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IFF was awarded the highest possible rating by Aeris®, which assesses Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and other private impact loan funds, for the 2024 fiscal year. This marks the 12th consecutive year that IFF has received this rating. Aeris® ratings reflect CDFIs’ impact management, financial strength, and performance, enabling investors to more fully evaluate opportunities that meet their impact goals. The organization’s CDFI Assessment and Rating System was developed in 2004 as an independent project of Opportunity Finance Network (OFN).
“IFF is proud to have again been recognized with the highest possible rating by Aeris® acknowledging our financial strength and performance; ability to generate measurable, data-driven impact; and our commitment to transparency,” says IFF CEO Joe Neri. “Our dedication to working on the ground with local nonprofit, philanthropic, government, and civic leaders to align our capital, research, and real estate expertise to solve local challenges has never been greater and we look forward to continuing to partner with our investors and stakeholders to further strengthen communities across the Midwest.”
IFF’s official Aeris® ratings include:
Impact Management Performance: Four Stars maintained since December 31, 2013
The CDFI has exceptional alignment of its impact mission, strategies, activities, and data that guide its lending, programs and planning. It fully and effectively uses its resources, both directly and indirectly, in pursuit of its impact mission. Its processes and systems accurately track comprehensive data on an ongoing basis, including both output and longer-term outcome metrics, and it can provide data showing positive changes in achieving its impact goals. Board and management consistently use the data to adjust strategies and activities to improve its effectiveness.
Policy Plus:
Policy change is an integral part of this CDFI’s strategies. The CDFI leads initiatives to change government policy to benefit the community development finance industry or disadvantaged people and communities. The CDFI can provide evidence of its leadership role in recent policy changes that produced benefits beyond additional resources for the CDFI itself, and management can clearly articulate the CDFI’s leadership role in current policy activities.
Financial Strength and Performance: AAA as of December 31, 2024
The CDFI has exceptional financial strength, performance, and risk management practices. Any weaknesses are minor and can be handled in a routine manner by the board of directors and management. The CDFI is resilient to significant changes in its operating environment.
For more information about Aeris®, visit aerisinsight.com.