FUND Consulting 2014 Annual Report

2014 was a banner year for FUND Consulting! We moved to a larger office location, worked with a record number of clients (largely due to a partnership with Neighborworks America), and implemented a new business model based on the results of our strategic planning. Additionally, we completed our annual industry research project with the results now available via an eight week blog series. This year the topic is on The Role of CDFI Boards in Fundraising.

We are proud of our track record, team and contributions to the industry and have shared the highlights from our year in this annual report.

Ruth Barber, Lolita Sereleas

The Year in Review

2014 proved to be another high impact year for FUND Consulting. We served 107 clients in 36 states, including 27 CDFI Banks, 9 Credit Unions, and 71 Loan Funds. These clients represent $24,476,698,306 in assets, and have portfolios outstanding totaling $17,639,447,813.

The F UND Consulting team was excited to launch its new business model in 2014 which consisted of two key components to service delivery: the Strategic Consulting Group and FUND's Compliance and Certification Center. With the Strategic Consulting Group, our team works with a cohort of CDFIs linking FA and other grant writing services to strategic consulting projects such as market analyses, strategic plans, capitalization plans, and impact analyses over a three year engagement with each client. The outcomes of this comprehensive approach to service delivery include an agreed upon set of management priorities, a rich data set for decision making, grant writing and reporting, and a designated team to help with strategic and fundraising initiatives. Members of the cohort have been pleased with this approach to service delivery stating, "we get a team for the price of one staff person" and feeling like "we have a leg up on CDFI application preparation."

In 2014, applications prepared by FUND Consulting generated $28,700,693 in grants, investments, and tax credits for clients:

CDFI Program	Total Awarded
FATA	$ 22,547,586
NACA	$ 1,500,000
BEA	$ 4,653,107
Total Award Value	$ 28,700,693

With designated certification and compliance subject matter experts, FUND's Certification and Compliance Center was well positioned to respond to high demand for the intricate requirements of CDFI (re)certification and compliance. In 2014, the team helped 26 clients assess the feasibility of becoming a certified CDFI, complete CDFI certification applications, as well as manage, collect and submit the data necessary to stay in compliance with CDFI reporting requirements.

In addition to direct services to clients, FUND Consulting conducts an annual research project to help contribute the the industry knowledge base. In 2014, Ruth Barber served as the principal investigator on a survey of CDFIs designed to gain insight on The Role of CDFI Boards in Fundraising. We are currently releasing the results via an eight week blog series, at https://fundconsulting.wordpress.com.

To see a full list of our clients, read project examples, and stay up to date on the work of FUND Consulting, please visit our website.

Project Spotlight: Neighborworks America CDFI Initiative

NeighborWorks America helps build strong, resilient communities by providing people with opportunities to live in safe, healthy and affordable housing, whether they own or rent.

NeighborWorks America accomplishes this by directly supporting a network of more than 240 nonprofit organizations with technical assistance, grants and training for more than 12,000 professionals in the affordable housing and community development field every year.

In 2014, FUND Consulting won a competitive bid to provide technical support to Neighborworks member organizations (NWOs) nationwide planning to submit a 2015 CDFI FATA application.

The project began with a review of participant financials, CDFI MPS ratios, and responses to a capacity questionnaire developed by FUND Consulting. This phase helped the participant to determine whether or not to proceed with CDFI application preparation and submission.

During the course of the 2015 FA application round, FUND Consulting provided application support services to 35 NWOs. The assistance included a kick off call with each participant, two rounds of reviews and edits of application drafts (the clients had the option of having FUND review 2014 application drafts as applicable), weekly Q&A sessions, and over 150 responses to individual questions.

In December 2014, Neighborworks American distributed a survey to participants. 100% stated that they would participate in the program again, and 93% stated that they were satisfied with the responsiveness of the consulting team.

Our Team

FUND is proud to have assembled a team with outstanding experience and credentials. Combined, the team has over 50 years of community development and nonprofit management experience. The diverse staff experience ranges from economic development to arts and culture and from health and human services to community banking. The team brings first-hand experience with international organizations, CDFI loan funds, community banking, workforce development and more.

View complete staff bios on our website.

Stay Connected with FUND on Social Media

Keep in touch with FUND Consulting and get the most up-to-date information on policy issues, funding opportunities, best practices, and happenings at the FUND offices through one of our social media channels: