Imagine Academy for Autism
Imagine Academy is a school for children with autism ages 5-21, located in Brooklyn, New York. Imagine was founded in 2005 by parents of affected children.
Their vision was to… READ MORE >
Stepping Stones Learning Center
Annual Reviews
Please enjoy reading our Year-End Reviews summarizing the work of The DOF!
The DOF in 2011: The Growth Continues!
The DOF in 2010: What a Year!
If you would like any financial data regarding The DOF, please feel free to Contact Us.
The Mission
The Mission of DOF is to provide technical and financial services to individuals and organizations serving the disability market throughout the United States, with a focus on affordable housing, schools and vocational training centers.
The Vision
The Vision of DOF is to create a society where financing is readily available to address the gap in housing and related services for people with disabilities and their families.
Marianne D’Erario
Finance Manager
As Finance Manager of the Disability Opportunity Fund, Marianne is responsible for the day to day financial and bookkeeping operations of the company, including the preparation of financial statements, the issuance of external and interim reports for various agencies and not-for-profit organizations, and the maintenance of regulatory compliance with banking and other financial institutions as well as local and state government.
Her career started in the defense sector where she worked for several contractors in accounting and program office organizations, gaining experience in government procurement regulations, invoicing methods and compliance regulations.
She is knowledgeable about court required accountings related to guardianships, wills and contributions/distributions and has successfully partnered with legal and public accounting firms in providing her services as an independent contractor.
As treasurer for Wickers Sportswear, Marianne was instrumental in their becoming a debt free entity. She interfaced with banks regarding loan agreements, foreign currency exchanges and daily cash management and was responsible for that company’s accounting, financial reporting, tax and ERP system.
Ms. D’Erario is a graduate of New York Institute of Technology with a degree in Accounting.
Our Supporters
We are honored to include the following members to The DOF “Family”:
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What Is A CDFI?
The DOF objective is to introduce the disability market to the CDFI community.
CDFIs are community-based specialized financial institutions that serve low income people or work in economically distressed communities, often working in market niches that may be underserved by traditional financial institutions.
CDFIs provide a unique and wide range of financial products and services that help customers build wealth and achieve the goal of participating in the ownership society.
The types of products may be similar to those provided by larger, mainstream financial institutions such as mortgage financing for low income or first time homebuyers, small business lending and lending for community facilities. CDFIs generally lend to and make equity investments in markets not served by traditional financial institutions. CDFIs may offer rates and terms that are more flexible and provide services that will help insure that credit is used effectively. CDFIs include regulated institutions such as community development banks and credit unions, and non-regulated institutions such as loan funds and venture capital funds.
About The DOF
The DOF is a community development financial institution (CDFI), launched in April 2007, located in Albertson, New York and operating nationally. We are a 501c(3) tax exempt organization dedicated to providing housing opportunities for and advancing the needs of people with disabilities and their families.
“Charles Hammerman was interested in the single best way to make capital flow to create benefits for people with disabilities, to create partnerships and through them, channel money and change policy. The DOF brought to us a market we didn’t know existed, a model we think has enormous potential, and the right kind of leader for the challenge.”
Mark Pinsky, CEO
Opportunity Finance Network
Excerpt from Pinsky’s Keynote Address
New York Stock Exchange Roundtable on Affordable Housing Solutions for People with Disabilities, June, 2008
Nanci B. Freiman
Director, Administration & Technical Assistance
In her role at The Disability Opportunity Fund, Nanci oversees the Administrative day to day of the company. She also provides Technical Assistance to individuals and organizations on a variety of different issues. Currently she fields all requests that come in by email and/or phone.
After receiving her Master’s in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling from NYU, Nanci began her career at UJA’s Trades and Business School, doing short term evaluations. She then moved to do outreach in the New York City High Schools and alternative programs.
Following, UJA, Nanci was at ICD, the International Center for the Disabled working within their Employment Services Division. She then ran their food services training and placement program as well as their summer program for youth. In 2000, Nanci was the first Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor hired by a Long Island public school to provide transition services; finding housing and educational placements for those young adults who were graduating or aging out of the school system.
Nanci resides in Hewlett with her husband, Charlie and their seven children.
J. David Sweeny
Co-Director of Lending
J. David Sweeny is founder and President of PDS Development Corporation, a real estate development and finance company. Through PDS, David Sweeny has sourced conventional and non-traditional debt and equity financing for $750 million of commercial, industrial, institutional and residential real estate projects throughout the New York region including: affordable and market-rate housing, educational, and industrial revitalization projects. Mr. Sweeny consults to a variety of clients on real estate, finance and public funding including: US Department of Housing and Urban Development, National Grid, Pratt Center, Forward Thinking Financial Advisors, Harlem Northside Center, Urban Justice Center, New York City Economic Development Corporation, Center for Urban Community Services, and Goodwill Industries.
Prior to launching PDS, David Sweeny served as President of the Greyston Foundation, a $15 million multi-service community development agency and as CEO of non-profit real estate organizations, Civic Builders and Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center (GMDC).
David Sweeny is blind and active in the disabled community, raising money for outdoor adaptive sports organizations serving the blind and disabled. He was acknowledged in 2007 with a leadership award from Visions Services for the Blind and an award for music therapy volunteer work at NY Methodist hospital’s geriatric/psychiatric unit.
David Sweeny is on the Board of Directors of Civic Builders, Pave Academy Charter School, the New York Industrial Retention Network and the Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation. He is a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon, the national Economics Honors Society.
Charles D. Hammerman
President and CEO
Charlie Hammerman brings many years of involvement with initiatives for people with disabilities and significant experience in the financial markets. Prior to the creation of The DOF, Hammerman founded the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, an organization to advance civic, economic and social participation of persons with disabilities in a global society. In 2007 Hammerman was appointed Director of CDFI Initiatives at Syracuse University.
Hammerman was a senior member of Private Executive Services, a division of Merrill Lynch’s Global Private Client Group. He also spent 4 years with Merrill Lynch’s Equity Capital markets division and 4 years in the Office of the General Counsel. Before Merrill Lynch, he was an Assistant US Attorney in New York and began his career as an associate at Morgan Lewis and Bockius.
At Merrill Lynch. Hammerman spearheaded the creation of it’s “Disability Awareness Professional Network” in its world headquarters. As a result of his leadership, Merrill Lynch was recognized by Diversity Inc. magazine as the “number one company for employment of people with disabilities” in 2005 and 2006.Hammerman received his B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and his JD from Fordham University in 1988.
Charlie lives in Hewlett, NY with his wife and children.