Community Development Finance

At Silicon Valley Bank we pride ourselves on providing financial solutions to not only the businesses in the communities we serve but to the people of our communities too. We are a consistent, dependable source of financing for development projects that stabilize our neighborhoods and revitalize our communities.

We understand your projects — and we know how to make them happen. Silicon Valley Bank has a true understanding of the complexities associated with your business. We know how to structure financing to meet your project's complicated capital requirements, and we have extensive experience working under community development project regulations.

Whether you are a for-profit or a not-for-profit organization, our team of experienced lenders knows how to make your project happen and is dedicated to helping you navigate any obstacles in your way.

Your projects are far from ordinary. So are our financing solutions. Our range of creative, flexible financing solutions reflects our understanding of your business needs:

• Conventional construction financing
• Permanent financing
• Construction phase stand-by letters of credit
• Private placement of tax-exempt mortgage revenue bonds
• Project-based bridge loans
• Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco affordable housing program grants

Your affordable housing projects make a big difference in our communities — choosing the right financial partner will make a big difference to your success.

Our communities 

Silicon Valley Bank's Community Development Finance team serves the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo and Sonoma counties. These counties comprise our Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) assessment area.

Community Development Finance 

In addition to affordable housing lending, we purchase low income tax credits. Since 2002, SVB has committed $68 million across 15 funds with projects in our Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) assessment areas across the Bay Area.

Facts and Figures 

Since 2002, Silicon Valley Bank has closed a total of more than $400 million in more than 3,000 affordable housing. Of those completed, over 2,000 units were financed directly by Silicon Valley Bank. In 2011 alone, we will fund over $70 million in new deals.

Silicon Valley Bank is one of the few lenders that have been able to create a successful secondary market for its permanent loans.

Its Community Development Finance projects target tenants earning 30-60 percent and frequently lower levels of Area Median Income (AMI).

SVB provided the Mason Street apartments for formerly homeless individuals with a $15.3 million tax-exempt bond purchase/construction loan. While at the same time SVB was awarded an AHP grant for $1 from the FHLB-SF. Read more

News and Awards 

Silicon Valley Bank was named in the Top 25 Affordable Housing Lenders of America by the Affordable Housing Finance Magazine in 2010 for the second year in a row.

Silicon Valley Bank's project, Petaluma Avenue Homes, Affordable Housing Associates' project in Sebastopol, California, was winner of the Reader's Choice Award of Affordable Housing Magazine in 2010 and also won the Golden Nugget Award for excellence in design and architecture at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference in 2010.

Silicon Valley Bank's Foss Creek Apartments project, in Healdsburg, California was awarded the 2011 Charles Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award by the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition for Best Rural Housing Project in the Nation!

In addition, other Silicon Valley Bank's projects in 2011 won or were finalist Affordable Housing Magazine awards in the following categories:

• Fox Court, Oakland in the Urban category
• Mosaica, San Francisco in the Master-Planned/Mixed Use category
• Alta Torre, Palo Alto in the Senior's category

Silicon Valley Bank received in 2010 from the Affordable Housing Program (AHP) eight grants, totaling $4,665,000 from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco. Read more