Independent Project
CARS™ is an independent project of Opportunity Finance Network (OFN).
OFN is the leading national network of more than 170 private financial institutions. Members of OFN are community development financial institutions (CDFIs) that identify and invest in opportunities to benefit low-income and low-wealth people in the U.S. OFN’s vision is a world where all people experience social, economic, and political justice and so have the opportunity to act in the best interests of their communities, themselves, and future generations. The mission of OFN is to lead the opportunity finance system to scale through capital formation, policy, and capacity development. OFN provides its Members financing, knowledge sharing, and public policy leadership.
We maintain a strict firewall between CARS™ and OFN:
- Since inception, an independent advisory board has overseen the development and implementation of CARS™, ensuring that CARS™ meets the needs of both investors and CDFIs.
- CARS™ employs an independent pool of analysts who adhere to strict conflict-of-interest disclosures and moratoria on advising or working with CDFIs they analyze.
- The CARS™ database is safe and secure and not accessible to OFN’s financing or consulting staff. Ratings Reports only become available to OFN staff when they are released to CARS™ subscribers.
- Ratings committee is completely internal to CARS™—only CARS™ staff and analysts participate in and attend ratings meetings.
