As their names suggest, community development corporations (CDCs) are key to neighborhood growth—especially those neighborhoods that are home to people who are struggling socially or economically.

Empowerment was top-of-mind for Cleveland Neighborhood Progress when it recently invested $2.013 million into area CDCs, with a special focus on the residents these organizations serve.

“People who live in these places should be at the center of this work,” says Jason Powers, senior vice president of CDCs at CNP, a neighborhood improvement intermediary with 30 years on the job in Greater Cleveland. “Often, lower-income folks are left out of the process, but the voice of the community is critical.”

Cleveland Neighborhood Progress economic development group gathers for the organization’s holiday meeting late last yearSeventeen neighborhood nonprofits received funding in early April, including seven CDCs that procured grants for the first time. Contributions will be paid out during the 2025 fiscal year,  which runs from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. 

CNP tapped into a funding pool from the Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation, and others.

CNP’s team collaborated with CDC leaders and local stakeholders on an extensive list of assistance requests—among them home repair, community engagement, and real estate development.

CNP president and CEO Tania Menesse called the grants a down payment on work that will directly advance fundamental neighborhood projects.

“We know the best way to lead revitalization in Cleveland is through those closest to the ground—the community development corporations that hold the visions of tomorrow with the realities of today in their work,” Menesse said in an April statement.

Under Menesse’s leadership, CNP is helping CDCs specify how to refurbish communities challenged by poverty and disinvestment. The nonprofit partnered with neighborhood-based groups on a transformative grant model that, ideally, will center residents’ experiences instead of dictating their priorities for them, says Powers.

“Redeveloping the system will take time, but we hired four [CDC] relationship managers, each with a portfolio of CDCs,” says Powers, who is the former director of marketing and development with the Old Brooklyn CDC. “[Some] needs could be a brand new server and five laptops, because nobody funds that. If you don’t have that, then you can’t do the most basic of things.”

The more you know…

CNP grants are only part of the CDCs’ overall operational funding—the groups also get restrictive federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds dispersed through the City of Cleveland.

MidTown Cleveland Inc. received $90,000 from the latest CNP investment, mostly to back staffing capacity in the AsiaTown neighborhood. Grant-funded employees are now concentrating on neighborhood-enriching programming, including a pilot park at the vacant Dave’s Supermarket property on East 33rd Street and Payne Avenue.

“If we can cover staff and operations, then the organization can go out and fund programs for the neighborhood,” says MidTown Cleveland executive director Ashley Shaw. “That wouldn’t be possible without the money from CNP, because the biggest challenge in the industry is paying for and investing in talent.”

Shaw says she further appreciates the nonprofit bringing her team in for the grant planning process, a gesture that helped shape Midtown’s current program improvement.

“CNP gave us flexibility by asking us what our needs are,” she says. “We’ve had a strong relationship with them under Tania’s leadership. CNP brings us together [with other CDCs] regularly as well.”

While Cleveland CDCs offer varied programs—from social services to real estate development to community planning and placemaking—they face similar financial obstacles in reaching these goals, notes Powers of CNP. His group is already planning a second round of organizational assessment and funding for early next year, he adds.  

“We want to walk away knowing what CDCs do,” says Powers. “We spent 18 months [in talks] and will continue to bring CDCs to the table for discussions.”