-Overview
The Intro Tax Increment Finance WebCourse offers an in-depth look at the guiding principles and appropriate application of TIF. Topics discussed include the basics of TIF, negotiating and structuring TIF deals, understanding various financing structures, and combining TIF with different capital sources. Several case study examples from active TIF deals will be presented with explanations for how the community was proactively engaged in the process.
The Intro Tax Increment Finance WebCourse is designed to bring TIF deal-making and best practices into focus and support the entire TIF community including economic developers, public agencies, bond issuers, legal professionals, developers, financial advisors, and other stakeholders.
This course qualifies for the CDFA Training Institute's Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) Program. Join us online, and start down the road to personal and professional advancement today.
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Course Objectives
- Learn the building blocks of TIF and essential best practice principles
- Dissect TIF deals from start to finish including community buy-in, redevelopment planning, bond issuance, and post-project monitoring
- Understand TIF bond issuance and mechanics
- Examine project- and district-based TIF approaches
- Explore the benefits of using special districts, credits, and overlays
- Receive a copy of the Tax Increment Finance Best Practices Reference Guide
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Topics Covered
- The basics of TIF
- How to create a TIF
- Typical improvements
- Site-specific vs. district-wide approaches
- Addressing community buy-in
- Financing variations
- Credits and overlays
- Case studies
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Who Should Attend?
- Bond Issuers
- Economic Development Professionals
- Community Development Professionals
- Developers
- Brokers/Dealers and Underwriters
- Elected Officials
- Government and Nonprofit Finance Officers
- Attorneys
- Accountants
- Financial Advisors
- Policymakers
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Course Advisor
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Angela Blatt
Council of Development Finance Agencies
Director
As a Director in the Knowledge & Networks Division at the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA), Angela focuses on the W.K. Kellogg Foundation-funded initiative “Defining the Food System Asset Class,” whereby CDFA explores opportunities for ... the advancement of local and regional food systems using development finance tools. Through this initiative, Angela collaborates with communities across the country providing technical assistance and producing strategic plans for development finance strategies that meet infrastructure, agriculture, and small business needs to support equitable, local food economies. Angela leads CDFA’s Food Systems Finance Advisory Council, joining the food and finance industries, and administers CDFA’s Food Systems Finance Webinar Series, connecting food-related businesses and projects with development finance agencies. In 2021, she gained Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) certification through the CDFA Training Institute.
A Navy Veteran, Angela holds two degrees from The Ohio State University: a Master of Public Administration with a focus on Food Policy from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs, and a Bachelor of Science from the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. (More)
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-Agenda
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
| Tue 12:00 PM - 12:15 PM |
Welcome & Overview
Welcome to the course! This session will introduce CDFA, explain how to use the online software, and discuss the framework for the two-day Intro Tax Increment Finance WebCourse.
Speaker(s)
- Angela Blatt, Director, Council of Development Finance Agencies
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| Tue 12:15 PM - 1:00 PM |
Setting the Stage: The Basics of TIF
TIF is perennially one of the nation’s most effective and popular development finance tools, but also one of its most misunderstood and controversial. As such, it is imperative for development finance professionals to have a solid understanding of how TIF works to build a successful toolbox of financing programs. This session will focus on understanding TIF and why communities use it to achieve economic development objectives.
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| Tue 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM |
TIF Legal & Procedural Nuts & Bolts
Creating a TIF district, for either a large long-term redevelopment or for an individual site/project, requires a detailed understanding of the legal, technical, policy, and strategic issues related to TIF in each state. This session will look at the legal and procedural nuts and bolts of creating a TIF, the main types of development activities that TIF can fund, and district vs. site-specific considerations. Speakers will also cover the similar considerations associated with setting up a special assessment district—a related tool that is increasingly being used in combination with TIF.
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| Tue 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM |
Break
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| Tue 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM |
TIF Financing Variations
TIF is a very flexible tool and offers multiple variations of the specific revenue sources it can generate and the different ways these revenues are used to support project financings. Speakers will discuss the typical sources for TIF repayments, including property tax, sales tax, and special assessments. The range of ways in which TIF funds can be made available, during or after construction will be addressed, including “pay-as-you-go,” developer financing, revenue notes, standalone TIF revenue bonds, and TIF bonds combined with or enhanced by other funding sources. This session will cover how to establish special assessment districts for additional financing.
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| Tue 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM |
The Most Overlooked TIF Element: Addressing Buy-in Public Policy
TIF is designed to be a tool that facilitates both physical and economic improvements that combat blight and disinvestment and support community revitalization. TIF is a taxpayer-funded tool that impacts the local development landscape, TIF requires community input and political support, both of which are critical to a TIF program’s success and all-too-often overlooked. This session explains how cities should engage and incorporate input from citizens, business owners, school districts, and neighboring or overlapping jurisdictions as they design and administer TIF programs.
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| Tue 5:00 PM |
Adjourn
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Wednesday, August 27, 2025
| Wed 12:00 PM - 12:15 PM |
Revisiting Day 1
Day 2 will begin with a review of key takeaways from Day 1 and the agenda for the second half of the course.
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| Wed 12:15 PM - 2:00 PM |
The Basics of TIF Underwriting & Deal Making
Underwriting and structuring are critical elements of TIF transactions and may have significant effects on the project’s chances of success. Due to TIF’s role as a public financing source, the underwriting process can become heavily intertwined with public decision-making about TIF projects. The speakers will provide an introduction to the three main components of TIF underwriting: market analysis, TIF revenue projections, and financial feasibility/”gap” analysis. They will also discuss core elements of a TIF deal, including term sheets, deal components, and development agreements.
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| Wed 2:00 PM - 2:15 PM |
Break
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| Wed 2:15 PM - 3:30 PM |
Understanding TIF Bond Financing
TIF bonds are one of the core methods by which TIF revenue streams are monetized to fund project costs. This session will cover the process and mechanics associated with these types of bonds and the various considerations around how and when to bond. Speakers will discuss changing market dynamics for TIF bonds and the key characteristics that make a TIF bond marketable.
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| Wed 3:30 PM - 3:45 PM |
Break
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| Wed 3:45 PM - 5:00 PM |
Combining & Leveraging TIF with Other Tools
During this session, attendees will learn how TIF may be paired with other complementary financing mechanisms to solve difficult gap financing challenges and improve project feasibility. Across the country, communities are reinforcing TIF districts with special assessments and combining TIF with tax credits, tax-exempt bonds, subordinate loan programs, and other federal tools. Speakers will discuss the creative ways to use TIF and how to facilitate successful financing of high-impact revitalization projects.
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| Wed 5:00 PM |
Adjourn
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-Location
The Intro Tax Increment Finance WebCourse will take place on Zoom. The course will meet each day from 12:00-5:00 PM Eastern. Attendees must have access to a computer and the internet to attend the course.
-Registration
This training course qualifies for the CDFA Training Institute's
Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) Program. Start down the road to personal and professional advancement today.
Scholarships are available to attend this event. Learn more about the
CDFA Scholarship Program,
and submit your application today.
Please note that the application deadline is two weeks prior to the course start date.
CDFA permits only one person to log in and participate in the course. If multiple people are accessing the course without paying to attend, we will terminate the connection and access. CDFA offers group discounts for organizations that wish to register multiple people.
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CDFA Member: $625
Non-Member: $950
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Register