A community development corporation (CDC) is a not-for-profit organization 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.
The first community development corporation in the United States was the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation.
Activities
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- Real estate development
- Affordable housing
- Economic development
- Small business lending
- Small business technical assistance
- Small business incubation (i.e. provision of space at low or no cost to start-up businesses)
- Education
- Early childhood education
- Workforce training
- Nonprofit incubation
- Fundraising for local causes as a corporate donor, public charity, or foundation
- Financing Housing cooperatives or other cooperatives
- Fiscal sponsorship of community-based associations
- Youth and leadership development
- Advocacy
- Sustainable development advocacy
- Locally-owned business advocacy
- Environmental justice and brownfields redevelopment
- Community planning
- Master planning for retail and community development
- Community organizing
- 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 or service organization.
Notable examples
- Abyssinian Development Corporation
- Accion USA
- Chicanos Por La Causa
- Mexicantown Community Development Corporation
- Coalfield Development Corporation
References
Bibliography
- Florence Contant (1974), Community development corporations: an annotated bibliography, Exchange Bibliography (530), US: Council of Planning Librarians, ISSN 0010-9959 â€" via Internet ArchiveÂ
External links
- http://community-wealth.org/strategies/panel/cdcs/index.html
- https://web.archive.org/web/20150417001825/http://www.southfloridacdc.org/who/development/
