The Atlanta Alliance for Community Development Investment, the Alliance, works to strengthen the community development industry's capacity in the Atlanta metro area by bringing together key investors and intermediaries to support development and investment in metro-area Community Development Corporations (CDCs) and Community Based Organizations (CBOs). Through the Alliance's efforts and support, Atlanta's neighborhoods stand to receive increased financial investment in support of revitalization efforts delivered by capable CDCs.
Within this collaborative environment, Alliance member organizations (see list of members below) have convened three working committees that the member organizations efforts support. The Steering Committee handles communication, public relations, administration, Alliance policy, membership and resource development; the Capacity Development Committee is in charge of standards, assessment tools, technical assistance and training while the Investment Committee heads real estate investment and Alliance investments. An Ad Hoc Committee, the Technical Assistance and Training Resources Committee, was formed to collect information on resources available to CDCs and make that information accessible.
Through the committee structure, the Alliance has focused its energies in three areas:
The Alliance originally convened in February 1998, to explore how the community development field could be enhanced through coordination and cooperation on the part of organizations that provide resources to this nonprofit industry.
The Alliance seeks to improve and expand the delivery of resources to develop strong, safe and vibrant neighborhoods. The Alliance values neighborhood revitalization, not gentrification, affordable housing, and preservation of neighborhood character and assets (as defined by the neighborhood). The Alliance believes that community development is holistic and driven by the neighborhood. It respects and supports common standards for effective community-based organizations.
The Alliance hopes to increase levels of investment, public and private, in historically dis-invested communities by encouraging revitalization, increased levels of affordable housing and preservation of existing housing.
The Alliance accepts the following as steps to that end goal:
While the Alliance worked to strengthen non-profit community development organizations in Atlanta, the need to work collectively with other experts in the field was apparent. A Capacity Assessment Tool (CAT) for Community Development Corporations was created as an evaluation tool designed to document the capacity of the CDC, to assess the CDC's performance, and determine the CDC's development stage. During the process of developing the CAT, the Alliance and its partner organizations recognized the need to link the tool to capacity building resources via some form of a TA Directory. By doing so, the user of the tool will be able, not only to identify areas of weakness, but to find resources to help move the organization forward.
It is our hope that the directory of training and technical assistance providers (on the web at http://chrcatlanta.org/) will serve to strengthen community development efforts in Atlanta by targeting available resources as wisely and efficiently as possible.
The Alliance is structured as a volunteer organization where work is accomplished through a committee process and facilitated through the efforts of member organizations. A representative of each member organization serves on the Alliance board, and in many cases, additional representatives serve on the working committees. Current committees of the Alliance are the Steering Committee, the Investment Committee and the Capacity-Development Committee.
Anyone interested in becoming an Alliance member that provides resources to community development organizations and is committed to enhancing the community development industry should contact Kate Little at (404) 523-6060.