What we do  

The community development field works to improve the future of places for the people who live and work there. NACEDA works to develop a stronger, more unified community development field.

What Is Community Development?

Community development is a process through which community stakeholders come together to vision, plan, and implement a more prosperous future.

What is a community development corporation?

Known as CDCs, these nonprofit, community-based organizations aggregate resources, ideas, and actors with the shared goal of improving the future of a place to the benefit of the people who live there. They are most commonly located in low-income, under-served neighborhoods that have experienced a significant lack of investment. Traditional activities include real estate development, business and economic development, and community organizing. 

What is a community development association?

Community development associations serve as an institutional network through which community development actors share ideas, access resources, exchange with peers, and act collectively. These associations  acting mostly at the state and regional level  compose NACEDA's primary membership.

NACEDA advances community prosperity through four primary activities:

1) Building capacity of our member associations acting at the state and regional levels.

2) Advocating for public policies and resources aimed at improving the lives of those living in low and moderate-income places.

3) Convening organizations within the community economic development sector to share resources, solve challenges, and support each others' strengths.

4) Partnering with other sectors such as healthcare and the arts that have an interest in using community development strategies to improve lives in low-income places.

View our 2020-2022 Strategic Plan