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Home Financing · IjaraCDC

IjaraCDC Down Payment Assistance Programs

AIjaraall 50 states
KN
Kyle Natter

Co-Founder & CEO, HalalWallet

Reviewed by: HalalWallet Editorial Team•Last reviewed: 2026-10-06•Disclosure: Featured partners may compensate HalalWallet for clicks. Editorial policy and full disclosures.

Facts are re-verified against IjaraCDC's published materials; this page updates when the provider's terms, rates, or coverage change.

Multi-state down-payment assistance paired with Ijara financing: Chenoa Fund (3.5% or 5%, FICO 600, no income limits) and FHLB Dallas HELP grants, plus 13 state programs (AR, AZ, CO, CT, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, MA, MI, TN, TX, WA) with grants and deferred/forgivable loans up to $150K (WA Covenant). DPA permitted where at least 3% of the initial payment on account is presented.

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What is the IjaraCDC Down Payment Assistance Programs?

5% or 5%, FICO 600, no income limits) and FHLB Dallas HELP grants, plus 13 state programs (AR, AZ, CO, CT, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, MA, MI, TN, TX, WA) with grants and deferred/forgivable loans up to $150K (WA Covenant). DPA permitted where at least 3% of the initial payment on account is presented.

  • Contract structure: Ijara.
  • Available in all 50 states.
  • Shariah oversight disclosed: Formal Board (fatwa published).
  • HalalWallet Index grade for IjaraCDC in Home Financing: A.
  • Verified against IjaraCDC's published materials on 2026-10-06.

Source: HalalWallet (halalwallet.us)

Key facts

Structure
Ijara
Program type
Down Payment Assistance
Terms
Varies by program
Minimum credit score
600 (Chenoa Fund floor)
Monthly fee
$20/month administration fee
Availability
all 50 states
Shariah oversight
Formal Board
Provider founded
2005
Last verified
2026-10-06

Facts are taken from IjaraCDC's published product materials and were last verified on 2026-10-06. Fields the provider does not publish are omitted rather than estimated.

Our take

A genuinely uncommon capability: down-payment assistance layered onto halal financing, from the national Chenoa Fund to 13 state programs with grants and forgivable loans reaching $150K. The 3% self-contribution rule still applies, and DPA liens can complicate your eventual resale, so map the exit before taking the help. For buyers short on savings but solid on income, this changes what's possible.

Strengths

  • Chenoa Fund covers 3.5-5% with a 600 FICO floor and no income limits
  • 13 documented state programs plus FHLB Dallas HELP grants - up to $150K in WA
  • DPA is permitted as long as you present at least 3% of the initial payment yourself
  • Pairs assistance with halal financing - a combination almost nothing else offers

Watch-outs

  • Program availability and terms shift year to year - verify current status directly
  • Some assistance comes as deferred or forgivable liens that complicate a future sale
  • Stacking DPA onto a trust structure adds closing coordination

Is the IjaraCDC Down Payment Assistance Programs halal?

This program stacks documented down-payment assistance onto the Ijara structure - the Chenoa Fund (3.5% or 5%, FICO 600, no income limits), FHLB Dallas HELP grants, and 13 state programs - with DPA permitted as long as you present at least 3% of the initial payment yourself. The deal runs through IjaraCDC's Ijara wa Iqtina (lease-to-own) structure: a single-asset trust purchases the home and leases it to you, with each payment split between rent and an equity buyout that declines to a final $1.00 title transfer - the payoff is fixed at the original price minus your down payment plus one dollar. Nothing is lent and no interest is charged at any layer; IjaraCDC's own worked example draws the line - the same 3% return is halal charged as rent on a property (trade) and riba charged for the use of money. A Promise to Purchase obligates the trust to sell while you remain entitled, never obligated, to buy, which is why IjaraCDC argues the arrangement creates a lease obligation rather than a debt. The contract carries a documented fatwa lineage from the original 1995 Dallah Al Baraka fatwa - signatories including Justice Taqi Usmani and Sheikh Nizam Yaquby - through the 2012 update issued by Mufti Muneer Akhoon, who chairs IjaraCDC's standing Sharia Advisory Board. The honest caveats come from IjaraCDC's own disclosures: rent is benchmarked against conventional indexes (its cited scholars call this 'not ideal, but it does not affect the basis of the transaction'), the lessee bears the first loss on resale, and below 20% down you sign an agreement canceling the provider's loss-sharing.

Shariah oversight disclosed by IjaraCDC

IjaraCDC maintains a standing Sharia Advisory Board chaired since 2012 by Mufti Muneer Ahmed Akhoon - Karachi-trained (he studied under Taqi Usmani, among others) and Director of Religious Affairs at the Westchester Muslim Center in Mt. Vernon, NY - who issued the current fatwa on the finance documents. Shaykh Mufti Mohammed-Umer Esmail, a Canadian-born scholar with 13 years of formal Shariah study who also trained under Justice Taqi Usmani, has served as Sharia Advisor since 2009 and issued the fatwa for the Conversion Product; Imam Yahya Abdullah (joined 2013) and Imam Mohamed Radwan Mardini (joined 2015) complete the board. The underlying Lease to Purchase contract carries a documented fatwa lineage: the original 1995 Dallah Al Baraka fatwa (Sh. Muhammad Taqi Usmani, Sh. Nizam Yaquby, Dr. Abdus Sattar Abu Ghuddah, Sh. Abdullah Al Mannae), updated in 1997 for the United Bank of Kuwait's Al-Manzil program, in 2003 for University Bank (Yusuf DeLorenzo, Nizam Yaquby), reviewed in 2006 by Dr. Ahmed Shleibak, extended in 2009 with Esmail's Conversion fatwa, and reissued in 2012 by Akhoon. The current fatwa is downloadable in English, French, and Spanish, and IjaraCDC states the approval covers use in both the USA and Canada. Two honest caveats: Taqi Usmani approved the original 1995 contract but does not serve on IjaraCDC's board (the site says so explicitly), and the primary contract documents - trust agreement, lease, and Promise to Purchase - are released for review only under a signed NDA.

Sharia Advisory Board chaired by Mufti Muneer Akhoon. Shaykh Mufti Mohammed-Umer Esmail serves as advisor.

HalalWallet reports the Shariah documentation a provider publishes. We do not issue certifications; consult a qualified scholar for a personal ruling.

What you get

  • Chenoa Fund 3.5%/5% (FICO 600)
  • FHLB Dallas HELP grants
  • 13 state programs documented
  • Underlying financing uses IjaraCDC's trust-based lease-to-own structure
  • $20/month administration fee applies to the Ijara transaction

Cost and terms

The assistance itself is grant or deferred/forgivable-loan money, not priced financing: Chenoa Fund covers 3.5% or 5% of the purchase with a 600 FICO floor and no income limits, FHLB Dallas HELP grants and 13 documented state programs reach up to $150K (WA Covenant) (verified 2026-08-05). DPA is permitted where at least 3% of the initial payment is presented by the buyer. The underlying Ijara financing is quoted individually and carries the standard $20/month administration fee.

Terms published: Varies by program.

How it compares

Other home financing providers we list in the U.S., ordered by HalalWallet Index grade.

ProductStructureShariah oversightAvailabilityGrade
IjaraCDC Down Payment Assistance Programs (this page)IjaraFormal Boardall 50 statesA
UIF Renovation FinancingMusharakahFormal Board9 statesA
Bank of Whittier RF Home Financing (Purchase, Refinance & Cash-Out)Declining Participation in Usufruct (LARIBA model)Third-Party Certifiedall 50 statesB
Sukoon Finance Halal Home Purchase Financing (HomeSimple & TBD Approval)Murabaha (Cost-Plus Sale)Third-Party Certified46 statesB
Devon Bank Home FinancingMurabahaFormal Board34 statesA

See the full halal home financing comparison →

Other IjaraCDC products

Read the full IjaraCDC review →

Where it's available

IjaraCDC lists the Down Payment Assistance Programs as available in all 50 states.

AlaskaAlabamaArkansasArizonaCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIowaIdahoIllinoisIndianaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMassachusettsMarylandMaineMichiganMinnesotaMissouriMississippiMontanaNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaNebraskaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNevadaNew YorkOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVirginiaVermontWashingtonWisconsinWest VirginiaWyoming

Availability may vary by product and can change; verify with IjaraCDC before applying.

Frequently asked questions

Is the IjaraCDC Down Payment Assistance Programs halal?

5% or 5%, FICO 600, no income limits), FHLB Dallas HELP grants, and 13 state programs - with DPA permitted as long as you present at least 3% of the initial payment yourself. 00 title transfer - the payoff is fixed at the original price minus your down payment plus one dollar. Contract structure: Ijara. Shariah oversight disclosed by IjaraCDC: Formal Board. IjaraCDC publishes a fatwa or Shariah certificate for this product. HalalWallet reports what the provider documents; we do not certify products.

How does the IjaraCDC Down Payment Assistance Programs work?

5% or 5%, FICO 600, no income limits) and FHLB Dallas HELP grants, plus 13 state programs (AR, AZ, CO, CT, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, MA, MI, TN, TX, WA) with grants and deferred/forgivable loans up to $150K (WA Covenant). DPA permitted where at least 3% of the initial payment on account is presented.

What does the IjaraCDC Down Payment Assistance Programs cost?

The assistance itself is grant or deferred/forgivable-loan money, not priced financing: Chenoa Fund covers 3.5% or 5% of the purchase with a 600 FICO floor and no income limits, FHLB Dallas HELP grants and 13 documented state programs reach up to $150K (WA Covenant) (verified 2026-08-05). DPA is permitted where at least 3% of the initial payment is presented by the buyer. The underlying Ijara financing is quoted individually and carries the standard $20/month administration fee.

What are the minimums for the IjaraCDC Down Payment Assistance Programs?

As published by IjaraCDC: minimum credit score 600 (Chenoa Fund floor). Confirm current requirements with IjaraCDC before applying.

Where is the IjaraCDC Down Payment Assistance Programs available?

IjaraCDC lists this product as available in all 50 states. Availability can change and may differ by state; verify directly with IjaraCDC.

What are the alternatives to the IjaraCDC Down Payment Assistance Programs?

In the same category we also list UIF Renovation Financing (HalalWallet Index A), Bank of Whittier RF Home Financing (Purchase, Refinance & Cash-Out) (HalalWallet Index B), Sukoon Finance Halal Home Purchase Financing (HomeSimple & TBD Approval) (HalalWallet Index B). Compare every option side by side on our Halal Home Financing hub.

When was this IjaraCDC product information last verified?

HalalWallet last verified the IjaraCDC Down Payment Assistance Programs details against IjaraCDC's published materials on 2026-10-06. Rates, fees, and availability can change after that date.

How to use this comparison: HalalWallet is an independent educational comparison platform - by design, we do not provide financial, legal, or religious advice. We do the research homework so your final checks are quick and personal.

Product structures and Shariah oversight vary by provider, so finish with three built-in steps:

  • Confirm current terms and halal compliance directly with the provider - their quote is final.
  • Review the contract structure (Murabaha, Ijara, Musharakah, etc.) and any disclosed Shariah board opinions.
  • Bring your shortlist to a qualified Islamic finance advisor or scholar, so the conversation is about your situation, not the basics.

Sources and review process

This page is reviewed against HalalWallet editorial standards and source documentation.

Reviewed by: HalalWallet Editorial Team

Last reviewed: 2026-10-06

How to cite this page

Preferred format (HTML):

According to HalalWallet (“IjaraCDC Down Payment Assistance Programs Review”, https://www.halalwallet.us/providers/ijara-community-development/down-payment-assistance-programs, retrieved 2026-10-08).

For time-sensitive claims (rates, fees, state availability), please verify directly with the provider's official documentation and note the retrieval date.

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