Coalition Institute in Washington DC, and dissemination of policy materials including state fact sheets, appropriations letters, and In-District Advocacy Toolkits.

The coalition's product surface is content-, research-, and event-driven rather than technology-driven. Its principal offerings include the 2026 CDFI Progress Report (sponsored by W.K. Kellogg Foundation), the CDFI Stories database, sixteen topic-area case study collections (credit unions, bank partnerships, manufacturing, housing supply, disaster recovery, rural development, tax credit financing, healthcare, Native CDFIs, etc.), the 2026 CDFI Coalition Institute held March 18-19 at Washington Plaza Hotel with JPMorgan Chase sponsorship, and the new CDFI Advocacy Map developed in partnership with CDFI Friendly America at a discounted $2,000 member rate. Technology components referenced are primarily third-party: the Treasury CDFI Fund's Awards Management Information System (AMIS) for Transaction Level Report (TLR) submission, geocoding templates, and the Target Market Calculator used by CDFIs for certification. The coalition's own infrastructure is a content website (cdfi.org), a member portal hosted via Vieth Consulting, and a video library of CDFI impact stories spanning over 20 years.

The coalition operates a nonprofit revenue model reliant on membership dues (not publicly disclosed), foundation grants (W.K. Kellogg Foundation as confirmed Progress Report sponsor), and corporate event sponsorships (JPMorgan Chase). Operations are effectively outsourced: Rapoza Associates, led by Bob Rapoza with Paul Anderson and Madison Smith, manages day-to-day coalition activities, while a Board of Directors provides governance. The organization employs 1-10 staff in the conventional sense and has demonstrated significant advocacy output — 180+ organizational signatures on its FY27 appropriations letter, 43 Senate signers, and 118 House members on FY26 letter — alongside a bipartisan Senate CDFI Caucus. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and there is no venture, private equity, or institutional investor ownership.

Name

Community Development Financial Institution

Legal name

CDFI Coalition

Website

https://cdfi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The CDFI Coalition is a nonprofit membership advocacy organization representing U.S. Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institutions. Headquartered in Washington, DC, it advocates for CDFI Fund appropriations, publishes the annual Progress Report, maintains a 2,200+ story database, and convenes the annual CDFI Coalition Institute.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The CDFI Coalition is a 501(c)(6) national membership trade association that advocates on behalf of certified Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) in federal policy. It publishes an annual CDFI Progress Report drawn from U.S. Treasury TLR data, maintains a database of CDFI success stories, and convenes the industry through the annual CDFI Coalition Institute.

Product overview

The CDFI Coalition operates as an advocacy organization (not a technology product company) providing a unified voice for community development financial institutions. Their offerings consist primarily of advocacy resources, research reports, and content databases rather than software products. The core resources include the annual CDFI Progress Report, a database of over 2,200 success stories organized by state and Congressional District, advocacy campaign materials including the In-District Advocacy Toolkit, case studies collection covering 16 topic areas (credit unions, banks, manufacturing, housing, disaster recovery, rural development, etc.), and the annual CDFI Coalition Institute conference. The coalition also provides policy resources such as state fact sheets, appropriations materials, and Congressional district data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CDFI Progress Report Annual research publication, built on U.S. Treasury TLR submissions, that quantifies certified CDFI award activity, capital leverage, and impact metrics for member CDFIs, policymakers, and stakeholders.
• CDFI Stories Database Curated online library of community development case studies and member success stories documenting how certified CDFIs deploy capital and services in LMI communities.
• CDFI Coalition Membership Annual membership program providing certified CDFIs and affiliate organizations with collective federal policy representation, access to the annual Progress Report and member resources, and participation in the annual Institute.

Quantifiable outcome

• CDFIs have provided more than $272 billion in financing nationwide since 2005
• +4 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rapoza AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRapoza Associates, led by Bob Rapoza and Madison Smith, manages the CDFI Coalition. Paul Anderson from Rapoza Associates presented the 2026 Progress Report at the annual Institute. The firm provides ongoing consulting, management, and strategic support to the coalition.
• CDFI Friendly AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDFI Friendly America is the developer of the CDFI Advocacy Map, a free interactive tool that maps CDFI lending across the U.S. at state, Congressional District, and State legislative district levels. CDFI Friendly America also offers custom mapping tools to CDFI Coalition members at a discounted rate of $2,000 (a $500 discount from standard pricing).
• Federal Reserve Bank of ClevelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland produced a research report examining how CDFIs support low- and moderate-income communities in ways that extend beyond direct investment, based on transaction-level data and interviews with 10 CDFI loan funds. This research is featured on the CDFI Coalition's blog as valuable reading for economic developers, lenders, and community development professionals.
• The Finest Federal Credit UnionminorOthersThe Finest Federal Credit Union, a certified CDFI since 2017, testified that without the CDFI program they could not lend to individuals who have difficulty getting funding, and many citizens in the weakest financial position would be underserved if the program were not funded.
• KRG ConsultingminorOthersKavita Raman of KRG Consulting testified that CDFIs provide critical support that empowers communities to thrive, noting that CDFIs bring capital that leverages expertise from the financial services and business sectors to put capital to work in communities across the nation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Council on Foundations: A membership association for philanthropic foundations that runs comparable policy advocacy, regional networks, and an annual conference. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is a Council member, making this a useful comparable for the coalition's foundation-sponsor relationship model.
• Aspen Institute Financial Security Program: A policy program within the Aspen Institute that produces research and convenings on financial inclusion, asset building, and community development finance. Thematically adjacent to the coalition's mission and a potential research partner or comparable content publisher.

Broad incumbents

• Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA): A large industry trade association that runs an analogous federal advocacy operation for community banks, including Hill engagement, an annual convention/expo, research/policy reports, and a national member base. Comparable as a model for a well-funded financial-services trade association.
• National Council of Nonprofits: A national network of state and regional nonprofit associations with a comparable advocacy-coalition business model: membership dues, federal and state appropriations advocacy, policy content, and an annual Washington event. Useful comparable for the coalition's operating model even though its membership is far broader.
• National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU): A trade association with a similar advocacy, regulatory, and member-services structure for credit unions, several of which are themselves certified CDFIs. Comparable as an example of a financial-sector association that combines policy advocacy, events, and research content.

Emerging players

• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): A large CDFI and community development intermediary that provides financing and capacity-building for underserved communities. Overlapping mission and member universe with the CDFI Coalition's constituents, though LISC is an operating CDFI rather than a coalition, so it is a closer sibling than a direct peer.
• Enterprise Community Partners: A national nonprofit that finances affordable housing and community development — directly intersecting the CDFI Coalition's affordable housing and community facilities narrative. Comparable as a peer operating entity within the same ecosystem the coalition represents.

Direct peers

• Opportunity Finance Network (OFN): The trade association of CDFIs and the most direct peer to the CDFI Coalition. OFN provides network, capacity-building, and advocacy support for the same population of certified CDFIs, making it a near one-to-one comparable in mission and member base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CDFICoalition
• Facebookfacebook.com/CDFICoalition
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coalition-of-community-development-financial-institutions---cdfi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Community Development Financial Institution