Aisha Benson

Aisha Benson is a community development finance professional and industry thought leader with 30 years’ experience in banking and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). She is CEO of Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF), a CDFI lender, consultant, and advocate that boosts the collective success and power of nonprofits to advance racial equity, and community wealth and well-being. NFF has invested over $1.1B in financing and leveraged over $4.4B in projects for thousands of organizations nationwide.

Prior to NFF, Aisha was COO for TruFund Financial Services, a CDFI serving historically disadvantaged small businesses, where she oversaw multi-disciplinary teams executing the delivery of lending services, tax credit deployment, and advisory programs. During her tenure, numerous multimillion-dollar capital access, guaranty, and grant programs were sourced and implemented under her direct management. Prior to TruFund, Aisha held community development finance roles at Carver Federal Savings, Banco Popular, and JP Morgan Chase. She has directly deployed $130MM in New Market Tax Credits (NMTCs) and $300MM of loan and grant capital to low-income communities.

Aisha holds leadership positions on several key industry boards, including Opportunity Finance Network (OFN), and the NMTC Coalition (Board President). She is a Social Sector Advisor to the White House’s Economic Opportunity Coalition and is a member of the Community Advisory Group of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Advisory Board of the Center for Impact Finance at the Carsey School of Public Policy, and the Reimagining Human Services Taskforce for New York City.

Ms. Benson holds a B.A. in Psychology, Cum Laude from Columbia University, a certificate in Social Impact Management and Leadership from the Institute for Nonprofit Practice, and a certificate through a Citi/OFN Sponsored Leadership Training Program for CDFI Executives at Wharton University.