Since our launch as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) in 2008, the DOF Board and staff have remained committed to measuring the impact of our financing and technical assistance activities. In the early days, our small lending portfolio lent itself to anecdotal stories of how a DOF construction loan allowed six young adults with disabilities to move into a home in the community. More importantly, our loan has allowed them to control their destiny for the last 12 years and for the future.
From those humble beginnings, we have added new debt products and have started to invest in the disability market through a growing equity portfolio. We have stayed focused on the ultimate goal: addressing the needs of people with disabilities and their families. As we have grown our assets, we have also expanded the “story” of our impact.
With guidance from the CDFI industry, Aeris, and now incorporating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, we have expanded our reporting into this new Social Impact Metric Report. Our hope is that we can translate how the deployment of DOF Capital results in, among other things, added housing, expanded school and health services, and innovative new models.
DOF was founded with the principle that people with disabilities and their families deserve the best available solutions. The societal progress we have seen since 2008 provides hope that DOF’s work is just beginning.