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Feature
Adaptive Reuse on a Grand Scale - The Asbury Delaware Church
In the 1990s in Buffalo New York, the Asbury Delaware Church, a gothic revival structure from the 1870s, sat vacant and in dangerous disrepair. Saving the church from demolition became a priority for Righteous Babe Records and its principals, recording artist Ani DiFranco and Scot Fisher who garnered support from preservationists and community activists. The church, located on the edge of Buffalo's theater district, became a critical project in the redevelopment of the city's arts and theater district and is playing an important role in the stabilization and rebirth of the Delaware Avenue commercial district and the adjacent neighborhoods.

Now renovated, the Church is a combination concert facility, lounge, arts center and offices enhancing Buffalo's strong visual and performing arts community. The Asbury Delaware Church was the winner of the 2005 New York State Historic Preservation Award for Private Sector Achievement.

The linchpin of the financing for the redevelopment was New Market Tax Credits provided by LISC on $9.2 million of financing from HSBC Bank. In early June, the U.S. Treasury Department announced a new round of NMTC awards allocating $4.1 billion in investment authority to 63 organizations. With an award of $140 MM, LISC received the largest award made to a nonprofit in this round.

Policy

Federal

Congress Weighs NMTC Extension; Early Data Released
Current authority for New Markets Tax Credits will cover the application round that the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund will open this year, but next year's competition cannot begin unless Congress extends NMTC authority for another year, through 2008. Since a tax bill early next year is unlikely, a pension reform bill Congress is now considering is the best hope for keeping New Markets on track. Congress plans to attach extensions for a number of expiring tax incentives, such as tax credits for the research and development, but it is unclear if New Markets will be included. Congress hopes to resolve the issue by July 4.

Meanwhile, the CDFI Fund has released the first data on where NMTCs are going. Through 2004, New Markets had stimulated $1.3 billion in investments, with 99% going into severely distressed communities. Financed businesses are projected to create 3,000 full-time equivalent jobs. Financed commercial real estate will generate 13 million feet of space and 33,000 construction jobs.

Fiscal Year 2007 Appropriations Bill
On June 14, the House of Representatives approved the fiscal year 2007 appropriations bill funding HUD, Transportation, Treasury and other agencies. The bill includes $35.3 billion for HUD, $1.7 billion more than last year's level.

Highlights:
> Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program received $3.9 billion in formula funding, a slight increase over the 2006 funding level. LISC worked closely with a coalition of public, private and non-profit sector partners to bring attention to CDBG's critical role in neighborhood revitalization.

> The HOME program, which provides flexible subsidies-often in partnership with local non-profit organizations--for low income housing production, rehabilitation, and related uses, received $1.9 billion, $159 million above the 2006 funding level.

> The Section 8 tenant based voucher program received $15.9 billion. The project based Section 8 program received $5.5 billion.

> The House bill allocates $31 million to LISC and Enterprise for the Section 4 Capacity building program. LISC and Enterprise leverage Section 4 funds with private sector dollars to provide seed capital for community based non-profits. The Appropriations Committee's bill language notes than Section 4 and other capacity building programs "provide a critical role promoting affordable housing and the ability to maximize the federal investment in these activities..." The bill also includes capacity building funding for the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) and Habitat for Humanity.

> The Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet taken up its HUD funding bill.

State
Missouri - The Missouri legislature ended its 2006 session with passage of eminent domain legislation that successfully blends community concerns into final compromise legislation. Legislators reduced property owner compensation to not more than 150% and were able to include language that differentiates agricultural land from eminent domain takings for vacant or single lots in urban communities. Local jurisdictions will also still be able to use eminent domain for blighted properties and for economic development projects, both of which were hotly debated. In addition, several pieces of legislation that would take eminent domain decisions to referendum were not passed.

Connecticut - HOMEConnecticut, a coalition of housing groups, banks and business leaders, has been launched with four goals: educating policymakers about the state's critical affordable housing shortage; developing housing policy alternatives for legislative and agency leaders; providing affordable housing planning assistance to muncipal leaders; and expanding financing opportunities to affordable housing developers. With housing costs across the state increasing 63.5% between 2000-2005, workers wages cannot keep up with monthly mortgage and rental payments. "We are losing our labor force," says William Cibes, a former state budget director. "It puts us in a poor comparable position to attract businesses and jobs."

Congratulations to community advocates for hard work and successful outcomes!

Experts Online

Hire and Retain Top Talent, June 28, 2:00 p.m. ET.

Negotiating Joint Ventures with For-Profit Developers , July 12, 2:00 p.m. ET.

Building Our Way Out of Crime: Partnering with Police and Prosecutors to Revitalize Communities, July 13, 2:00 p.m. ET.

KnowledgePlex Chats

Eminent Domain One Year After Kelo: Implications for Community Development is the June 23, 2:00 p.m. ET KnowledgePlex webcast, co-sponsored by the National City Network, and Harvard University's Government Innovators Network. The session will bring together a diverse panel of experts to discuss the implications of the decision and highlight responses from both state governments and organizations involved in community development.

A detailed description of upcoming Experts Online sessions is now available in the monthly Experts Online ... Coming Attractions.

Funding Opportunities

The Fannie Mae Foundation, in partnership with the National Vacant Properties Campaign, will award up to four $50,000 grants to projects that showcase excellence in the reclamation of vacant and abandoned properties in the production of affordable housing. Awards will be made in four categories: most impressive overall affordable housing benefit, most innovative partnership, most successful public/private partnership and most effective catalyst for community revitalization. The deadline is June 30. For additional information, visit the Fannie Mae Foundation website.

The Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leadership Program is making a special round of five Community Health Leadership Awards of $120,000 to honor those individuals who have demonstrated leadership in responding to the challenges of the Gulf Coast disaster in 2005. The program is open to nominations from all significantly affected areas, including communities that have offered shelter and support to people displaced from the Gulf region. Nominations may be made by consumers, community leaders, health professionals, and government officials who have been personally inspired by the nominee. The deadline is June 30. For more information, visit the Community Health Leaders website.

The AT&T Foundation has announced the launch of the 2006 AT&T Excelerator competitive technology grants program. This initiative helps nonprofit organizations integrate technology into their ongoing operations and community outreach and helps nonprofits put technology tools into the hands of the under-served populations they work with. Awards total $6.1 million, with individual grants ranging from $2,500 to $25,000. Collaborations by two or more organizations will be considered for grants of up to $50,000 for one year. The deadline is July 5. For additional information, visit the AT&T website.

The NFL Youth Football Fund Grassroots Program, a partnership of the National Football League Youth Football Fund and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, is now accepting proposals from community organizations and schools nationwide for the 2006 funding cycle. The partnership provides nonprofit, neighborhood-based organizations with financial and technical assistance to improve the quality, safety, and accessibility of local football fields. Grants of up to $200,000 are available for capital expenditures. The deadline is Aug. 31. For more information, visit LISC's website.

The I. Donald Terner Prize, administered by the Center for Community Innovation at the University of California, Berkeley, recognizes successful and innovative affordable housing projects and their leadership teams. The Terner Prize will be awarded biennially to the affordable housing project and leadership team that best exemplifies the spirit of Don Terner's work, commitment to affordable housing. One winner will be chosen to receive the first prize award of $25,000. In addition, five finalist teams will be awarded leadership stipends of $5,000. Eligible projects must be located in the United States, and have been in operation for a sufficient amount of time to demonstrate success. Complete applications are due by Sept. 18. For more information, visit the Center for Community Innovation website.

Information Resources

Discovering Community Power: A Guide to Mobilizing Local Assets and Your Organization's Capacity, a study by Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute in cooperation with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, documents how to strengthen an organization by enhancing connections with the community's assets as well as bolster the community by investing in the community's assets. To read the full report, visit the ABCD Insitute website.

The Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) works to reduce the cost and environmental impact of the Federal government by advancing energy efficiency and water conservation, promoting the use of distributed and renewable energy, and improving utility management decisions at Federal sites. FEMP provides information on financing, technical assistance, policy and information resources. To learn more and access on-line resources, visit the FEMP website.

Delivering a Local EITC: Lessons from the San Francisco Working Families Credit, a new report by Tim Flacke and Tiana Wertheim, published by the Brookings Institution, examines San Francisco's Working Families Credit - now in its second year - explaining how the program worked in its first year of operation, summarizing program outcomes and outputs thus far, and describing lessons learned and best practices for those considering developing a similar program in their own local jurisdictions. For more information and to download the full report, visit the Brookings Institution website.