Community Development Corporations (CDCs)

Established for the sustainable economic, educational, and social development of the Hickory Hill Community, their two flagship initiatives are the Power Center Schools and the Power Center Academy Town Center. The PCA Town Center is a community model that will include a middle school and high school, a performing arts center, a wellness center, housing and retail. It is being constructed over a 43-acre site with an abandoned 394-unit apartment complex. In 2008 the Power Center launched the charter Power Center Academy Middle School and in 2010 a high school was approved. Read more about Power Center CDC...

Situated in the Soulsville neighborhood, LeMoyne-Owen College CDC offers technical assistance, loans, and training to local businesses, while also supporting comprehensive community development of Memphis' Soulsville neighborhood. In 2003, the CDC began acquiring properties for the four acres of land where a $11.5 million Towne Center project is now located. The CDC envisions that the building will be 77,000 square feet when complete, with about 30,000 of that occupied by a new, locally owned grocery store. Read more about LeMoyne-Owens College CDC...

The Frayser neighborhood is a “Renewal Community” and has been designated by the City of Memphis as a “Priority Area.” Founded in 2000, the Frayser CDC purchases, renovates, and resells homes in Frayser, most of which are HUD foreclosures, to low-to-moderate income first-time homebuyers. Frayser CDC program areas include homebuyer education, affordable home sales, and foreclosure counseling. Read more about Frayser Community Development Corporation...

Founded by the Christ United Methodist Church in 2003, Birmingham Development Corporation has begun an Urban Farm and is looking to open an Urban Farm market in early 2011. They have a combined housing acquisition and construction investment of $2.3 million, have purchased 70 properties and assisted homeowners in purchasing 21 properties, and have constructed 7 new homes. The group’s housing counseling program offers counseling on financial literacy, homebuyer education, Individual Development Accounts (IDAs), and foreclosure prevention counseling. Read more about Binghampton Development Corporation...

Located in South Los Angeles, in a community whose unemployment rate hovers around 20% Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation (VSEDC) has produced more than $60 million in physical development projects and created/retained more than 3,000 jobs in the South Los Angeles community, including the 57,000 square foot Vermont Slauson Retail Center, the 18,000 square foot Western Slauson Business Center, and the 10,000 square foot Business Enterprise Center. The 175,000-square foot Vermont Slauson Shopping Center it developed in 1981 was one of the few structures that was untouched by the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The shopping center has created 450 jobs. VSEDC participated in a consortium agreement with other LA County non-profits and municipalities to rehab and acquire foreclosed or vacant properties to create up to 700 units of affordable housing. Through its micro-business incubator, VSEDC offers loan assistance and packaging, affordable office space, as well as technical assistance.

Established in 1984, New Economics for Women was founded on two core principles:  1) the needs of women and children had to be an economic priority in order for any neighborhood to prosper; and 2) community support and participation had to be the cornerstone of all affordable housing programs and projects. To date, the group has helped nearly 400 families purchase their first home and has developed an economic development center, a community center, three charter schools, a health and wellness center and a national award-winning planned community, Tierra del Sol. Read more about New Economics for Women...

Founded in 1996, the East Los Angeles Community Corporation works to preserve neighborhood assets and strengthen existing community infrastructure in Boyle Heights and Unincorporated East Los Angeles. The group develops affordable housing, provides financial literacy and first-time homebuyer programs, and other community services. The CDC’s achievements include leveraging over $135 million of investment for the Eastside, providing affordable housing for over 1,000 residents, and helping over 3,000 families purchase a first homes, avoid foreclosure, establish savings, and build and sustain community wealth.

Swope Community Builders (SCB) was established in 1991 and is a member company of Swope Community Enterprises. SCB is the largest CDC in the state of Missouri and its four-state region, which also includes Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas. SCB is the sole Primary Property Developer for the State of Missouri and the Neighborhood Stabilization Program in Kansas City, where they rehabilitate foreclosed residential properties, while selling to buyers with less than 120 percent of Kansas City's median income. Read more about Swope Community Builders...

Hispanic Economic Development Corporation (HEDC) is a non-profit founded in 1993 with a focus on developing communities that enhance the quality of life for Latinos in Kansas City. HEDC takes action through business development and community wealth-building initiatives and has assisted more than 1,100 new Latino businesses develop since its inception. From 2010 to 2011, HEDC provided technical assistance to 451 entrepreneurs with a total of 1,640 counseling sessions in their service area. 117 of those assisted were in Jackson County, MO. Read more about Hispanic Economic Development Corporation...