U.S. Senators Daines and Warner Introduce the AFFORD Act to Strengthen CDFI Fund, Native CDFIs

By Kayla Blackwell, NLIHC Senior Housing Policy Analyst and Sarita Kelkar, NLIHC Policy Intern 

On February 26, Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Steve Daines (R-MT) introduced the “Access to Fair Financing for Opportunity and Resilient Development (AFFORD) Act” to strengthen the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund and support Native CDFIs.  

The legislation includes several provisions to enhance CDFIs, including authorizing $50 million for Native CDFIs in the USDA Section 502 Native CDFI Relending Program and making the program permanent. This provision was also included in the “Rural Housing Service Reform Act of 2025,” endorsed by NLIHC (see Memo, 4/14/2025). Although this provision, among others, was considered in the recent “National Defense Authorization Act” (NDAA) package, it failed to be included in the final bill passed in December 2025 (see Memo, 10/14/25). The AFFORD Act represents an opportunity to further Native communities’ homeownership while strengthening a fund that offers financial and technical assistance to Native communities where conventional financial institutions rarely reach.  

Strengthening Native CDFIs’ ability to distribute resources and funding is critical. CDFIs are specialized private sector financial institutions that offer innovative financing to serve economically disadvantaged communities. The CDFI Fund, established in 1994, directs funding into eight core programs and acts as the largest financial source for CDFIs. While Native communities are intentionally reached by the Native Initiatives program and resulting Native CDFIs, the AFFORD Act signals greater support for Native CDFIs that can foster increased economic growth, housing development, and institutional strength within Tribal areas.  

Read the bill text here.  

Learn more about Native CDFIs here.