On November 17th, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund announced the awardees for the combined 2015-6 round of New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocations. The awards, which were increased to an historic high of over $7 billion, are aimed at revitalizing low-income communities and increasing economic opportunity nationwide. The 120 Community Development Entities (CDEs) that received these awards are actively seeking projects to finance. This is great news given that many CDEs are interested in providing financing for community health center expansion and renovation projects. For health centers needing additional funding for a project, NMTC could be the answer.
NMTC financing is a critical source of low-cost capital and equity for health center facility projects—often subsidizing project costs by 20% to 25%. In order for health centers to obtain credits with a CDE, they must demonstrate a high level of project readiness and be able to communicate the merits of their projects to CDEs with allocation. Furthermore, the process of structuring and closing an NMTC transaction is complicated and the terms, benefits, and fees offered to borrowers vary widely.
Of the nearly $1 billion in financing obtained by health centers through the NMTC program, approximately 60% was raised with Capital Link and/or Capital Fund assistance.
For help in determining whether NMTC financing could be a good fit for your health center, please contact us here.
To learn more about the NMTC program and how it works, click here to access Capital Link’s three NMTC publications and here to access a recording of the recent webinar, Financing Health Center Projects with New Markets Tax Credits.