BLDG Memphis delivers customized services to nonprofit community development organizations to assess, plan, and implement strategies to achieve their community goals.
What is a Community Development Corporation?
We define CDCs as nonprofit, community-based organizations focused on the community engagement, physical and economic revitalization of the areas in which they are located, typically low-income, underserved neighborhoods that have experienced significant disinvestment. While their ultimate goal may be comprehensive community redevelopment, CDCs generally focus on one or more program areas, such as housing development, economic development (job training, commercial development, small business assistance, etc.), neighborhood planning, infrastructure, and the development of community facilities. In addition, CDCs often serve as the neighborhood quarterbacking agency for resident empowerment, community collaboration and engagement.
Here's some of what we offer to our member CDCs to help them make their community vision a reality!
- Training, peer learning and technical assistance through offerings like our New City Builders emerging CDC leaders course, Workshop Wednesdays open office hours, and technical support for planning and implementation of neighborhood revitalization projects like MEMFix, the Heights Line, and other creative placemaking efforts.
- Organizational capacity assessment and planning in five areas – organizational development, business and financial structure, community outreach, housing development and management, and economic development, conducted using our proprietary Capacity Assessment Tool (CAT) for Memphis CDCs; Customized capacity building plans, based on the results of the CAT;
- One-on-one technical assistance (see below for additional details);
- Peer networking and information sharing;
- Occasional training programs based on need and demand;
- Focused peer groups for CDCs engaged in rental housing development/management, and housing counselors, which meet two to four times per year;
- Scholarships to attend training workshops and conferences.
Uniting these programs is our overarching mission of supporting the revitalization of Memphis neighborhoods.
Check out our Capacity Building program offerings!