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Start a nonprofit or community development corporation

What a CDC is, how to decide if you need one, and what to think through first.

Before you rely on thisThese are older articles and answers, and laws and programs change and vary by place. For current rules, check with your Secretary of State, your state charity office, and the IRS.

Start with these

  1. Guide

    Why Start a Community Development Corporation

    Start a community development corporation (CDC) to advance vital work in housing, economic development, social programs, and clean-up.

  2. Visitor question

    Community Development Corporation Questions Abound; Here Are Some Answers

    Community development corporations raise many questions about transparency and accountability. This page is a gateway to asking them.

  3. Visitor question

    Start a Community Based Non Profit Organization

    Visitor Question: Is an organization limited to one scope? I want our community to have a day care for single and working parents, a land bank (not sure

  4. Visitor question

    CDC and 501(c)3

    Reviewed: June 12, 2024 Visitor Question: We are interested and looking into starting a CDC in our town. Do you need to register as a 501(c)3 with the

  5. Visitor question

    Becoming Certified as a CDC

    Reviewed: June 12, 2024 Visitor Question: Who can I apply to for my company to become a Community Development Corporation? When is application taken?

  6. Visitor question

    Ideal composition of a CDC board of directors

    Visitor Question: We are trying to start a new CDC to help us dig out of the urban mess in our neighborhood. The three of us who are working the hardest

  7. Visitor question

    How Long a New CDC Will Need Grants for Operations

    Reviewed: June 12, 2024 Visitor Question: How long should a foundation expect to provide operating support for a new CDC? Is there research on the average

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Original guidance from A Good Community: How to Make and Keep It, owned and edited by Nancy Thompson (formerly Useful Community Development), shared with permission. Community Compass notes and updates are our own and have not been reviewed by Nancy Thompson.