LISC and Enterprise Report Shows CDFI Growth Helps Power Community Impact in the Face of Economic Uncertainty

New York, NY (October 6, 2026) - As community development financial institutions (CDFIs) confront a rapidly changing landscape, CDFIs and the Capital Markets: Scaling for Impact from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and Enterprise Community Partners lays out how the industry is scaling its reach and adapting. The report, which provides nearly a decade of data on CDFI activity in the capital markets, is the most comprehensive resource available of its kind. It highlights trends in CDFI capitalization, best practices in financial and impact disclosures, and new and emerging product offerings CDFIs are using to deepen their impact in the communities they serve.

The result is a practical guide to help investors and practitioners better understand the evolving sector of community investing, emerging opportunities for participation, and the trends shaping its future.

"This report illustrates what is possible when CDFIs are able to make a broad spectrum of public and private capital available to America's communities," noted Michael T. Pugh, LISC president and CEO. "In the decade since our first public offering, the level of capital markets interest in CDFIs has massively expanded. That's why this resource is so important. We are proud to partner with Enterprise Community Partners to ensure investors, CDFIs, and community leaders can connect with strategies for economic opportunity and growth in places that have seen too little of both."

As the need for stable housing and good jobs becomes more pressing, CDFIs are on the front lines delivering impact. This past year, CDFI Fund awardees provided $39.5 billion in loans supporting home purchases, businesses, and more to communities across the U.S., including financing for nearly 50,000 affordable rental homes.

"CDFI issuers in the capital markets are creating more opportunities than ever for impact investors to connect capital with community needs. We've experienced that evolution firsthand," said Elise Balboni, executive vice president, head of Lending and New Markets Investments at Enterprise. "We're pleased to partner with LISC on a resource that helps investors and practitioners scale the capital resources available to CDFIs and put affordability within reach for more American communities."

Demand for CDFI financing continues to grow, but traditional bank and public-sector capital isn't growing as quickly - or at the pricing needed - to meet borrowers' needs. New capital sources and investment channels are essential to addressing these constraints and supporting continued economic growth. With in-depth issuance data, the report provides a transparent view into how CDFIs are engaging with different investor segments to expand their capital base.

At the same time, the diversity of CDFI products available has grown significantly, with an increasing range of offerings, rates, and term structures that meet investor demand and help facilitate more community investments. The report highlights how CDFIs are diversifying their financial offerings, through rated bond issuance, brokered note programs, and direct issue note offerings. This diversification is creating new opportunities for investors to participate in the market while helping CDFIs access a broader range of capital sources, delivering both community and investor benefits.

Read the new report.

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About LISC
LISC is one of the country's largest community development organizations, driving affordable housing and forging vibrant, resilient communities across America. Through innovative, community-centric programs, LISC and its 34 local offices work with residents and partners across the country to close gaps in health, wealth, and opportunity so that people and places can thrive. Since its founding in 1979, LISC has invested $38 billion to create more than 552,000 affordable homes and apartments, develop 88 million square feet of retail, community, and educational space, and help tens of thousands of people find employment and improve their finances.

About Enterprise
Enterprise Community Partners is a national nonprofit that exists to make a good home possible for the millions of families without one. We support community development organizations on the ground, aggregate and invest capital for impact, advance housing policy at every level of government, and build and manage communities ourselves. Since 1982, we have invested $92.0 billion and created 1.1 million homes across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands - all to make home and community places of pride, power and belonging. Join us at enterprisecommunity.org.