Cinnaire Lending Corporation (CLC) has announced that the organization has received its first Aeris® Rating Report — a milestone achievement and a powerful affirmation of CLC’s growth into a well-managed, financially stable Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI).
Aeris is the leading independent rating and information service for CDFIs and private impact loan funds, providing corporate, government, and philanthropic investors with trusted tools to evaluate CDFI performance, impact, and accountability. Aeris helps accelerate the pace of impact investing by guiding capital to good. The Aeris review process is comprehensive, rigorous, and data-intensive, and CLC’s results reflect years of disciplined effort across the organization.
CLC received an AA– rating for Financial Strength and Performance, indicating that the CDFI is very strong financially, demonstrating strong performance and risk management practices relative to the organization’s size, complexity, and risk profile. This rating demonstrates that CLC is well positioned to withstand fluctuations in the operating environment and manage challenges effectively — a testament to the organization’s sound stewardship of the resources entrusted to it.
In addition to the acknowledgment of its financial strength, CLC received three stars for Impact Management. This optional rating category assesses how well a loan fund’s impact mission aligns with its strategies, activities, and data. CLC’s three-star designation confirms that the organization effectively deploys its financial resources in pursuit of its community development mission. CLC was also honored to receive a Policy Plus designation for contribution to public policy. The Policy Plus designation recognizes loan funds that lead initiatives to change government policy in ways that benefit the community development finance industry or disadvantaged people and communities. Aeris recognized that advocacy is an integral part of Cinnaire’s strategy, noting evidence of the organization’s leadership role in recent policy changes that produced benefits well beyond additional resources for CLC.
“I am so proud of the Cinnaire Lending team for this achievement. CDFIs are financial first responders when there is an economic crisis. With our nation facing a severe affordable housing shortage and growing affordability crisis, becoming an Aeris rated CDFI affirms for our investors and stakeholders that CLC is a trustworthy steward of financial resources,” said Sarah Greenberg, President of Cinnaire Lending Corporation. “Cinnaire Lending’s strong ratings for financial performance, impact management, and effective advocacy show that we deliver measurable impacts in the communities we serve. These ratings will strengthen our ability to attract low-cost capital to support the development and preservation of critical affordable housing and other community assets.”
Earning an Aeris rating has been a long-term goal for Cinnaire, first envisioned in a 2018 strategic plan. The achievement reflects CLC’s evolution into a full-service CDFI and serves as evidence of its commitment to transparency, accountability, and community impact.
The rigorous Aeris rating process required extensive data compilation and collaboration across CLC divisions and departments, as well as the Cinnaire business lines and functional areas that support the CDFI’s operations. This milestone is shared by the entire Cinnaire family.