CalCCI is a coalition of more than 50 Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) working in urban, suburban, rural, and tribal communities across California. These institutions are deeply embedded in the communities they serve, and specialize in delivering capital where traditional financial systems fall short.
About Us
CalCCI: A Statewide Force for Inclusive Economic Growth
Our Role
CalCCI strengthens California’s community finance ecosystem so that CDFIs can deliver for the communities and families they serve. We focus on three core areas:
Advocate:
We ensure CDFIs have a seat at the table in California’s policy and budget discussions—so community needs are reflected in state decisions.
Connect:
We bring together policymakers, private investors, philanthropic partners, and community lenders to align capital with public priorities.
Resource:
We mobilize public and private funding to support CDFI-driven solutions in affordable housing, small business growth, health care, child care, and more.
Essential Economic Infrastructure For California
CDFIs are certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to serve communities and populations that lack access to traditional financing.
CDFIs provide loans and investments for:
- Affordable housing and homelessness solutions
- Small and local businesses
- Health care and child care facilities
- Nonprofits and essential services
- Rural and tribal development
Most certified CDFIs in California are nonprofit loan funds, but there are also CDFI-certified credit unions, banks, and venture capital funds.
Because they are locally rooted and committed to social impact, CDFIs are often able to step in when conventional lenders cannot—especially during economic downturns, natural disasters, or moments of community need.
Our Members
Together, our members finance the housing, businesses, and community services Californians rely on— helping families find homes, entrepreneurs grow, and local economies remain resilient.
Our Board
CalCCI is made up of an experienced team and a dedicated board of leaders from across California’s community finance ecosystem. Together, we bring deep policy expertise, financial knowledge, and regional perspective to strengthening community investment statewide.
Tate Hill
CEO, Access Plus Capital
Board Chair, CalCCI
Jennifer Quevedo
SVP Originations, CCRC
Board Vice Chair, CalCCI
Gasper Magallanes
CFO, Working Solutions
Board Treasurer, CalCCI
Clemente Mojica
CEO, Neighborhood Partnership Housing Services, Inc.
Board Secretary, CalCCI
Carolina Martinez
CEO, CAMEO Network
Linda Braunschweiger
CEO, Housing Trust Ventura County
Rudy Espinoza
CEO, Inclusive Action for the City
Ross Welch
Executive Director, North Edge
Bulbul Gupta
CEO, Pacific Community Ventures
Catherine Howard
President, Community Vision
Shelly Masur
Vice President, Low Income Investment Fund
Michael Carroll
Acting Loan Fund Director, Rural Community Assistance Corporation
Emeritus
Noni Ramos
CEO, Housing Trust Silicon Valley
Emeritus
Meet Our Team
CalCCI is made up of an experienced team and a dedicated board of leaders from across California’s community finance ecosystem. Together, we bring deep policy expertise, financial knowledge, and regional perspective to strengthening community investment statewide.
Nate Schaffran
Executive Director
Nate Schaffran serves as the first Executive Director of the California Coalition for Community Investment (CalCCI), California’s statewide coalition of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). In this role, he advances policy and partnerships to strengthen CDFIs investing in the needs of low-income California communities.
Nate brings a background as both a development lender and a policy advocate to his work at CalCCI. Previously Nate spent over eight years at Community Vision, a social purpose real estate CDFI, where he held roles as Director of Lending, Business Development, and Policy and Impact. His earlier career included a decade at Root Capital, a pioneering rural development fund, where he built the organization’s African operations and later served as global Senior Vice President of Lending. Nate honed his skills as a policy researcher and advocate while working on the policy staff of several Congressional and gubernatorial campaigns.
He holds a Master of Science with distinction in Foreign Service from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, with a concentration in International Development, and a dual B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Swarthmore College. Nate serves as Board Treasurer of Urban Tilth, an urban farm and food justice organization in his hometown of Richmond, California.
Rachel Mueller
Director of Advocacy
As the Director of Advocacy for the California Coalition for Community Investment (CalCCI), Rachel Mueller leads CalCCI’s statewide legislative and budget strategy to advance public investments and legislative policies that strengthen California’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). Rachel works with CalCCI members, coalition partners, and policymakers to position CDFIs as trusted allies in the fight against California’s most pressing problems, from affordable housing to small business recovery, childcare, climate resilience, and equitable economic development.
Rachel has extensive experience working within California’s legislative and budget process, coalition management, and relationship-based advocacy. Since joining CalCCI in 2019, Rachel has been instrumental in developing CalCCI’s policy and advocacy infrastructure, as well as increasing the visibility of CDFIs as reliable stewards of public investment. Rachel is deeply committed to promoting inclusive economic opportunity for all across California’s urban, rural, tribal and under-served communities.
Frequently Asked Questions
CDFIs are mission-driven financial institutions that use lending and finance as a tool to address societal needs. Those include loans to build or rehabilitate affordable housing; to start and grow small, local businesses; and to provide critical community services such as child care, medical care, or nutritional assistance.
Under their federal certification, CDFIs are required to primarily serve a community development mission. For most CDFIs, that means a majority of their lending directly benefits low-income individuals and communities. Other CDFIs may serve defined populations, including Native Americans or people with disabilities.
CDFIs are everywhere in the state, serving urban, rural, and tribal communities. CDFIs made loans in 56 of California’s 58 counties in 2023, the most recent year for which federal data is available. On average, counties each received over $35 million in CDFI investments.
CDFIs are mission-driven financial institutions that use lending and finance as a tool to address societal needs. Their primary purpose is to drive community impact, not maximize shareholder profits. They offer flexible and affordable lending terms to underserved borrowers, paired with advising and support to help clients succeed.
CDFIs receive funding from federal and state programs, private foundations, and financial institutions committed to impact investing. Many also offer investment opportunities for individuals and businesses.
CDFIs finance affordable housing developers, community land trusts, and first-time homebuyers, ensuring that more Californians have access to stable and affordable housing options.
CDFIs offer low-interest loans, technical assistance, and business support services to entrepreneurs who may not qualify for traditional bank loans. They help small businesses grow and create jobs.