Neighborhood Progress Inc

TO FOSTER INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES OF CHOICE AND OPPORTUNITY THROUGHOUT CLEVELANDBY WORKING HAND IN HAND WITH CLEVELAND'S COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS TO HELP THEM MAKE CLEVELAND'S NEIGHBORHOODS ATTRACTIVE, VIBRANT, AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES WHERE TOGETHER, PEOPLE FROM DIVERSE INCOMES, RACES, AND GENERATIONS THRIVE, PROSPER, AND CHOOSE TO LIVE, LEARN, WORK, INVEST, AND PLAY.

CLEVELAND NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRESS (NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRESS) ATTEMPTS TO FULFILL ITS MISSION THROUGH THREE LINES OF WORK: CDC ADVANCEMENT, PLACEMAKING, AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY. NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRESS SEEKS TO HAVE THESE PROGRAMS WORK COLLABORATIVELY, WHEN POSSIBLE, TO HELP EACH PROGRAM ACHIEVE ITS INDIVIDUAL GOALS.CDC ADVANCEMENT - CDC ADVANCEMENT PROVIDES TECHNICAL, TACTICAL, AND OPERATING SUPPORT FOR CLEVELAND'S COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS (CDCS). MAJOR PROGRAMS WITHIN CDC ADVANCEMENT ARE AS FOLLOWS:- STRATEGIC INVESTMENT INITIATIVE (SII) - THE SII PROGRAM PROVIDES $1.5 MILLION IN OPERATING SUPPORT TO CLEVELAND CDCS. CDC ADVANCEMENT STAFF PROVIDES GRANT MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING FOR ALL SII GRANTS.- PROGRESS INDEX - CDC ADVANCEMENT STAFF PROVIDES MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROGRESS INDEX, WHICH IS A NEIGHBORHOOD DATA TOOL DEVELOPED BY NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRESS AND THE CENTER ON URBAN POVERTY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AT CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY. THE GOAL OF THE TOOL IS TO EQUIP COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONERS WITH HOUSING AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY DATA SO THAT THEY MAY BETTER UNDERSTAND NEIGHBORHOOD DYNAMICS, MONITOR TRENDS, DEVELOP SOLUTIONS, AND USE DATA TO MEASURE ORGANIZATIONAL AND/OR PROGRAMMATIC OUTCOMES.- CDC INDUSTRY ALIGNMENT - CDC ADVANCEMENT STAFF HELPS TO FACILITATE DISCUSSION AND DECISIONS RELATED TO COLLABORATION AND HIGHEST IMPACT THROUGH STRATEGIC ALLIANCES AND MERGERS.- SHARED SERVICES - CDC ADVANCEMENT STAFF OVERSEES PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS THAT ASSIST CDCS' PRODUCTIVITY AND IMPACT IN CLEVELAND'S NEIGHBORHOODS (I.E.: CDC TRAINING, WORKGROUPS, CLEAN&GREEN CLEVELAND).

ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY - THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY PORTFOLIO KEEPS THE ORGANIZATION FOCUSED ON IMPROVING THE LIVES OF RESIDENTS AS AN ESSENTIAL STRATEGY TO HOLISTICALLY STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES. THE MAJOR PROGRAM WITHIN ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY IS AS FOLLOWS:COMMUNITY FINANCIAL CENTERS - COMMUNITY FINANCIAL CENTERS IS A CITY-WIDE PROGRAM FOCUSED ON IMPROVING THE ECONOMIC SECURITY OF ALL RESIDENTS OF CLEVELAND. IT IS BASED ON THE SUCCESSFUL MODEL DEVELOPED BY BLOOMBERG PHILANTHROPIES AND THE CITIES FOR FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT. THE CLEVELAND MODEL IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRESS, THE CITY OF CLEVELAND, ENTERPRISE COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND CUYAHOGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE. THE PROGRAM WORKS DILIGENTLY TO SUPPORT MINORITY SMALL BUSINESSES ACCESS CAPITAL/STRENGTHEN BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY, CONNECT LOW- AND MODERATE-INCOME TAXPAYERS TO QUALITY TAX PREPARATION, PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY PERSONAL FINANCIAL COACHING, AND ENHANCE ASSET BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES AND OTHER SERVICES THAT WILL STRENGTHEN CLEVELAND NEIGHBORHOODS' ECONOMIES. CFC SERVED 520 CLIENTS AND CONDUCTED 759 COACHING SESSIONS. THIRTY-ONE PERCENT (237) OF THE CLIENTS WERE CLEVELANDERS. 41% OF THE CLIENTS WERE BLACK OR AFRICAN-AMERICAN, WHILE 18% WERE WHITE, AND 6% WERE HISPANIC OR LATINO. AS A MEMBER OF THE BUSINESS OF GROWTH COLLABORATIVE, CFC WORKED ALONGSIDE ECDI CLEVELAND, COSE, HISPANIC BUSINESS CENTER, URBAN LEAGUE OF GREATER CLEVELAND AND HEBREW FREE LOAN ASSOCIATION (HFLA) TO PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR 155 SMALL BUSINESS CLIENTS, RESULTING IN INCREASED FINANCIAL LITERACY, EXPANDED CAPACITY AND SKILLSETS FOR PARTICIPANT BUSINESSES AND THEIR PERSONAL FINANCES AND CREDIT. AT YEARS END, CFC ASSISTED 155 BUSINESSES SECURE $918,000 IN COVID SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF GRANTS, BUSINESS GROWTH COLLABORATIVE BOOST FUNDS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTION SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT GRANTS. CLEVELAND-BASED BUSINESSES ACCOUNTED FOR 43% OF CLIENTS ASSISTED AND SECURED $528,000 IN FUNDING TO REDUCE FINANCIAL BARRIERS TO BUSINESS GROWTH.

PLACEMAKING - PLACEMAKING FOCUSES ON DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES THAT PROMOTE HEALTH, WELL-BEING, AND HAPPINESS OF CLEVELAND RESIDENTS THROUGH THE CREATION OF PLACES AND SPACES THAT RESPOND TO COMMUNITY NEEDS AND ENCOURAGE AND SUSTAIN A POSITIVE QUALITY OF LIFE. MAJOR PROGRAMS WITHIN PLACEMAKING ARE AS FOLLOWS:- SLAVIC VILLAGE REDISCOVERED - SLAVIC VILLAGE REDISCOVERED IS A PROJECT THAT WAS BEGUN AS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN FOUR ENTITIES - TWO PRIVATE AND TWO NONPROFIT - TO ADDRESS URBAN BLIGHT IN A COMMUNITY THAT WAS AMONG THE HARDEST HIT IN THE FORECLOSURE CRISIS. THE PROGRAM IS NOW LED BY THE TWO NONPROFITS AND IS FOCUSED ON IDENTIFYING FORECLOSED HOMES FOR ACQUISITION, REHABILITATION, AND SALE WITHOUT ANY PUBLIC FUNDING BUT TAX ABATEMENT. THE GOAL IS TO STABILIZE THE TARGETED NEIGHBORHOOD. AS OF FY21, 55 UNITS HAVE BEEN REHABILITATED AND SOLD.- SAINT LUKE'S PHASE III - AS OF THE END OF FY21, ALL 65,000 SQUARE FEET OF SAINT LUKE'S PHASE III IS OCCUPIED BY THE INTERGENERATIONAL SCHOOL (TIS), NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRESS, AND THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB. FLOORS 1-4, HOWEVER, IS NOW OWNED BY TIS. PLANNING FOR OTHER PROJECTS SURROUNDING THE SAINT LUKE'S CAMPUS IS UNDERWAY.