Resource Guide - Cinnaire - Advancing Communities

Powerful Tools for Revitalizing Communities

Cinnaire is committed to supporting programs that preserve and expand access to capital for affordable housing and community development. By leveraging public-private partnerships, our team fosters creative and impactful financing. We advocate alongside industry partners and community stakeholders for fair local, regional and federal policies because we have an unwavering belief that all people deserve the opportunities provided by living in healthy communities. As a resource for our partners, we have compiled an overview of sources and information on all things impacting the affordable housing and community development industries.

The Low Income Housing Tax Credit

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) is the nation’s largest and most successful tool for encouraging private investment in the production and preservation of affordable rental housing. Over the past 30 years, it has financed nearly 3 million affordable apartments, providing homes to over 6.5 million low-income households. However, our nation’s affordable housing needs are growing at a rate that far outpaces available affordable housing resources, with over 11 million low-income households still paying more than half of their income toward rent. The LIHTC is a proven tool to help address this crisis.

Learn More from Novogradac

New Markets Tax Credit

The New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) was designed to increase the flow of capital to businesses and low-income communities by providing a modest tax incentive to private investors. Over the last ten years, the NMTC has proven to be an effective, targeted and cost-efficient financing tool valued by businesses, communities and investors across the country. The NMTC attracts private investment capital to some of the most distressed urban, suburban and rural communities. Through 17 application rounds of the NMTC Program, the CDFI Fund has made 1,354 awards, allocating a total of $66 billion in tax credit authority to CDEs through a competitive application process. Cinnaire will continue to support expansion and permanent extension of the NMTC.

Community Development Financial Institutions

Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) are private financial institutions that are 100% dedicated to delivering responsible, affordable lending to help low-income, low-wealth, and other disadvantaged people and communities join the economic mainstream. By financing community businesses – including small businesses, micro enterprises, nonprofit organizations, commercial real estate, and affordable housing – CDFIs spark job growth and retention.

Research and data resources

MRI Analytix Case Study – how Cinnaire implemented MRI Analytix to streamline data and better leverage complex information.

Milken Institute – Explore Research and Analysis

Milken Institute – Center for Regional Economics

AERIS – Accelerates the flow of capital to good by driving accountability and transparency into impact investing

Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (population, poverty, income and ethnicity data)

Bureau of Labor Statistics (Employment/Unemployment, Occupational and Wage data – states, counties and cities)

Community Development Financial Institutions Fund – Research & Data

U.S. Census Bureau – demographic data (U.S., State, City, Census Tract and Block Group levels)

HUD/Section 8 Multi Family Housing Information

Novogradac Rent and Income Calculator

National Association of State and Local Equity Funds (NASLEF)

Affordable Housing Investor Council (AHIC)

NCSHA Resource Guide- National Council of State Housing Agencies

Novogradac: Affordable Housing Resource Center – Find details on tax credit delivery, regulations, online training, resources, such as tax credit guides, etc.

HUD Exchange – Resources and assistance to support HUD’s community partners

CohnReznick – Interactive Operating Expenses

Circle of Blue – Monthly residential water prices

Stormwater Fees

Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Guide to the CDFI Industry

The Book of Jargon – A Latham & Watkins Glossary of Project Finance Slang and Terminology

Reports and Trends

The CDFI Fund Impact Blog highlights the impact on recipients of CDFI Fund programs

The CDFI Fund Summary Report and Public Data for NMTC Program for FYs 2003-2019 (published December 2021), a report summarizing all NMTC investments made across the nation.

New Markets Tax Credit Report – The 2020 New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Progress Report provides a survey of NMTC activities in 2019. This year’s report includes an insert commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the NMTC. There is also an interactive online tool-kit with maps, graphics, and data on the nearly 6,400 projects financed by the NMTC since 200.

The NMTC: At Work in Communities Across America – Every four years, the NMTC Coalition publishes a case study report featuring NMTC success stories from all fifty states.

The National Park Service 2020 annual report Federal Tax Incentives for Revitalizing Historic Buildings includes a summary of overall complete projects as well as state-by-state activity.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report Rental Assistance Demonstration: HUD Needs to Take Action to Improve Metrics and Ongoing Oversight examines the oversight and performance of the RAD program. The report outlines five recommendations to HUD intended to improve leveraging metrics, monitoring of the use and enforcement of resident safeguards, and compliance with RAD requirements.

GAO Report on Monitoring in the Emergency Rental Assistance Program pertaining to Covid measures – published in February 2022.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition releases The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes finding that no state has an adequate supply of affordable rental housing for the lowest income renters.

The National Community Reinvestment Coalition study HOLC “Redlining Maps: The Persistent Structure of Segregation and Economic Inequality revealed that redlining, economic inequality and residential segregation still persist in many communities. Eighty years ago, a federal agency, the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) created “Residential Security” maps of major American cities. These maps document how loan officers, appraisers, and real estate professionals evaluated mortgage lending risk during the era immediately before the surge of suburbanization in the 1950s. The report finds that gentrification is related to some lessening of segregation, but also with increased economic inequality.

Prosperity Now 2020 Scorecard a comprehensive resource for data on household financial health, racial economic inequality and policy recommendations to help put everyone in our country on a path to prosperity. 2022 Policy Update

Freddie Mac’s research Rental Affordability Reexamined to better understand and address the affordability crisis, Freddie Mac introduced new analysis in 2020 that uses alternative data to further shed light on the issue.

Freddie Mac 2022 Multifamily Outlook

The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty report Protect Tenants, Prevent Homelessness shows the link between renters rights and homelessness. The report provides policy recommendations for governments to directly address the underlying causes of housing instability and homelessness.

Housing Not Handcuffs: 2021 State Law Supplement released by The National Homelessness Law Center

LIHTC Resources for Developers

Click here for important information about the LIHTC closing process.

Asset Management Training & Resources

The Consortium for Housing and Asset Management (CHAM) – Offers online education, free webinars, and many other resources.

National Association of State and Local Equity Funds (NASLEF)

Affordable Housing Investor Council (AHIC)

NCSHA Resource Guide- National Council of State Housing Agencies

Novogradac: Affordable Housing Resource Center – Find details on tax credit delivery, regulations, online training, resources, such as tax credit guides, etc.

Neighborworks Training Services

The National Development Council – This Council provides training for people going into development that is very useful when implementing tax credits as a fund source.