Reminder: Annual Compliance, Certification and Reporting Obligations
Are you the Authorized Representative of either a Certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) or an organization that has received a Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) Award and/or Allocation? If so, don’t forget that in order to maintain your organization’s CDFI Certification status, you must submit the Annual Certification and Data Collection Report (ACR). Additionally, to ensure compliance with your Award, Assistance and/or Allocation Agreement(s) you must complete and submit the annual report(s) specified in these agreement(s).
Failure to file required annual compliance and Certification reports or advise the CDFI Fund of certain Material Events may result in default and/or noncompliance with your organization’s Award, Assistance and/or Allocation Agreement(s), or termination of your CDFI Certification.
The due dates to submit annual compliance report(s) vary by fiscal year end date and type of award, as well as by the specific terms within each organization's individual Award, Assistance and/or Allocation Agreement(s). The due date for Certified CDFIs to submit the ACR also varies by fiscal year end date. This reminder is specifically for organizations with Award, Assistance and/or Allocation Agreements, as well as ACRs, which have an upcoming report(s) due by June 30, 2023.
While the CDFI Fund is still currently not accepting NEW CDFI Certification Applications, Certified CDFIs are still required to submit an ACR in accordance with their existing ACR reporting schedule, as listed in Awards Management Information System (AMIS), to maintain their Certification status.
How to Check Your Report Date
- CDFI Fund Award Recipients: The due date(s) for your organization’s required report(s) can be found in the Award, Assistance and/or Allocation Agreement(s) on the Reporting Schedule in the AMIS. Please review the Agreement(s) applicable to your organization to check if you are required to report at this time and for additional information about annual reporting requirements.
- All Certified CDFIs: The due date(s) for your organization’s Annual Certification and Data Collection Report can be found in the ACR Reporting Schedule in AMIS. Please review the ACR Reporting Schedule in AMIS to check if you are required to report at this time.
Annual Certification Report Deadline Reminder
All Certified CDFIs are required to submit ACRs on an annual basis. CDFIs must submit their ACRs, in AMIS, within 90 days of the end of their organization’s fiscal year, unless directed otherwise by the CDFI Fund.
For the 2023 reporting cycle, all Certified CDFIs, regardless of their date of Certification, will be required to submit an ACR. Currently Certified CDFIs will NOT lose their Certification or be placed into a cure based on responses to the 2023 ACR. However, an organization may have its Certification terminated if they fail to submit their 2023 ACR by the required deadline. Submission of the ACR on an annual basis is a requirement of CDFI Certification.
The AMIS ACR Reporting Schedule displays the due date for the ACR based on the organization’s fiscal year end, unless directed otherwise by the CDFI Fund. If an organization received its initial CDFI Certification after the 2023 ACR reporting cycle opened in December 2022, then its 2023 ACR due date is more than likely not within the 90 days of the end of the organization’s fiscal year window. The ACR Reporting Schedule section is located at the bottom of the Certification Related page in AMIS. Additional information on the AMIS Reporting Schedule can be found in the AMIS Training Manual – Annual Certification and Data Collection Report available on the CDFI Fund’s website. Be sure to check whether your organization’s fiscal year end is correct on your AMIS Organizational Detail Page.
Failure to file the required ACR will result in a loss of status as a Certified CDFI and may lead to additional sanctions for CDFIs that are program Recipients.
Advise the CDFI Fund of Material Events
As specified in the terms of your organization’s Award, Assistance and/or Allocation Agreement(s), please remember that your organization is required to advise the CDFI Fund of an occurrence of a Material Event, which should be submitted via a Service Request initiated in your organization’s AMIS account. CDFI Fund Recipients with active awards are required to submit a Material Events form within 30 days of the occurrence of a material event. New Market Tax Credit Program (NMTC Program) Allocatees are required to submit a Material Events form within 20 days of the occurrence of material event, including all necessary supporting documentation with the Material Events form submission. Please refer to your Award, Assistance and/or Allocation Agreements(s) for guidance regarding submission of a Material Events form.
The CDFI Fund is reminding all Certified CDFIs, Certified CDEs, as well as program Recipients to review their recent organizational history to determine if a Material Events form should be submitted. Certified CDFIs that do not have an Award, Assistance and/or Allocation Agreement should report changes in their organization’s fiscal year end through the AMIS Service Request portal.
Submission of Audit Confirmation Requests
Hard copy submissions of CDFI audit confirmation requests for information should no longer be mailed to the CDFI Fund. CDFI Recipient auditors should now submit all audit confirmation requests via email to FMAuditConfirmations@cdfi.treas.gov. This includes but is not limited to verifications, validations, and confirmation of balances of financial assistance received from the CDFI Fund.
The CDFI Fund will respond to all audit confirmation requests by email, only. As such, requests must include an email address and instructions of where the CDFI Fund should deliver the requested information. Questions regarding the process for submitting audit confirmation requests can also be submitted via email at FMAuditConfirmations@cdfi.treas.gov.
Updates for CDFI Program Healthy Food Financing Initiative-Financial Assistance Award Recipients
All CDFI Program Healthy Food Financing Initiative-Financial Assistance Recipients (HFFI) are now required to enter aggregate HFFI data in their Performance Progress Report (PPR), just as they enter aggregate data for the other deployment performance goals. Keep in mind, HFFI Recipients must continue to enter individual HFFI data in the CDFI Transaction Level Report (TLR).
For More Information
Information and instructions on submitting annual compliance and certification reports, as well as Material Events forms can be found on the CDFI Fund’s website at the following links:
- Small Dollar Loan Fund Program Reporting
- CDFI Program and NACA Program Reporting
(Updated - March 2023) - BEA Program Reporting
(Updated - March 21, 2022) - Rapid Response Program Reporting
(Updated - June 23, 2022) - Capital Magnet Fund (CMF) Reporting and Compliance Resources
(Updated – August 26, 2022) - NMTC Program Reporting
(Updated - March 23, 2022) - Certification of Material Events Form
- ACR Information
(Updated - March 08, 2023) - AMIS Compliance and Performance Reporting (ACPR)
(Updated - June 2023) - Certification Blackout Period Frequently Asked Questions
(Updated - February 3, 2023)
If you have questions about the annual compliance and certification reports, or Material Events please submit a Service Request via your organization’s AMIS account. For more information about the CDFI Fund and its programs, please visit www.cdfifund.gov.
Stay in Touch
Sign up to receive news and important information.