OFN42—Call for Sessions Now Open
OFN Communications Team
Call for sessions now open as OFN launches the 2026 conference. Submit a proposal.
Read time: 3 minutes
Main Street needs capital that reaches every community. Small businesses need financing structured for their reality. Rural towns need patient, mission-driven investment. CDFIs deliver it.
This fall, join CDFI practitioners, investors, partners, and policymakers in New Orleans for #OFN42—the industry’s annual signature event and the field’s most important convening at a defining moment for community development finance.
Conference Theme: Opportunity Next
At a time when our nation needs bold solutions for job creation, affordable housing, disaster relief, small business support, and closing persistent gaps in capital access, CDFIs continue to rise to the challenge. For more than four decades, the community development finance industry has directed capital where it matters most—driving economic growth and strengthening communities across the country. Every federal dollar invested has historically mobilized approximately $8 in private capital, flowing into Main Street businesses, rural communities, and neighborhoods where a single loan can change a local economy.
And we’re not slowing down anytime soon.
Under the theme Opportunity Next, we invite you to join more than 2,000 CDFI leaders from across the industry to explore what’s working, what’s evolving, and how we can scale impact together.
Call for Sessions
Are you a loan officer with on-the-ground insight? A policy expert reshaping what’s possible? A storyteller spotlighting how capital changes lives? This is your invitation:
Submit a session proposal for OFN42.
We’re looking for sessions that reflect the breadth and depth of our field—across sectors, geographies, and experience—and spark ideas, tackle barriers, and advance the CDFI movement.
Before submitting a proposal, please review the Call for Sessions Guidelines.
For anyone wanting to discuss session proposals or the submission process, we will be holding office hours on the following dates:
- Monday, May 18, 1-2 p.m. ET | Register here.
- Wednesday, May 27, 1-2 p.m. ET | Register here.
- Friday, June 5, 2-3 p.m. ET | Register here.
Submit your proposal by June 17, 2026, 11:59 p.m. PT (2:59 a.m. ET) to be considered for inclusion in one of more than 80–90 breakout sessions planned across 14 dynamic tracks.
Be part of what’s next. Share your session idea and drive opportunity forward for all.
Save the Date
Join us from October 20-23 in New Orleans, LA for the 42nd annual OFN Conference!
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