Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago | Community Investment Newsletter | October 2016 Nominations Now Open for the Community Investment Advisory Council The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago is accepting nominations to its Community Investment Advisory Council through October 31; Illinois-based nominees outside of the Chicagoland area are strongly encouraged. The Advisory Council is composed of individuals who reside in the district and are actively engaged in affordable housing, community lending, and/or economic development activities. Advisory Council members are appointed by the FHLBC’s Board of Directors and serve three-year terms. Click here for the nomination form.  News Community First® Disaster Relief Program Responds to Wisconsin Storms The FHLBC’s Board of Directors has approved a $500,000 allocation to the Bank’s Community First Disaster Relief Program to assist communities affected by storms in Northwest Wisconsin. Read the press release to learn more. Additional DPP® Funds Made Available The FHLBC opened its Downpayment Plus® (DPP®) programs on March 14 with an allocation of $15.3 million. Due to the ongoing popularity of the program, the Bank recently contributed an additional $2 million. Since the program was opened this year, participating members have reserved $15 million (86%) on behalf of more than 2,500 households. In 2016, each participating member may access up to $420,000 on a first-come, first-served basis until the funds have been fully reserved. Contact 312-565-5824 or dpp@fhlbc.com with any questions. 2016 Competitive AHP Round Update The Community Investment staff is continuing to review the 126 applications that were submitted in our 2016 competitive Affordable Housing Program (AHP) round. Many applicants have received a request for clarification; however, not being asked for clarification does not necessarily indicate a lack of competitiveness. We expect to make award announcements in early December. Updated Reference Materials Now Available The FHLBC recently announced that the Guide for Project Management and the Income Calculation Guidelines have been updated and posted to our website. Read our recent advisory for more information.  FHLBC Receives Partners in Innovation Award Mercy Housing Lakefront recently recognized the FHLBC with its Partners in Innovation Award. The award was presented to 14 organizations that are working with Mercy Housing Lakefront to develop Sterling Park Apartments. The project will offer 181 units of affordable rental housing in the North Lawndale community of Chicago. The FHLBC made a $730,000 Affordable Housing Program award to the project through First Eagle Bank. Community First® Fund Partner Spotlight Impact Seven When Impact Seven was established in 1970, it served seven counties in northwest Wisconsin. Since then, the Rice Lake, Wisconsin-based nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) has extended its reach to the entire state, but its vision has stayed the same: revitalizing distressed communities by providing services and development in business, housing, and property management. In 2015, Impact Seven received a $7 million, 10-year loan from the Community First Fund, a revolving loan fund that provides direct support to CDFIs, community development loan funds, and state housing finance agencies serving Illinois and Wisconsin. In this Community First Fund Partner Spotlight, we talk to Impact Seven’s President and CEO, Brett Gerber, about the organization and how the Community First Fund helps it make complex projects possible. Read More Calendar Upcoming Events  October 13 Chicago Community Loan Fund’s 25th Anniversary Celebration Chicago, IL | Attending and Sponsoring October 13 Wisconsin School of Business’ 2016 Wisconsin Real Estate and Economic Outlook Conference Madison, WI | Attending and Sponsoring October 24–27 Opportunity Finance Network’s Annual Conference Atlanta, GA | Attending October 27–28 Housing Action Illinois’ 2016 Housing Matters! Conference Bloomington, IL | Attending, Presenting, and Sponsoring November 10 Accion’s 2016 Taste of Accion Chicago, IL | Attending November 14 WHEDA Conference 2016 Madison, WI | Attending and Sponsoring December 2 Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation’s Annual Luncheon Milwaukee, WI | Attending and Sponsoring  December 7 Incourage & Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s Investing in Healthy Communities Conference Wisconsin Rapids, WI | Attending February 28 LISC Chicago’s Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards Chicago, IL | Attending and Sponsoring     Helpful Links › AHP Online for Members › AHP Online for Sponsors Previous Editions › August 2016 › June 2016 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 © 2016, 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.