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Community First Fund, together with FINANTA, Secures $40 Million New Markets Tax Credit Allocation to Drive Job Creation and Access to Education, Healthy Foods, Healthcare, and Affordable Housing in Philadelphia and Central Pennsylvania.

October 2nd, 2024

 

Community First Fund, together with FINANTA, Secures $40 Million New Markets Tax Credit Allocation to Drive Job Creation and Access to Education, Healthy Foods, Healthcare, and Affordable Housing in Philadelphia and Central Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia, PA – [September 19th, 2024] – Community First Fund, together with FINANTA, is proud to announce the receipt of a $40 million New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund. This latest allocation builds on the $30 million award received last year and underscores our organization’s ability to drive larger impact in the most distressed communities through projects that create jobs and access to healthcare, education, healthy foods and affordable housing.

Community First Fund, together with FINANTA, was selected as one of only 102 awardees from a highly competitive pool that requested a total of $15 billion. Only 34% of all applications were awarded this year, with just 40% going to CDFIs. The NMTC program helps economically distressed communities attract private investment capital. These investments help to fill project financing gaps by enabling investors to make larger investments than would otherwise be possible. Communities benefit from jobs created and the development of housing and public facilities such as health, education, and workforce development entities which stimulate overall community development.

“This $40 million allocation enables us to further our mission of fostering sustainable, vibrant communities,” said Daniel Betancourt, President and CEO of Community First Fund, together with FINANTA. “We are particularly excited to focus on impactful projects in Philadelphia, like the recently funded African Cultural Alliance of North America (ACANA) headquarters project. This investment will allow us to support even more community initiatives that drive economic mobility and build wealth for families.”

Economic Growth with New Markets Tax Credits: Creating Jobs and Revitalizing Communities

The ACANA project, a highlight of our recent work in Philadelphia, involves the ground-up construction of a 41,000 sq. ft. campus in Southwest Philadelphia that will serve as ACANA’s headquarters and includes a community center, medical clinic, childcare facility, and more. This transformative project, partly funded by our NMTC allocation, will create at least 156 new permanent jobs and provide essential resources like childcare and food access to the community.

Another recent project funded by NMTC is the revitalization of a 17.5-acre manufacturing campus in Allentown, Pennsylvania, led by Marcon Properties. This initiative, supported by an $8 million investment from Community First Fund, aims to transform a previously blighted area into a hub of job creation and skilled workforce development, creating or retaining 82 full-time union jobs and 41 indirect jobs for residents.

There are three other projects which will close in the next few months utilizing NMTC allocation – a large supermarket and a healthcare center, both in downtown Reading, and a school in Allentown.

Community First Fund has now received a total of $160 million in NMTC allocations since 2013, which have supported projects such as:

  • Workforce development centers
  • Grocery stores in USDA-designated food deserts
  • Affordable housing units
  • Commercial redevelopment projects
  • Schools and educational institutions
  • Mixed-use community facilities
  • Manufacturing development projects

Our completed NMTC projects have created upward of 2,000 jobs, 19,000 educational opportunities, 138 affordable housing units and increased healthcare capacity by almost 10,000 spots.

Media Contacts

Community First Fund and FINANTA

marketing@communityfirstfund.org

About Community First Fund, together with FINANTA

Community First Fund, together with FINANTA, is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution dedicated to fostering community ownership among immigrants, women, and communities of color through comprehensive financial products and services. For over 30 years, we have supported small businesses, nonprofits, and community projects in the greater Philadelphia area, Delaware, and New Jersey. In 2022, we opened Community First Fund Credit Union to offer fair, accessible financial products that help people build wealth. Our approach to fostering financial wellbeing and community revitalization includes being deeply integrated in the communities we serve, nurturing growth and opportunity.

For more information about Community First Fund and the NMTC Program, visit CommunityFirstFund.org/NMTC