[Durham, NC] January 8, 2026 — Self-Help has been awarded a $75 million New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation from the US Department of the Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, which is designed to spur investment and economic growth in low-wealth and rural communities nationwide. A total of $10 billion in NMTC allocation was awarded to Community Development Entities (CDEs) late December, the largest allocation in the program’s history. The federal announcement can be found here.
"New Markets Tax Credits are one of the most efficient economic development tools for low-wealth communities ever enacted generating over $77 billion in qualified equity investment and $143 billion in total development financing to support 8,900 business and community facilities across the U.S. and creating more than 1.2 million jobs," says Sarah Brennan, Structured Finance Sector Leader at Self-Help. "With this most recent award, Self-Help is thrilled to continue to invest in high-impact projects that not only transform lives at the individual level, but re-shape entire communities."
New Markets Tax Credit investments are crucial for low-income urban, rural, and Tribal communities nationwide. These investments have spurred job creation, the revitalization of commercial corridors, and the development of community facilities, including health clinics, charter schools, and food banks.
Self-Help uses NMTCs to drive investment in underserved areas, with a particular focus on financing community facilities that serve low-wealth individuals and marginalized communities. Like many financial institutions committed to socially responsible lending, Self-Help sees the program as a way not only to increase investment in low-wealth communities and create access to quality jobs, but as a way to support and strengthen the local institutions that provide access to crucial healthcare and educational opportunities for underserved community members.
This latest award builds upon Self-Help's recent successes, bringing its total NMTC allocations to $230 million over the past four funding cycles, and $558 million in total. Self-Help is primarily focused on deploying funds to high-impact projects located in our retail footprint, which includes California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Milwaukee, the Greater Chicago Area, southern Virginia, and the state of Washington.
Some recent projects Self-Help has closed:
- Bright Star Schools' Valor Academy Elementary School (VAES) in North Hills, CA – Self-Help provided $10 million in New Markets Tax Credits and $16.4 million in financing to build a new facility that will increase student capacity by 49%, from 370 to 552 students, and include 28 classrooms, a multipurpose room, and more. Bright Star VAES serves a predominantly low-wealth student population, providing quality education in a community where educational resources have been chronically underfunded.
- MedNorth Health Center in Wilmington, NC – Self-Help contributed $9 million in NMTC allocation toward the expansion of New Hanover Community Health Center, MedNorth Health Center. As the only Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in New Hanover County, MedNorth provides a critical safety net for families facing rising healthcare costs and limited access to affordable care. The expansion increased space by 35,000 square feet, adding roughly 50 exam rooms, 15 behavioral health offices, vision and dental offices, and lab space, allowing MedNorth to serve up to 3,800 additional patients annually—90% of whom are low-wealth residents.
- Lincoln-King Center in Racine, WI – Self-Help provided $14 million in NMTC allocation to finance the construction of a 78,000 square foot multi-use campus serving families and individuals in one of Racine's most distressed neighborhoods. The center addresses both healthcare affordability and access by housing a new FQHC alongside the City's Public Health Department and a City Community Center, providing coordinated healthcare, wellness programs, and workforce development services under one roof. Located adjacent to an elementary school, the building is Racine's first Net Zero and LEED Platinum building.
- YMCA REACH Center at Winston Lake in Winston-Salem, NC – Self-Help contributed $8 million in NMTC allocation toward the major renovation of the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina's existing 55,000 square foot facility. The renovation updated childcare and youth programming facilities, created a primary health care center with x-ray imaging capabilities, and added a wellness center with state-of-the-art equipment. Novant Health leased space to provide affordable primary care to an anticipated 1,800 patients annually, addressing the critical need for accessible healthcare in East Winston.
- Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida (RMHCSF), Miami, FL – Self-Help contributed $14 Million to finance the construction of a brand-new, 54,000 square foot health care facility that will provide lodging and support services for 600 children and families annually that are receiving treatment at the adjacent Holtz Children’s Hospital, a part of Jackson Memorial Hospital Campus and one of the largest safety net hospitals in the United States.
About the New Markets Tax Credit Program
The New Markets Tax Credit Program, established by Congress in December 2000, permits individual and corporate taxpayers to receive a non-refundable tax credit against federal income taxes for making equity investments in financial intermediaries known as Community Development Entities (CDEs). CDEs that receive the tax credit allocation authority under the program are domestic corporations or partnerships that provide loans, investments, or financial counseling in low-wealth urban and rural communities. The tax credit provided to the investor totals 39% of the cost of the investment and is claimed over seven years. The CDEs, in turn, use the capital raised to make investments in low-income communities. CDEs must apply annually to the CDFI Fund to compete for New Markets Tax Credit Program allocation authority. Since the inception of the NMTC Program, the CDFI Fund has completed 21 allocation rounds and has made 1,809 awards totaling 81 billion in tax allocation authority.
To learn more about the New Markets Tax Credit Program, please visit www.cdfifund.gov/nmtc
About the Self-Help Ventures Fund
The Self-Help Ventures Fund is driving economic opportunity where it’s needed most. As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) loan fund, it tackles higher-risk business lending, real estate development, and home loan programs—powered by support from foundations, corporations, faith-based groups, and government partners. Part of the Center for Community Self-Help, its mission is to help build wealth and stronger communities through ownership and opportunity for all. Over four decades, Self-Help and its affiliates have provided more than $11 billion in financing to help more than 168,000 borrowers buy homes, start and grow businesses and strengthen community resources. For more information, please visit www.self-help.org.