During my summer at the Enterprise Community Loan Fund (ECLF), the CDFI division of Enterprise Community Partners, I worked on projects that advanced the organization’s mission of expanding affordable housing and strengthening communities in need. My primary focus was underwriting three lines of credit totaling $2.75 million for emerging BIPOC developers through Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund. These investments provided working capital and predevelopment financing to help underrepresented developers compete in the affordable housing market in Washington, D.C. and Seattle. I also managed the associated grant program, deploying $853,000 in grant capital, reviewing applications, and maintaining communication with grantees. Beyond direct lending, I contributed to ECLF’s strategic and investor‑facing work by updating the Capital Markets white paper with qualitative and quantitative analysis, completing an investor due diligence questionnaire highlighting impact metrics—such as ECLF’s role in Habitat for Humanity’s U.S. Property Acquisition Fund—and developing project profiles for the communications team. Together, these projects strengthened both capital deployment and impact demonstration, reinforcing ECLF’s role as a mission‑driven financial intermediary.

At Columbia Business School I have focused my coursework and extracurricular activities on impact investing and social enterprise finance, which provided a strong foundation for my work at ECLF. In underwriting the lines of credit and managing the grant program, I applied skills from classes on credit analysis, social finance, and community development. Updating the white paper and preparing due diligence materials leveraged my experience in financial analysis and impact metrics. I used my communications training to develop clear, compelling project profiles. This integration of credit, finance, and storytelling demonstrated how business education can support affordable housing and community development.

A significant challenge was balancing the rigor of underwriting with the flexibility needed to support emerging developers. Many borrowers lacked extensive track records or collateral, requiring innovative approaches to risk assessment. Managing the grant program also presented challenges, including evaluating diverse applications and communicating with grantees. Navigating internal processes while responding to external partners required careful prioritization and organization. These challenges taught me to balance financial prudence with mission alignment and to be responsive to both borrowers and colleagues.

This fellowship deepened my understanding of how financial tools can be used to advance social equity. I gained hands‑on experience structuring loans and grants that support emerging developers and communities. I also learned how capital markets, impact measurement, and storytelling come together to attract investment and demonstrate impact. The experience strengthened my commitment to impact investing and affordable housing finance and showed me how to use business skills to drive social change.