CDFI Fund Resumes Acceptance of Community Development Entity (CDE) Certification Applications

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) will resume acceptance of new Applications for certification as a Community Development Entity (CDE) effective September 9, 2025. The temporary “blackout” period, originally announced on May 5, 2025, was implemented to allow the CDFI Fund to assess and implement updates to the CDE Certification Application process and supporting systems.

Certification as a CDE is required for organizations that wish to apply for tax credit allocation authority under the New Markets Tax Credit Program (NMTC Program).

Updated Resources and Guidance Now Available

To support Applicants with the updated CDE Certification Application process, the CDFI Fund has released the following resources:

• Live Webinar
  The CDFI Fund will host a live informational webinar to walk through updates to the application process and respond to stakeholder questions.
  Date:  Thursday, September 25, 2025
  Time:  3:00pm – 4:00pm EST 
  Webinar Link: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1612513781?pwd=esIYIBtz0coKoh7vTthGeuhgaPRQ7g.1
  Meeting ID: 161 251 3781
  Passcode: 871389
  Find your local number: https://www.zoomgov.com/u/azEi6Fma0
• Pre-Recorded Tutorials
  • CDE Certification Application Walkthrough
  • How To Create an Organization Board Record
  • How To Create a Service Area Record
• New Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• CDE Certification Application Supplemental Guidance
   

Important Application Information

The CDFI Fund encourages interested organizations to review all updated guidance before submitting a new CDE Certification Application. 

Organizations planning to apply for CDE Certification ahead of the calendar year (CY) 2026 NMTC Program Allocation Application round should begin preparing their submissions now. Potential NMTC Applicants must be certified as a CDE as of the Federal Register publication date of the Notice of Allocation Availability (NOAA). In order to ensure this requirement is met, potential Applicants that are not currently certified as a CDE must submit their CDE Certification Application through AMIS by no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, November 7, 2025. CDE Certification Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and potential Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Depending on the volume of CDE Applications submitted, the CDFI Fund may NOT be able to review and complete all determinations prior to the publication of the CY 2026 NMTC Program Allocation’s NOAA in the Federal Register. 

Questions

Specific questions about CDE Certification should be submitted through the AMIS Service Request system with a subject line of “CDE Certification.”