Calvin L. Holmes has served as the President of Chicago Community Loan Fund (CCLF) since 1998.  CCLF is a nonprofit, U.S. Treasury certified Community Development Financial Institution with over $100 million in assets that provides responsible financing and technical assistance for community stabilization and development efforts that benefit low- to moderate-income neighbourhoods throughout metropolitan Chicago.

Under his leadership, CCLF’s lending is leveraging over 9,400 housing units, over 5,000 jobs and $1.4 billion in additional capital in 70 lower wealth Chicagoland communities and CCLF has become one of the largest single metropolitan area CDFIs in the country.  Holmes’ community development career spans over 30 years. He has served as the Chairman of Community Development Advisory Board-CDFI Fund (appointed by President Obama) and currently serves on the Bank of America and US Bank National Community Advisory Councils, Kroger Community Development Entity, LLC Advisory Board and PNC Bank Advisory Board (Illinois).

He also serves on the boards of the Cook County Land Bank Authority (Treasurer), Chicago Community Land Trust (Treasurer), Community Reinvestment Fund & NMTC CDE, South Suburban Land Bank and Development Authority and the Interfaith Housing Development Corporation of Chicago (Secretary), among others.  He is a 2003 Leadership Greater Chicago fellow and led CCLF to receive a 2009 MacArthur Foundation Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. He is a recognized expert in community development finance and issues involving access to capital. He holds a master’s degree in urban and regional planning, with a concentration in real estate finance, from Cornell University and a bachelor’s degree in African American Studies from Northwestern University.