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WEBINAR: Financing your Charter School Facility: A Practical Guide to CDFIs and Beyond

Is CDFI financing right for your charter school facility project?

When you are building or renovating your school building, choosing the right financing is critical to keeping dollars in the classroom while also effectively meeting the facility needs of your academic program. Join us on May 12th at 2pm ET to learn how charter schools can partner with CDFIs to unlock flexible, affordable capital that makes high-quality facilities possible and fills critical facility financing gaps.

During this session, we’ll provide an overview of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), their benefits, and the types of financing they offer. You’ll learn how to prepare for the financing process, how lenders assess potential borrowers, and how to navigate the broader financing landscape.

The session will end with a discussion of how CDFIs continue to support their charter school partners even after financing has been provided. This session is designed for charter school leaders, CFOs, board members, and operators with a beginner to intermediate understanding of school facility finance. Pre-registration is required

Speakers

• Crystal Langdon, Managing Director of Investments, Blueprint
• Kelly Theofanis, Director of Lending, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
• Daniel Stinfil, Senior Loan Officer, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)

Please email schoolbuild@lisc.org with any questions for our panelists. We encourage you to share this webinar with the charter school leaders and facility managers in your network. Pre-registration is encouraged.

HIGHLIGHTS

Lotus School for Excellence Facility Update

Construction of the new facility at Lotus School for Excellence in Aurora is progressing steadily, with the project team reporting strong momentum as the school prepares for student occupancy this fall. Over the past several months, significant milestones have been achieved, including completion of the building structure, installation of major mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, and ongoing interior finishes that are beginning to bring the learning spaces to life.. We will continue to keep you posted on this exciting Colorado project!                    

Focus on the School First. The Facility Will Follow.

We are proud to highlight Blueprint’s continued leadership in shaping the future of charter school facilities.

John Sun’s recent column in CharterFolk offers a powerful reminder: families choose schools for their academics and culture—not their buildings. At Blueprint, we see every day that when schools stay focused on students, the path to a permanent facility becomes clearer.                             

Congratulations to our Spring Interns

We’re proud to celebrate the completion of our spring intern cohort. This group brought energy, inquisitiveness, thoughtfulness, and a strong commitment to making a difference.

Their work reflects our belief in developing the next generation of leaders who will continue advancing opportunity in the real estate development field and beyond.

OUR PEOPLE

Blueprint Team Reconnects at Lake Arrowhead

The Blueprint team came together for our biannual staff retreat at UCLA Lake Arrowhead—an opportunity to step away from daily work and focus on connection, reflection, and shared purpose.

Surrounded by mountain and lake views, team members across regions explored our core values, shared their journeys into education, and reflected on meaningful moments in our work. We also made space for team building and fun, from a scavenger hunt to a little friendly competition on the court.

The retreat was a reminder of the energy and commitment that drives our work. We’re returning reconnected and ready to carry that momentum forward.