Calvin L. Holmes, President – Chicago Community Loan Fund
President – Chicago Community Loan Fund
Calvin Holmes has served as President of the Chicago Community Loan Fund (CCLF) since 1998. Under his leadership, CCLF’s lending has leveraged nearly $1 billion in additional public- and private-sector capital in over 50 lower wealth Chicagoland communities, in turn supporting over 6,700 units of affordable housing, more than 2.2 million square feet of community facility and commercial/retail space and 1,700 jobs, and community social enterprises. In addition, CCLF has solidified its position as a leading early-stage lender for community developers, a primary lender for affordable housing cooperatives and a principal promoter of sustainable development in metro Chicago. CCLF manages over $30 million in assets, making it one of the 10 largest nonprofit Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) in Illinois, and was one of only eight organizations worldwide honored with the 2009 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions.
Holmes’ community development career spans 25 years, including work as a budget planner for a more than $100 million rapid-transit project, and as property manager of a 200-unit assisted housing portfolio. He currently serves as an advisor to the Bank of America National Community Advisory Council, Citibank NMTC Corporation, Mercy Loan Fund CDE, Great Lakes Region Sustainability Funds LLC and The Law Project (Chicago). He serves on the boards of the Community Reinvestment Fund and the Housing Partnership Network, and as secretary on the board of Interfaith Housing Development Corporation of Chicago, as well as on the awards selection committee of the Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards. Holmes is a recognized expert in community development finance, the Community Reinvestment Act and community issues involving housing and access to capital, and regularly presents at conferences and events on these topics.
Holmes has been honored individually with many community leadership awards, including honors from the Chicago CRA Coalition and Bank of America. In 2001, Holmes was honored as one of Crain’s Chicago’s 40 Under 40 young leaders, and was a 2002-2003 Leadership Greater Chicago fellow. He holds a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning, with a concentration in real estate development, from Cornell University, and a BA in African American and Urban Studies from Northwestern University.