Treasury Announces $3.5 Billion in New Markets Tax Credit Awards to Spur Economic Growth Nationwide

WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 15, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — The U.S. Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) today announced more than $3.5 billion in New Markets Tax Credit awards aimed at stimulating investment and economic growth in low-income urban neighborhoods and rural communities nationwide. A total of 76 organizations (Allocatees) across the country will receive tax credit allocation authority under the 2014 round of the New Markets Tax Credit Program.

“Every community deserves a chance to succeed, and the New Markets Tax Credit Program is an economic development tool that spurs growth and breathes new life into neglected, underserved low-income communities,” said U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew. “The tax credit allocation authorities announced today will go to community development organizations that will make much needed private sector investments in businesses and real estate projects located in the nation’s distressed urban and rural communities. Along with these investments come jobs, vital services, and opportunities where they are needed the most.”

“Over its fifteen year history, the New Markets Tax Credit program has successfully fostered competition for private sector investment into low-income communities that lack access to the capital needed to support and grow businesses, create jobs, and sustain healthy local economies,” said Annie Donovan, Director of the CDFI Fund. “The investments made possible by today’s awards will have significant impact nationwide.”

The New Markets Tax Credit Program, established by Congress in December 2000, permits individual and corporate taxpayers to receive a non-refundable tax credit against federal income taxes for making equity investments in vehicles known as Community Development Entities (CDEs). Since the program’s inception, New Markets Tax Credit investments are estimated to have created nearly 600,000 new jobs and supported the construction of more than 160 million square feet of retail, manufacturing, and office space. As the communities benefitting from these investments develop, they become more attractive to investors, creating a ripple effect that spurs more investment.

CDEs that receive the tax credit allocation authority under the program are domestic corporations or partnerships that provide loans, investments, or financial counseling in low-income urban and rural communities. The tax credit provided to the investor totals 39 percent of the cost of the investment and is claimed over a seven-year period. The CDEs in turn use the capital raised to make investments in low-income communities. CDEs must apply annually to the CDFI Fund to compete for New Markets Tax Credit Program allocation authority. The 76 organizations receiving awards were selected from a pool of 263 applicants that requested approximately $19.9 billion in allocation authority. They are headquartered in 27 different states and the District of Columbia, and collectively, these organizations will support investments across the nation.

2014 New Markets Tax Credit Program Award Resources

Award Book: View award list and learn key facts and statistics about the Allocatees
Searchable Award Database: View the profiles of individual Allocatees
States Served Map: Explore the service areas of recent Allocatees

For more information about the New Markets Tax Credit Program, please view the Fact Sheet or visit the CDFI Fund’s website at www.cdfifund.gov/nmtc.

About the CDFI Fund

Since its creation in 1994, the CDFI Fund has awarded more than $2 billion to CDFIs, community development organizations, and financial institutions through the CDFI Program, the Bank Enterprise Award Program, the Capital Magnet Fund, the Financial Education and Counseling Pilot Program, and the Native American CDFI Assistance Program. In addition, the CDFI Fund has allocated $43.5 billion in tax credit authority to Community Development Entities through the New Markets Tax Credit Program, and has guaranteed $525 million in bonds through the CDFI Bond Guarantee Program. Learn more about the CDFI Fund and its programs at www.cdfifund.gov.