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NCRC At OFN 42
October 21 , 8:00 am EDT – 5:00 pm EDT
Join NCRC’s Chief of Community Engagement and Institutional Accountability Michele Perez and Senior Policy Advisor Kevin Hill at two sessions during the Opportunity Finance Network’s (OFN) annual conference.
Perez will moderate the panel, “Diversified Capital Sources: Access for Rural and Tribal Communities,” Wednesday, October 21 at 11 am – 12:15 pm CT, Rhythms III, 2nd floor at the Sheraton Hotel. Rural and tribal communities require diverse sources of capital to support housing, small businesses, healthcare, infrastructure, and economic development. This deep dive brings together banks and CRA leaders, foundations, CDFIs, anchor institutions, and community practitioners to explore what currently works in rural and tribal investment ecosystems, where critical gaps persist, and why capital too often fails to reach communities at the right time and in the right form.
Through real-world case examples and interactive dialogue, participants will unpack how investment decisions are shaped, surface hidden barriers and assumptions, and explore the role investors themselves play in creating ecosystem gaps. Attendees will leave with actionable insights on how diverse capital partners can align more effectively and what it will take to build more equitable and responsive rural and tribal capital ecosystems.
Hill will be a speaker on the panel, “The Changing CRA Landscape: Implications for CDFIs,” Friday, October 23, 2026 at 10:45 -11:45 am CT, Sheraton Grand Ballroom D, 5th Floor. This forward-looking conversation will examine the implications of the proposed CRA framework for banks, affordable housing and community development finance, community advocates, and CDFIs—and explore how the rulemaking could evolve as the agencies review comments and consider a final rule. With the CRA notice-and-comment period newly closed, panelists will discuss the different possible scenarios that could reshape bank community development activity and investment and what the changes could mean for affordable housing and community development financing as a whole. The conversation will look ahead to the regulatory process, implementation considerations, potential legal challenges, and the possibility of further changes to the CRA framework.
