CDFI Essentials

CAMEO Network will select up to 25 organizations to participate in the cohort. These organizations will include microlenders and small business lenders from California as well as around the United States. We intentionally keep the cohort small to increase peer interaction and learning within a small group setting.

Topics include but are not limited to:

o Loan Manual Overview and Development
o Portfolio Performance Standards
o Loan Product Design; Mission; Underwriting; Outreach
o Risk Rating Systems
o Allowance for Loan Loss Reserves
o Credit Reporting
o State Guarantee and Credit Enhancement Programs
o Data Maturity and Reporting
o Closing and Servicing
o Capitalization
o Managing Troubled Loans
o Obtaining Capital from Bank CRA Funds
o Executive Leadership, Board Governance and Staffing

We have special rates for members and special deeper discounts as subsidized by funders in certain
geographic areas as listed below. The fees to participate per organization for the full 2025 year (up to 10 staff) are:

• CAMEO Member Organizations in the 9 San Francisco Bay Area Counties: $750
• CAMEO Member Organizations in Northern California or Southern California: $1,000
• CAMEO Member Organizations in Texas or Illinois: Complimentary (Funded Opportunity)
• CAMEO Member Organizations Outside of California: $1,300
• Organizations that are not CAMEO Members: $2,500

Additional scholarships are available for organizations with demonstrated need. CAMEO membership pricing is typically $350 to $500 per year per organization. To learn more about CAMEO membership benefits and pricing, please click here.

We ask each organization to commit to participating in the full year. We invite up to 10 staff and/or board members to participate in each session, however, each month’s training content builds on the previous months’ content. We request organizations designate at a minimum one staff attend all the sessions (rather than changing who attends each time) in order to fully benefit from the continuity and design of the program and peer learning. In the event of staff member transition during the year, we ask the organization to notify CAMEO Network and let us know who the new staff member joining the cohort will be prior to the first session they plan to attend.

With more than 21 years CDFI and business lending executive and practitioner experience, Emily Gasner, VP of Strategic Initiatives and Director of the CDFI Incubator, is our facilitator and trainer. We incorporate CDFI expert matter experts as Guest Speakers throughout the year.

Douglas Craven joined CAMEO Network as Senior Program Manager, CDFI Programs, in early 2024. With over 12 years of experience in small business development and lending at ECDI, the nation’s largest SBA Microloan Intermediary, Douglas brings deep expertise in the CDFI industry to his role. He supports course development, program monitoring, and live trainings, ensuring innovative and impactful offerings for microbusiness development organizations and CDFIs.

The 2025 participating cohort organizations will each have the option for an additional one-on-one consulting monthly from CAMEO Network to answer questions, provide advice, and brainstorm whatever support you need to increase your impact and start or scale your microlending.

February 7, 2025.

Contact Douglas Craven at dcraven@CAMEOnetwork.org.