Capacity Building

Human Capital Development – Within the nonprofit community, proper staff development is a subject of great importance, but one that is often not addressed due to limited financial resources.  As a result, CDC staff sometimes lack opportunities for advancement.  Additionally, the field of community development is highly specialized and requires a significant amount of hard technical skills such as financial analysis, business development, real estate development and additional information technology skills.

NYC LISC assists CDCs with acquiring the base-line competencies to both manage current activities and assets and move into new arenas that they have identified as important in their communities.  Our approach is twofold:  (1) provide intensive one-on-one technical assistance through our staff and/or outside consultants selected in concert with the CDCs, and (2) create a comprehensive, multi-year training series for participating groups.  These efforts continue to position CDCs at the cutting edge of emerging opportunities in community development.

Neighborhood Planning Initiative - As CDCs grow, so do their needs for increased staff training, management and leadership skills. Under the umbrella of “capacity building, “ LISC works with CDCs to improve their financial reporting systems, human resources practices, program diversification strategies, and asset management skills. LISC has also initiated the Neighborhood Planning Initiative, a unique partnership between NYC LISC, Columbia University’s Urban Technical Assistance Program (UTAP) and several CDCs that will help development cogent, extensive economic and physical development plans for several neighborhoods across the City over the next few years.

Technology for Communities (TFC) - This program was created in response to requests from CDCs for assistance in building and expanding their telecommunications infrastructure.  The success enjoyed by many CDCs in building affordable housing, economic development and job training has led to new and unanticipated challenges, particularly in the area of utilizing modern technology to streamline and enhance the programs and resources that they provide to neighborhood residents.

In 2002, LISC NYC created TFC to help CDCs assess their individual technological needs and then devise and implement a corresponding plan.  In partnership with NPower NY, LISC NYC is currently providing 16 CDCs with the opportunity to work with technology experts--free of charge--in assessing and identifying their organizations' tech needs, training their leadership in incorporating technology in long-term organizational planning, developing comprehensive tech plans that complement their missions, and implementing their tech plans into daily operations.  Participating organizations also receive matching grants towards their technology advancement efforts.

The Neighborhood Opportunities Fund (NOF) - NOF is dedicated to helping CDCs realize their fundamental vision of transforming the city’s neighborhoods.  NOF is a unique partnership of donors from the corporate and foundation sectors and four intermediaries with long histories of service to New York City’s neighborhoods: the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD), The Enterprise Foundation, LISC, and the United Way of New York City.

NOF consists of two initiatives:  
 
Strategic Neighborhoods Initiative (SNI), in partnership with LISC and Enterprise, will support key activities and the creation of new development strategies in strategically-located neighborhoods with 10 CDCs that have outstanding track records of housing development and service to the community.  Each CDC will receive an annual grant of up to $125,000 for up to four years.

Initiative for Neighborhood and City-Wide Organizing (INCO), in partnership with the ANHD, will increase grassroots leadership and build a stronger citywide housing advocacy movement.  Up to 15 organizations will receive annual grants of $50,000 for up to four years to develop their organizing capacity. 

NOF Donors include: Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development; Bank of New York; Bank of America; The BTM Foundation, Inc. of The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Ltd.; Booth Ferris Foundation; Citibank Community Development; Deutsche Bank; The Enterprise Foundation, Inc.; Fannie Mae Foundation; FleetBoston Financial Foundation; The Ford Foundation; Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group; GreenPoint Foundation; HSBC Bank USA; Independence Community Foundation; LISC; M&T Bank; Merrill Lynch Community Development Company LLC; MetLife Foundation; Mizuho Corporate Bank, Ltd.; The J. P. Morgan Chase F oundation; The New York Community Trust; The Rockefeller Foundation; The Scherman Foundation; Surdna Foundation; U.S. Trust; United Way of NYC; Washington Mutual