Stories of Philanthropic Leadership in Advancing Regional and ...

LIVABLE NEIGHBORHOODS/STRONG REGIONSneighborhood caught the attention of WachoviaRegional Foundation. For Wachovia, AWF wasattractive due to the business involvement and also thehigh level of engagement from the local residents inrevitalizing aOver time, AWF realized thatrehabilitating housing wasnot enough to revitalizethe local economy so itbecame a comprehensivecommunity developmentcorporation with a focuson housing rehabilitation,social and economiccommunity building,education, employment,and youth development.distressedneighborhood.Denise McGregorArmbrister, executivedirector of WachoviaRegionalFoundation,estimates that adiverse 1 percent ofthe local population(or 190 residents),young and old,participated in thedevelopment AWF’scomprehensive planas part of WachoviaRegional Foundation’s Neighborhood Planning Grant.Wachovia Regional Foundation believes AWF scoreshigh on all components, from its board andpartnerships to implementation in the neighborhood.Capitalizing on Wachovia Regional Foundation’splanning grant, the William Penn Foundation steeredits youth employment development work with AWFto focus on a larger outlook in youth development.Allegheny West Foundation’s president, Ron Hinton,“started looking at a holistic approach to understandyouth barriers and resources,” observes KellyWoodland, program officer with William PennFoundation. Woodland adds, “Ron [Hinton] knowshow to engage residents around key issues ofemployment and training. He understandscommunity development in a broader sense.”Until recently, Allegheny West Foundation focusedmost of its attention on improving the value of theproperties in the neighborhood, an era Hinton refersto as “Phase 1.” With Wachovia RegionalFoundation and William Penn Foundation’sassistance, AWF is moving to “Phase 2,” a strategythat leverages the work of the past three decades toenable a higher quality of life.According to AWF’s Hinton, a quality of life strategymeans investing in the neighborhood of the future bygrooming young people for careers in the neighborhood,encouraging civic engagement, and improving openspaces, safety, education, and retail access. “There’s abroad connection to improve society, not just bybringing in businesses to solve short-term problems. Weneed to cure the problem,” declares Hinton.The Allegheny West Foundation offers computer and job training toneighborhood residents. (Source: Allegheny West Foundation).Beverly Coleman, program director of thePhiladelphia Neighborhood DevelopmentCollaborative (PNDC), describes that duringPNDC’s nine-year relationship with AWF as agrantee in PNDC’s core operating support program,AWF has diversified its real estate developmentactivities and begun to focus on market-drivenstrategies to achieve change.Regional/Neighborhood Equity ImpactsIn formulating a strategy with a wider scope ofcommunity development, a diversity of positiveequity impacts are possible. William PennFoundation hopes the development of technicalassistance and job training for youth will improve thevalue of the neighborhood. “CDCs realize peoplemove to where youth services are located,” statesWilliam Penn’s Woodland.On the other hand, PNDC sees transit-orienteddevelopment as a promising approach for advancingregional equity. According to PNDC’s Coleman, bypursuing a transit-oriented development strategy thatlinks new housing and retail investments to theexisting regional transit station and developingpartnerships with employers that increase access toneighborhood employers and regional job clusters,AWF should be able to improve outcomes for itscommunity and residents.67Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities