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What Is a Community Development Corporation?

NonProfit Quarterly

Image credit: coffeekai on istock.com Community is one of humanity’s great achievements. Yet community development corporations , a $28 billion sector of over 6,200 nonprofits that support local community economic development, are largely invisible in the national conversation.

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How Guarantees Can Advance Community Development and Racial Equity

NonProfit Quarterly

While many foundations screen their endowment investments based on environmental, social, and governance factors, only a few optimize their investment strategies for mission impact. From inception, the pool was centered on community development financing activities and emphasized racial, gender, and economic equity.

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How Limited Equity Co-ops Can Sustain Affordable Homeownership

NonProfit Quarterly

The Launch of Limited Equity Cooperatives The LEC is a tool developed to extend access to homeownership to low- and moderate-income buyers. The movement gained momentum with the support of government programs like Mitchell-Lama , which aimed to provide affordable housing through a public-private partnership.

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Medical Ship Docks in Sierra Leone for Free Surgeries and Training

NonProfit Quarterly

In August 2024, the Global Mercy, the world’s largest civilian hospital ship, docked at the port of Freetown for a 10-month field service to provide surgical operations and educational training by invitation of the government of Sierra Leone. Mercy Ships is not the only medical NGO that offers medical care by boat, but it is one the largest.

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How Nonprofits Can Leverage Their Financial Relationships to Advance Justice

NonProfit Quarterly

Here are a few viable approaches that we have encountered: Collaborate with mission-aligned institutions : This might include partnerships with community development financial institutions (CDFIs), Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs), or local credit unions. What might building strategic relationships look like?

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Making Policy Work for Rural Communities: The Value of Community Voice

NonProfit Quarterly

Coproduced by Partners for Rural Transformation, a coalition of six regional community development financial institutions, and NPQ , authors highlight efforts to address multi-generational poverty in Appalachia, the rural West, Indian Country, South Texas, and the Mississippi Delta.

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From Impact Investing to “Impact-First” Investing—What Is the Field Learning?

NonProfit Quarterly

That money must be complemented by foundations or donors (or possibly government programs) that offer matching grants and technical assistance to the investment fund and/or the supported businesses. Activating these funding streams will be challenging but not impossible.