ABSTRACT
Economic development is a comprehensive strategy that integrates a wide array of activities that help sustain and grow a local economy, and it is a critical component of community development programs at the neighborhood, city, and state level. Creative financing tools are usually required to accomplish economic development objectives. Most community and economic development finance programs are public-private partnerships designed to fill the funding gaps not covered by the private market alone (Seidman 2005). Programs are available to help finance economic development activities such as business recruitment and retention, job creation, small business assistance, and real estate development. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the broad community development finance industry focusing primarily on the tools that are provided through this industry for economic development project financing.
