Butler Snow attorney Charity W. Karanja will serve as a moderator for the CDFA’s Franzini Fellowship Capstone Webinar, scheduled to take place in connection with the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) Franzini Fellowship program. Charity previously moderated the in-person session held during the CDFA National Development Finance Summit in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in October 2025.
The Caren S. Franzini Fellowship is a merit-based program of the CDFA Foundation that recognizes outstanding women in development finance for their leadership and dedication to advancing the industry. The Fellowship is a competitive year‑long professional development program designed to cultivate the next generation of leaders in community development finance. The capstone webinar provides fellows with an opportunity to showcase their work, engage with industry professionals, and contribute to conversations shaping the future of economic development and finance.
Charity W. Karanja
Charity is a member of Butler Snow’s Public Finance, Tax Incentives and Credit Markets group and is a Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) through the CDFA. She also has the distinction of being one of six women in the nation named to the 2024 Class of the Franzini Fellowship.
In her practice, Charity has served in multiple roles on public, private, and public-private finance transactions, including economic development matters, and has represented both governmental and private organizations in a variety of financing structures, including new market tax credit (NMTC) transactions.
Charity is a member of various civic and legal organizations, including the National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL), Women in Public Finance (WPF), and the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). She is a member of the prestigious WPF Emerging Leaders Council (ELC) and the Mississippi Bar Leadership Program. She has also been featured in a Spotlight by NABL, and is listed by a variety of industry publications, including: The Bond Buyer: Rising Stars, Super Lawyers: Mid-South Rising Stars, Marquis Who’s Who in America, and The National Black Lawyers: Top 40 Under 40.
As part of her continued dedication to the industry, Charity has presented at various conferences and seminars on matters relating to public finance, including the CDFA National Development Finance Summit, and has authored various articles, including a financing toolkit for medium-density housing developments titled “Financing Tools and Incentives for Developers in Missing Middle Housing.”
