What to Expect - The 2026 OFN Conference

This October, we are excited to gather in New Orleans, Louisiana for the first time in the history of the OFN conference. With its vibrancy, resilience, and rich history, New Orleans provides a fitting backdrop for more than 2,000 CDFI practitioners, funders, investors, policymakers, and other stakeholders to connect, learn, and collaborate.

After selling out our annual conference for the past four years, we’ve continued to refine the agenda to balance scale with quality and help attendees craft a tailored, high-impact experience.

This year, to accommodate that scale, conference programming will span two hotels, located directly across from each other on Canal Street.

The New Orleans Marriott is the primary conference venue, and the site of registration, the Expo, wellness activities, lunch, and each day’s plenaries.
Sessions, from breakfasts to breakouts and networking, will take place at both the Marriott and the Sheraton New Orleans.
Attendees can take advantage of OFN’s discounted room block at each property.

We’ve also curated each day’s programming around a central theme to help attendees navigate the agenda, engage more intentionally, and maximize their conference experience.

Whether you’re a longtime attendee or joining us for the first time, we can’t wait to see you in New Orleans! Below is a preview of what you can expect each day at OFN42.

Native Gathering Day brings together Native CDFIs, Tribal leaders, partners, and community practitioners from across Indian Country to connect, collaborate, and explore what's next for Native community development finance. This year's gathering will focus on strengthening Native CDFIs through meaningful dialogue, practical learning, and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing.

Throughout the day, participants will explore emerging policy issues, innovative financing tools, organizational sustainability, and strategies that expand opportunity in Native communities. Interactive discussions, Community Learning Lodges, and a State of Native CDFIs Open Forum will create space for attendees to exchange ideas, share promising practices, and help shape the future of the Native CDFI movement.

The CDFI Research Consortium seeks to understand the impact and potential of CDFIs and to provide actionable guidance to lenders, investors, funders, policymakers, and other stakeholders.

The symposium will highlight findings from Consortium-funded projects on issues such as CDFI services, place-based impact, and the influence of state and federal policymaking. There will also be opportunities for researchers, practitioners, and collaborators to connect and discuss research ideas throughout the event.

The symposium will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with lunch included.

Community is at the heart of the CDFI industry, and at the heart of Wednesday’s programming. The first full day of the conference is designed to bring practitioners together to exchange ideas, learn from one another, and build relationships across organizations, geographies, and career stages. Programming will also establish a shared foundation around issues that are top of mind across the industry, setting the stage for deeper exploration within individual tracks over the days ahead. From sessions and networking throughout the day to a special evening leadership program, this day offers plenty of opportunities to reconnect with longtime colleagues, meet new peers, and expand your CDFI community.

Highlights include:

OFN breakfasts: Learn about OFN’s programs, resources, and loan products
Practitioner Networking Sessions
Breakout sessions focused on inspiration, reflection, idea generation, and 101-level learning & application.
Connecting Across Career Stages: Building the CDFI Leadership Community

CDFI leaders at every stage of their careers bring different experiences, perspectives, and lessons to the field, and some of the most valuable learning happens when those perspectives come together. Join us for a special evening program designed to build connections among early-, mid-, and senior-career leaders across the CDFI community.

A brief leadership conversation will explore how leadership evolves over the course of a career, what we can learn from one another, and what the field needs from its leaders in the years ahead. Then, facilitated networking will create opportunities to meet colleagues at different career stages, exchange ideas and experiences, and build relationships that extend beyond the conference.

Thursday moves from shared foundations to deeper learning and application, exploring the “how” of CDFI and mission-driven finance. Across tracks, sessions dig into the complexities of the work, from lessons learned and persistent challenges to evolving approaches, emerging opportunities, and strategies that practitioners can put into practice. Through deep dives, workshops, peer exchange, and other interactive formats, attendees will have the opportunity to learn from experience, tackle challenges alongside peers, and leave with ideas they can apply within their own organizations and communities.

Friday brings a broader perspective, with programming focused on strategy, scale, and what comes next for CDFIs and the industry. Across tracks, sessions explore opportunities to expand impact, navigate strategic choices, and consider the decisions and approaches that can move organizations and the field forward. Building on the learning and connections developed throughout the conference, our intention is for attendees to leave New Orleans with fresh perspectives, ideas for action, and renewed energy for the work ahead.

Highlights include:

Closing lunch plenary
Breakout sessions focused on inspiration, reflection, and idea generation.

Day 2 | Community Building

Day 3 | Deepening Practice

Day 4 | Inspiration & Action