Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago | Community Investment Newsletter | February 2019 Register for a 2019 AHP Learning Opportunity Join FHLBank Chicago staff at a complimentary workshop to learn more about the 2019 competitive Affordable Housing Program (AHP). Topics covered include eligibility, project feasibility, and the 2019 scoring guidelines. Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Potential AHP project sponsors, FHLBank Chicago member institutions, and development consultants are encouraged to attend. Register for a workshop. Additionally, FHLBank Chicago staff are hosting two webinars for those with previous AHP experience. These identical webinars focus on significant changes from 2018 to 2019. Register for a webinar. Last year, we saw a strong correlation between these learning opportunities and award success. In the 2018 competitive round, 100% of awarded projects had a member of the development team (i.e., member, sponsor, or consultant) register for a webinar or in-person workshop. News 2019 Downpayment Plus Programs Now Open The 2019 Downpayment Plus (DPP®) and Downpayment Plus Advantage® (DPP Advantage®) programs are now open with an initial allocation; additional allocations will be made as needed. Participating members may reserve up to $420,000 in the general pool on a first-come, first-served basis to help their income-eligible borrowers with down payment and closing costs. For more information on the 2019 programs, click here.  Community Small Business Advance FHLBank Chicago members can access the Community Small Business Advance with initial 0% financing to support small business lending in income-eligible communities in Illinois and Wisconsin. This product combines competitive pricing with support for local economies and community revitalization efforts. To learn more and to access the application, visit our website.   Disaster Relief Program Update Between October and December 2018, $400,000 was allocated through the Community First® Disaster Relief Program to assist member institutions and their communities affected by FEMA-declared disasters in Wisconsin. The funding period closed on January 31, 2019. At that time, 79 grants were awarded: 36 for housing-related damages and 43 for small business-related damages. Sneak Peak: Community First Capacity-Building Grant Program Video  FHLBank Chicago staff recently visited Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to produce a video highlighting the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce and Town Bank. The Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce, a community development financial institution, received a Community First Capacity-Building Grant in 2018 to develop a bilingual and bicultural financial literacy curriculum for its small business members. Stay tuned for the video debuting in the Bank's 2018 annual report published in March. Policy Corner Community Support Program – Request for Public Comments To maintain access to Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLBank) long-term credit and Community Investment products, members of the FHLBank System are required to submit a Community Support Statement (CSS) to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) every two years to document their Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) performance and record of lending to first-time homebuyers. As part of the Community Support Program review, the FHFA accepts public comments, both positive and negative, concerning individual FHLBank members. Public comments may be submitted to the FHFA via email at HMGCommunitySupportProgram@fhfa.gov. Public comments are due to the FHFA by May 13, 2019.  For more information on the Community Support Program review process or to access a list of FHLBank Chicago members subject to Community Support Program review, please visit the Community Support Statements webpage found under the Community Investment section of fhlbc.com. If you have any questions, please contact Community Investment staff at 312-565-5824 or via email at CommunitySupportProgram@fhlbc.com. Advisory Appointments to the Community Investment Advisory Council The FHLBank Chicago Board of Directors recently made appointments to the Community Investment Advisory Council. Read more about the new members. Calendar Upcoming Events February 21 Home Buyers Round Table of Dane County’s Lender Down Payment Assistance Training Madison, WI | Presenting February 26–27 Illinois Housing Development Authority and Illinois Housing Council’s Illinois Governor’s Conference on Affordable Housing Chicago, IL | Attending, Exhibiting, and Sponsoring March 21 Home Buyers Round Table of Dane County's Realtor Down Payment Assistance Training Madison, WI | Presenting March 21 Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago's Annual Awards Dinner  Chicago, IL | Attending and Sponsoring April 9 Illinois Housing Council's Networking Breakfast  Chicago, IL | Attending  April 11 LISC Milwaukee’s Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation Milwaukee, WI | Attending, Judging, and Sponsoring April 17 FHLBank Chicago’s AHP Application Workshop Bloomington, IL | Hosting and Presenting April 23 FHLBank Chicago’s AHP Application Workshop Stevens Point, WI | Hosting and Presenting April 24 FHLBank Chicago’s AHP Application Workshop Madison, WI | Hosting and Presenting April 25 FHLBank Chicago’s AHP Application Workshop Milwaukee, WI | Hosting and Presenting May 1 FHLBank Chicago's AHP Application Workshop Chicago, IL | Hosting and Presenting May 2 FHLBank Chicago's AHP Application Workshop Chicago, IL | Hosting and Presenting May 6–7  Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies' Annual Membership Conference  Springfield, IL | Attending, Exhibiting, Presenting, and Sponsoring  May 7  Illinois Housing Council's Networking Breakfast  Chicago, IL | Presenting and Sponsoring  May 9  LISC Chicago’s Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards Chicago, IL | Attending, Judging, and Sponsoring     Project Spotlight: Oconomowoc School Apartments Location: Oconomowoc, Wisconsin AHP award: $300,000 Member: Nicolet National Bank Sponsor: Northpointe Development Corporation Photo courtesy of  Callan L. Schultz Previous Editions › December 2018 › October 2018 Subscribe Printer Friendly   Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago 200 East Randolph Drive Chicago, IL 60601 www.fhlbc.com This newsletter contains forward-looking statements which are based upon our current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof. These statements may use forward-looking terms, such as "anticipates,” "believes," "expects," "could," "plans," "estimates," "may," "should," "will," or their negatives or other variations on these terms. We caution that, by their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk or uncertainty, that actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements, and that actual events could affect the extent to which a particular objective, projection, estimate, or prediction is realized. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the risk factors set forth in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on our website at www.fhlbc.com. Copyright © 2019, Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago. "Community First," "Downpayment Plus," "DPP," "Downpayment Plus Advantage," and "DPP Advantage" are registered trademarks of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago.