If you’re the Authorized Representative for a Certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) or you’ve received a CDFI Fund Award or Allocation, listen up: compliance season is approaching, and it’s time to get your ducks in a row.
Think of this as your friendly neighborhood reminder that annual reporting deadlines exist, and they’re not optional. To stay in good standing with your Award, Assistance, or Allocation Agreement (and to keep your CDFI Certification status active), you need to submit your annual reports on time. Every time.
Who Needs to Report and When?
Here’s the deal: due dates vary depending on your fiscal year end, the type of Award you received, and the specific terms spelled out in your agreements. Right now, we’re focusing on organizations with reports due by June 30, 2026. If that’s you, mark your calendar. Missing this deadline could result in a noncompliance finding, and nobody wants that headache.
How to Find Your Specific Due Date
For CDFI Fund Award Recipients and Allocatees: Your due dates live in two places—your Award, Assistance, or Allocation Agreement, and the Reporting Schedule in AMIS (that’s the Awards Management Information System, for those new to the acronym party).
For All Certified CDFIs: Your Annual Certification and Data Collection Report (ACR) due date depends on your fiscal year end. The 2026 Reporting Round dates are still being finalized, but once they’re ready, you’ll find them in the ACR Reporting Schedule in AMIS. Keep an eye out for updates.
The Transaction Level Report: One Report to Rule Them All
Here’s something important that trips people up: if you’re required to submit a Transaction Level Report (TLR) as part of your Assistance Agreement, that full-length TLR is the same one used to evaluate your Target Market activity under the revised CDFI Certification Application. No need to submit multiple versions—just one comprehensive report does the job.
When you’re filling out the “Designated Target Market Type” data field, only include Target Market types you’re currently approved for or that you’ve proposed in your revised Certification Application. Don’t get creative here—stick to what’s been approved or proposed. And please, for the love of efficiency, don’t submit both an abbreviated TLR and a full-length TLR for the same fiscal year. Pick one. The CDFI Fund will use your single TLR for both certification and compliance purposes.
The Four-Step TLR Submission Process
Before you hit that submit button, make sure you’ve completed these four steps:
- Enter or upload all transactions for your fiscal year to the relevant AMIS objects (CDFI TLR, Loan Purchase, Consumer Loan, Financial Services, Address)
- Run the Target Market Calculator
- Review the calculator results and fix any issues—update addresses, correct Target Market type tags, whatever needs adjusting
- Certify your TLR
Pro tip: Check the CDFI Certification section on the CDFI Fund’s website for the latest updates on which Financial Products and Services can be included in the Target Market Calculator, and how to properly tag transactions for specific Target Market types.
Meet the New TLR Interface in AMIS
Good news—the CDFI Fund recently rolled out a redesigned TLR submission and certification page in AMIS. The new interface is more user-friendly (translation: less headache-inducing) and presents the submission steps more clearly. They’ve also added updated guidance and video walkthroughs to help you navigate the process. You can find all the details, links, and videos on the CDFI Fund’s website.
Don’t Forget to Report Material Events
Your CDFI Certification and Award agreements require you to notify the CDFI Fund when a Material Event occurs. This isn’t optional—it’s a contractual obligation. Submit these notifications through a Service Request in your AMIS account.
If you have an active Award or Allocation, you need to submit the Material Events form (with all supporting documentation) within 30 days of the event occurring, or whatever timeframe your specific agreement specifies. The CDFI Fund has updated guidance documents for the Certification of Material Events Form, which you can find under the “Material Events” resources on their website.
Take a moment to review your recent organizational history. Has anything significant happened—leadership changes, mergers, fiscal year adjustments? If so, you might need to file a Material Events form. Even Certified CDFIs without an Award Agreement should report changes like fiscal year end adjustments through the AMIS Service Request portal.
New Process for Audit Confirmation Requests
Here’s a change that’ll save everyone some postage: stop mailing hard copies of audit confirmation requests to the CDFI Fund. As of now, all auditor requests should be submitted via email to FMAuditConfirmations@cdfi.treas.gov. This includes verifications, validations, and balance confirmations for financial assistance received from the CDFI Fund.
The CDFI Fund will respond exclusively by email, so make sure your request includes an email address and clear instructions about where to send the information. Any questions about this process can also be directed to that same email address.
Subsidiary-CDE Enjoinment Just Got Easier
The CDFI Fund recently streamlined the process for adding Subsidiary-CDEs to existing allocation agreements. The new workflow in AMIS is more straightforward: you’ll initially upload just the draft legal opinion through the Amendment Module (initiated via Service Request), then select the eligible certified Subsidiary-CDEs you want to enjoin to your specific allocation agreement.
The CDFI Fund’s legal team will review your draft opinion and return it through the Service Request, along with the Subsidiary-CDE enjoinment amendment letter. You’ll need to wet-sign that amendment letter (yes, an actual signature—some things are still old school) and upload it back to the Service Request along with the finalized legal opinion. Once that’s done, the CDFI Fund will enter an effective date and update AMIS to reflect your newly enjoined Subsidiary-CDEs.
An updated amendment request guide is available on the CDFI Fund’s website if you need more detailed instructions.
ACR Reporting Schedule: Coming Soon
The 2026 ACR Reporting Schedule isn’t populated in AMIS yet, but it’s on the way. When it becomes available, the CDFI Fund will send guidance to all Certified CDFIs about submission deadlines and which version of the ACR to use. They’ll also provide instructions for organizations certified after December 7, 2023, regarding their 2025 ACR Reporting Schedule completion.
You’ll receive an email at your organization’s key contact addresses when the ACR is ready and your deadline is set. The ACR Reporting Schedule (located at the bottom of the Certification Related page in AMIS) displays your due date based on your fiscal year end. Double-check that your fiscal year end is correct on your AMIS Organizational Detail Page—an incorrect date means an incorrect deadline, and that’s a problem you don’t need.
Special Note for Regulated Financial Institutions
If you’re a regulated financial institution, be patient with the ACR’s financial data section. It won’t pre-populate with regulator call report data until your regulator releases it publicly. The CDFI Fund will email your key contacts when the call report data has been added to AMIS. Wait for that email before completing your ACR financial data section. Submitting before the pre-population happens just creates extra work for everyone.
Resources to Help You Navigate All This
The CDFI Fund has developed extensive training materials to help you work with AMIS more effectively. All AMIS training manuals and resources are available online.
For detailed instructions on submitting annual compliance and certification reports, plus guidance on Material Events forms, check out these resources on the CDFI Fund’s website:
- CDFI Equitable Recovery Program Compliance Resources and Reporting (Updated August 20, 2024)
- Small Dollar Loan Fund Program Compliance Resources and Reporting (Updated October 2, 2024)
- CDFI Program and NACA Program Compliance Resources and Reporting (Updated October 2, 2024)
- Capital Magnet Fund Compliance Resources and Reporting (Updated February 7, 2025)
- NMTC Program Compliance Resources and Reporting (Updated December 26, 2024)
- Bank Enterprise Award Program Compliance Resources and Reporting (Updated February 2, 2022)
- Certification of Material Events Form Guidance
- ACR Information (Updated January 3, 2025)
- CDFI/NACA/CDFI ERP Transaction Level Report (TLR) Data Point Collection Guide (Updated May 2026)
- CDFI and NMTC AMIS Compliance and Performance Reporting (ACPR) (Updated May 2026)
- AMIS Training Materials
Questions? Here’s How to Get Help
If you have questions about annual compliance reports, certification reports, or Material Events, submit a Service Request through your organization’s AMIS account. For general information about the CDFI Fund and its programs, visit www.cdfifund.gov.
One final recommendation: take some time to review the revised Certification Application, ACR, and TLR information on the CDFI Fund’s website. Understanding the scope of changes and new process requirements now will save you confusion later. Future you will be grateful.