Image: Nate Schaffran (second from left) with leaders from CCCI member organizations at CDFI Advocacy Day in Sacramento.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oakland, CA – Community Vision is excited to announce that Nate Schaffran will transition out of his role as Director of Impact and Learning to serve full-time as the inaugural Executive Director of the California Coalition for Community Investment (CCCI). CCCI is a statewide coalition that strengthens the reach and impact of community development financial institutions (CDFIs) working to expand equitable investment in underserved California communities.
For the past year, Nate has served as part-time Executive Director of CCCI while continuing his work at Community Vision. This planned transition marks a key milestone in CCCI’s organizational growth and in Community Vision’s ongoing commitment to building the infrastructure needed for long-term field-wide impact.
“This moment is a testament to the power of partnership and intentional investment,” said Catherine Howard, President of Community Vision. “Nate has contributed to Community Vision in so many meaningful ways—from his time in our lending department to leading our impact measurement efforts and statewide advocacy. We’re proud to see him carry forward this vital work at CCCI and are honored to have supported the coalition’s development from the beginning.”
Since 2021, Community Vision has made policy advocacy a strategic priority in addressing systemic barriers facing low-income communities and communities of color. In line with that vision, we created a new position, Director of Policy and Impact, which Nate assumed in 2022, following five years in our lending department.
Around the same time, CCCI achieved a major legislative victory: the creation of the California Investment and Innovation Program (Cal IIP), the state’s first dedicated CDFI Fund. That win was made possible by the voluntary efforts of staff from coalition members including RCAC, Housing Trust Silicon Valley, and Working Solutions. As the coalition’s momentum grew, so did the need for staffing. Community Vision responded by dedicating a portion of Nate’s staff time to help build out CCCI’s infrastructure.
By working with Nate to establish a formal staffing arrangement—before CCCI had employees of its own—Community Vision helped incubate the coalition while modeling collaborative resource sharing in the CDFI field. Nate’s leadership was central to organizing CDFI Advocacy Days in Sacramento, convening industry leaders to meet with legislators and share how CDFIs provide critical investments that address the needs of underserved California communities and support state priorities.
Community Vision’s support for CCCI reflects a core belief: that we are part of a larger movement to build an alternative financial system rooted in justice. Supporting the development of a statewide coalition and then sharing staff capacity to lead it forward demonstrated how CDFIs can align operational strategy with field-wide systems change.
We are grateful for Nate’s contributions during his tenure with Community Vision, including facilitating the development of our inaugural Theory of Change, updating our Social Impact Rating Tool to better reflect our commitment to social purpose real estate, and revamping how we collect and manage impact data. He also spearheaded the development of a Learning and Evaluation framework designed to gather meaningful feedback from clients and learn from their long-term experience with the projects Community Vision has supported. While we will miss Nate on our staff, we’re proud to continue collaborating with him through CCCI and look forward to all he will accomplish in this role.
About Community Vision
Community Vision is a federally certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that provides financing and advisory services to organizations that are strengthening communities in California. Through strategic investments in real estate, community facilities, and nonprofits, Community Vision works to build equitable, vibrant neighborhoods. Since 1987, Community Vision has provided more than $625 million in financing and grant resources, leveraging more than $2.5 billion in additional investment.
https://communityvisionca.org/
About California Coalition for Community Investment
The California Coalition for Community Investment (CCCI) is a statewide coalition dedicated to supporting the work of CDFIs across California. CDFIs provide essential credit and financial services to underserved markets, focusing on affordable housing, economic opportunity, and financial equality. CCCI brings together diverse leadership to ensure California’s communities are resilient, healthy, and economically vibrant. https://calcci.org/
For more information, please contact:
Matias Bernal
Vice President of Development, Community Vision
Email: mbernal@communityvisionca.org
Phone: 415-392-8215
