Overview
Low-income families across America experience difficulty finding affordable housing, with many spending over half of their paychecks on rent. This burden leaves little income for other necessities such as food, medical care, transportation, and savings – essential services that are often not readily available in low-income communities. The Capital Magnet Fund was created to spur investment in affordable housing and related economic development efforts that serve low-income families and low-income communities across the country.
Through the Capital Magnet Fund, the CDFI Fund provides competitively awarded grants to CDFIs and qualified non-profit housing organizations. These awards can be used to finance affordable housing activities, as well as related economic development activities and community service facilities. Awardees are able to utilize funds to create financing tools such as loan loss reserves, revolving loan funds, risk-sharing loans, and loan guarantees. Organizations that receive Capital Magnet Fund awards are required to produce housing and community development investments at least ten times the size of the award amount, generating a multiplier effect that means that more low-income people and low-income communities nationwide will have housing options within their financial reach.
Reference DocumentsEligibility
Capital Magnet Fund Applicants must be:
- A certified CDFI, or
- A non-profit organization operating with a principal purpose of developing or managing affordable housing solutions
All Applicants (regardless of entity type) must demonstrate that they have been in existence as a legally formed entity for at least three years prior to the funding round application deadline.
For more detailed information, please refer to the Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA).
