OFN’s Latest Side by Side Industry Data Now Available
Alexander Carther, Senior Associate, Research, OFN
The latest Side by Side chartbook highlights important trends and industry growth in Fiscal Year 2024.
Read time: 3 minutes
CDFIs play a critical role in American communities by financing what traditional finance often overlooks — from affordable housing and small businesses to community facilities and job retention and creation. As the industry continues to grow and evolve, having clear, comparable data is essential.
OFN’s Side by Side, now in its 27th edition, provides data for industry practitioners, investors, and others interested in assessing the activity and performance of OFN’s membership. Side by Side presents data from OFN member CDFIs and includes peer group analyses by primary financing sector and asset size.
The latest edition of Side by Side presents data from OFN’s Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Member Survey and includes information on as many as 342 CDFIs in OFN’s membership, depending on the data point. Of these, 335 are included in the peer analysis, which is split by primary financing sector and asset size.
How is the Guide Useful for CDFIs?
CDFI staff can use this guide to compare their organization’s activities and performance to a peer group of similar organizations. This can help CDFIs make management and operational decisions to improve their performance.
For CDFIs expanding financing into new sectors, this guide helps them understand the differences among them. Many CDFIs also use the information in this chartbook to educate their boards of directors, funders, and investors.
How is the Guide Useful for Investors?
This guide helps investors understand key aspects of the CDFI industry’s operations, as reflected in OFN’s membership, and key ratios they may want to consider when evaluating CDFIs for investment. It enables investors to understand differences across sectors, institution sizes, and institution types.
Finally, investors can use the guide to compare a CDFI under consideration for funding to a peer group of similar organizations.
Coming Soon: Inside the Membership and Peer Comparisons
In early 2026, OFN will release the next editions of Inside the Membership on its website and individualized Peer Comparisons to members, expanding on the data presented in Side by Side. Together, these resources offer a deeper look at who makes up OFN’s membership and how institutions compare across asset size, sector, and performance metrics.
For questions about Side by Side or Inside the Membership, please email [email protected].
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