Aisha Benson is President and CEO of Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF), a nonprofit lender, consultant, and advocate that boosts the collective success and power of nonprofits to advance racial equity, and community wealth and well-being. As a leading community development financial institution (CDFI) founded in 1980, NFF has provided over $1.2 billion in financing and access to additional capital in support of over $4.1 billion in projects for thousands of organizations nationwide.
A community development finance professional and industry thought leader with 29 years of experience, Aisha came to NFF from TruFund Financial Services, a nonprofit CDFI that provides affordable loan capital and business advisory services to historically disadvantaged small businesses and nonprofits. As TruFund’s EVP and COO, she oversaw multi-disciplinary teams related to the delivery of lending services, tax credit deployment, and advisory programs across TruFund’s footprint. She also oversaw program design and implementation, resource partner selection and management, and the coordination of outreach and business development efforts for TruFund’s 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 $130 million in New Market Tax Credit (NMTC) funding and $300 million in loan and grant capital to low-income communities.
Aisha serves on several key industry boards, including Opportunity Finance Network (OFN), the NMTC Coalition (Board President) and NY CDFI Coalition (founding member and Board VP). Aisha 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 The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Aisha is an ordained Minister of the Gospel currently serving at Glory2God Ministries in Poughkeepsie, NY. She is married with six children and seven grandchildren and resides in Beacon, NY.