FAQ

Personal | Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Find answers to your questions here, including popular topics and FAQs:

  • Who does CDF lend to?

    CDF only lends to Catholic organisations. Some of these include:

    • Schools & Colleges: Supporting educational programs and infrastructure development.
    • Parishes: Assisting with the construction or renovation of church buildings and community facilities.
    • Charities and social services: Supporting the poor and vulnerable through community-focused work.
    • Healthcare: To enhance the medical services and facilities of hospitals, aged care homes and other healthcare providers.

  • Why are your interest rates so competitive?

    As a not-for-profit organisation, we prioritise our customers’ needs rather than profits, enabling us to pass on benefits in the form of attractive interest rates.


    Funding from within the Catholic community, along with our prudent financial management and governance structure, is an important and cost-effective way to continue the Church’s work. These savings are reflected in the interest rates we offer to our customers.


    View Interest Rates for Organisations

    View Interest Rates for Personal Accounts


  • Who can open an account with CDF Community Fund?

    Anyone can open an account with CDF Community Fund. Individuals ranging from youth through to adults, can open a Mission Saver account. And anyone over the age of 18 can open a personal Term Investment account.

  • Do I have to be a Catholic to open an account with CDF Community Fund?

    The Catholic faith understands every human life to be equal, inherently sacred and worth of respect and dignity. This is part of Catholic Social Teaching, which reminds of the role we play in society. There is no faith criteria to open a personal account with CDF Community Fund. 

  • What type of accounts are available for individuals?

    CDF Community Fund offers a range of personal accounts for individuals who can choose from either a fixed Term Investment or a Mission Saver account.


    Compare all CDF Community Fund accounts and their features

  • How does CDF Community Fund help the community?

    With millions invested back into the community since our establishment, an account with CDF Community Fund is a way to save for a higher return than money alone. 


    Accounts with CDF Community Fund help enable loans for capital development works across Australia – from hospital wings for the sick, to safe havens for the homeless, classrooms for the young and parish halls for community gatherings. 


    Learn more about CDF Community Fund.


  • How can I view and manage my account?

    CDF Online provides convenient and secure web access to manage customer accounts. 

    It provides individuals with convenient features including:  

    • Account running balances, transaction history and statements.
    • Funds transfer capabilities.

    It also allows individuals to manage their accounts online from anywhere at any time. 

    For more information or to set up an online account contact us.


  • Can I add money to my personal account via cash or cheque?

    CDF does not accept cash or cheques for adding funds to personal accounts. You can still add money to your personal account via Direct Debit arrangements. 


    Speak to our team for more information.


  • Can I get a personal loan with CDF Community Fund?

    The CDF Community Fund does not hold an Australian Credit License and as such is not authorised to offer personal loans to individuals.

  • Can I break a fixed Term Investment prior to maturity?

    Under the terms and conditions of a fixed Term Investment with CDF Community Fund, you should not anticipate access to these funds prior to the maturity date. 


    Should you suffer unexpected hardship and need access to your investment, consideration under our application for Financial Hardship will need to be followed. In this instance you are required to demonstrate that you will suffer a genuine financial hardship without access to the funds. 


    View our Hardship Policy.


  • Why might I have to wait 31-days to access my money upon withdrawal?

    To comply with the Australia Prudential Regulation Authority’s (APRA) requirements, we cannot offer accounts without a minimum of 31 days of notice for withdrawal. 


    The only exception to this requirement are employees of Catholic organisations who are eligible to access funds immediately with a Mission Saver Plus account.


  • Why can’t I have a transaction account or ATM card with CDF Community Fund?

    CDF Community Fund is not a bank or credit union. As such, CDF Community Fund cannot offer certain products and/or accounts such as transactional accounts and ATM cards. Rather, CDF Community Fund operates as a Religious Charitable Development Fund and is prohibited from offering under the terms of:

    • Banking exemption No. 1 of 2017 made by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) under the Banking Act 1959 (Cth); and
    • ASIC Corporations (Charitable Investment Fundraising) Instrument 2016/813 made by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).

    The above instruments provide that we cannot offer accounts of a transactional nature. These same instruments also set out that CDF Community Fund cannot offer ATM facilities to our clients.


  • What level of security is provided for my money given that CDF Community Fund is not a bank?

    Investments in CDF Community Fund are backed by the assets of Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. Refer to our Disclosure Statement for more detail.

  • Is CDF Community Fund a registered Charity and Not-For Profit?

    CDF Community Fund is a registered charity under the Australian Charity & Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) for the advancement of religion. Through the issue of debentures to investors, CDF Community Fund raises funds to: 

    • Provide finance for capital works for Catholic organisations, principally within the Archdiocese of Melbourne, the Diocese of Sale, the Diocese of Bunbury, and the Diocese of Ballarat.
    • Assist in the financial management of investment and assets within the above mentioned Diocese. 
    • Achieve operating surpluses, the majority of which are directed toward pastoral works within its Diocese. 

  • How do I lodge a 31 day Notice of Withdrawal (NOW) on my Mission Saver Student or 31 day Mission Saver account?

    For Mission Saver Student and 31 Day Mission Saver account holders, you can withdraw your money online via CDF Community Fund Online subject to the 31 day notice requirement.

    Once the online withdrawal request is set up, your Mission Saver account will have a 31 day restriction showing on your account. To complete the withdrawal of funds online, you will need to finalise the Notice of Withdrawal (NOW) process. You will receive an alert when your funds are available for you to transfer to your ADI account.

    For more information about the NOW process, please click here.

  • How can I provide instructions to amend my CDF Community Fund Term Investment?

    Under the terms and conditions of a Fixed Term Investment with CDF Community Fund, you are required to request any changes to your Term Investment prior to the maturity date. 

    To provide these instructions, please complete the Term Investment Maturity Advice form which you can email to our Client Services Group at csg@melbcdf.org.au or post to use at PO Box 174, East Melbourne, VIC 8002 .

Still have questions?

If you have any questions, please get in touch with us:

Call us

Contact our Client Services team on 1800 134 135

Have a question?

Email us and a specialist will reply as soon as possible

Request a call back

Have a member of our team call you at a time that works for you

Request a call back

Pictured: CDF Staff

CDPF Limited, a company established by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, has indemnified the Catholic Development Fund ABN 15 274 943 760 and the CDF Community Fund ABN 94 380 397 118 (the Funds) against any liability arising out of a claim by investors in the Funds. In practice, this means your investment is backed by the assets of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne.

The Funds are required by law to make the following disclosure. Investments in the Funds are only intended to attract investors whose primary purpose for making their investment is to support the charitable purposes of the Funds. Investors’ funds will be used to generate a return to the Funds that will be applied to further the charitable works of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and the Dioceses of Sale, Bunbury and Ballarat. The Funds are not prudentially supervised by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority nor have they been examined or approved by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). An investor in the Funds will not receive the benefit of the financial claims scheme or the depositor protection provisions in the Banking Act 1959 (Cth). The investments that the Funds offer are not subject to the usual protections for investors under the Corporations Act (Cth) or regulation by ASIC. Investors may be unable to get some or all of their money back when the investor expects or at all and investments in the Funds are not comparable to investments with banks, finance companies or fund managers. The Funds’ identification statements may be viewed at www.catholicdevelopmentfund.org.au/organisations/important-information and www.catholicdevelopmentfund.org.au/communityfund/important-information or by contacting the Funds. The Funds do not hold an Australian Financial Services Licence. The CDF Community Fund has entered into an intermediary authorisation with CDFCF AFSL Limited ABN 49 622 976 747, AFSL No. 504202 to issue and deal in debentures.

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