Community Development Corporation
Encyclopedia
Community Development Corporation (CDC) is a broad term referring to not-for-profit organizations incorporated to provide programs, offer services and engage in other activities that promote and support community development
. CDCs usually serve a geographic location such as a neighborhood or a town
. They often focus on serving lower-income residents or struggling neighborhoods. They can be involved in a variety of activities including economic development
, education
, community organizing
and real estate development
. These organizations are often associated with the development of affordable housing
.
In some jurisdictions in the United States, a CDC is by definition targeted towards direct investment in the community, while a "community development advocacy organization" is a category eligible for recognition as a tax-exempt charity
or service organization.
Community development
Community development is a broad term applied to the practices and academic disciplines of civic leaders, activists, involved citizens and professionals to improve various aspects of local communities....
. CDCs usually serve a geographic location such as a neighborhood or a town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
. They often focus on serving lower-income residents or struggling neighborhoods. They can be involved in a variety of activities including economic development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
, education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, community organizing
Community organizing
Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. A core goal of community organizing is to generate durable power for an organization representing the community, allowing it to influence...
and real estate development
Real estate development
Real estate development, or Property Development, is a multifaceted business, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of improved land or parcels to others...
. These organizations are often associated with the development of affordable housing
Affordable housing
Affordable housing is a term used to describe dwelling units whose total housing costs are deemed "affordable" to those that have a median income. Although the term is often applied to rental housing that is within the financial means of those in the lower income ranges of a geographical area, the...
.
Activities
- Real estate developmentReal estate developmentReal estate development, or Property Development, is a multifaceted business, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of improved land or parcels to others...
- Affordable housingAffordable housingAffordable housing is a term used to describe dwelling units whose total housing costs are deemed "affordable" to those that have a median income. Although the term is often applied to rental housing that is within the financial means of those in the lower income ranges of a geographical area, the...
- Affordable housing
- Economic developmentEconomic developmentEconomic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
- Small businessSmall businessA small business is a business that is privately owned and operated, with a small number of employees and relatively low volume of sales. Small businesses are normally privately owned corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships...
lending - Small business technical assistance
- Small business incubation (i.e. provision of space at low or no cost to start-up businesses)
- Small business
- Education
- Early childhood educationEarly childhood educationEarly childhood education is the formal teaching and care of young children by people other than their family or in settings outside of the home. 'Early childhood' is usually defined as before the age of normal schooling - five years in most nations, though the U.S...
- WorkforceWorkforceThe workforce is the labour pool in employment. It is generally used to describe those working for a single company or industry, but can also apply to a geographic region like a city, country, state, etc. The term generally excludes the employers or management, and implies those involved in...
training
- Early childhood education
- NonprofitNon-profit organizationNonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
incubation- Fundraising for local causes as a corporate donorDonorA donor in general is a person who donates something voluntarily. Usually used to represent a form of pure altruism but sometimes used when the payment for a service is recognised by all parties as representing less than the value of the donation and that the motivation is altruistic...
, public charity, or foundation - Financing Housing cooperatives or other cooperatives
- Fiscal sponsorship of community-based associationsVoluntary associationA voluntary association or union is a group of individuals who enter into an agreement as volunteers to form a body to accomplish a purpose.Strictly speaking, in many jurisdictions no formalities are necessary to start an association...
- Fundraising for local causes as a corporate donor
- YouthYouthYouth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
and leadership developmentLeadership developmentLeadership development refers to any activity that enhances the quality of leadership within an individual or organization. These activities have ranged from MBA style programs offered at university business schools to action learning, high-ropes courses and executive retreats.- Developing... - AdvocacyAdvocacyAdvocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...
- Sustainable developmentSustainable developmentSustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
advocacy - Locally-owned business advocacy
- Environmental justiceEnvironmental justiceEnvironmental justice is "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies." In the words of Bunyan Bryant,...
and brownfields redevelopment
- Sustainable development
- Community planning
- Master planningComprehensive planningComprehensive planning is a term used in the United States by land use planners to describe a process that determines community goals and aspirations in terms of community development. The outcome of comprehensive planning is the Comprehensive Plan which dictates public policy in terms of...
for retail and community development
- Master planning
- Community organizingCommunity organizingCommunity organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. A core goal of community organizing is to generate durable power for an organization representing the community, allowing it to influence...
- Lessening neighborhood tensions
- Facilitating community and stakeholder participation in local programs and activities
- Facilitating community access to targeted grants
In some jurisdictions in the United States, a CDC is by definition targeted towards direct investment in the community, while a "community development advocacy organization" is a category eligible for recognition as a tax-exempt charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
or service organization.
Examples of CDCs (internal)
- Abyssinian Development CorporationAbyssinian Development CorporationFounded in 1989 by Calvin O. Butts, III of the Abyssinian Baptist Church, Abyssinian Development Corporation is a not-for-profit comprehensive community and economic development corporation dedicated to building the human, social, and physical capital in Harlem. The organization is considered to...
- Accion USAAccion USAACCION USA is an American microfinance organization headquartered in New York, NY.- About :ACCION USA offers microloans and other financial services to low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs in the United States who are unable to access bank credit for their small businesses...
- Chicanos Por La CausaChicanos Por La CausaChicanos Por La Causa ' is a non-profit organization in Arizona founded in 1969. It is a statewide community development corporation...
- Mexicantown Community Development CorporationMexicantown Community Development CorporationMexicantown Community Development Corporation was a not-for-profit organization formed in 1989 to foster economic development in the Hispanic community of Southwest Detroit, known as Mexicantown....
- Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation http://www.allstonbrightoncdc.org
- Metro North Community Development Corporation - Jacksonville, FL
- List of Multiple CDCs in Indianapolis
- Indy-East Asset Development
- Community Development Corporation of Boston