Stories of Philanthropic Leadership in Advancing Regional and ...

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LIVABLE NEIGHBORHOODS/STRONG REGIONSThe organization has dedicated seven houses to theYoung Mothers Residential Program (YMRP),providing free housing to mothers as they strive toachieve self-sufficiency and independence. Meanwhile,its arts education programs (after-school, art-lifepractices, and general art program) are interdisciplinaryand focus on creativity, resourcefulness, and real-lifeapplications for children and teenagers.Project Row Houses’ converted site has been a catalyst toneighborhood revitalization and as a result of PRH’sefforts and the Third Ward’s proximity to downtown,the Third WardProject Row Houses’ work isfounded in public art andeducation programs thatencompass neighborhoodrevitalization, historicpreservation, and communityservice. Its programs aredesigned to identify andcultivate a new vision ofopportunity in Houston’sThird Ward community.struggles againstgentrification.Project Row Houseshas established asister organization,the Row HouseCommunityDevelopmentCorporation (RowHouse CDC), toprotect theneighborhood’shistoric and culturallegacy in the AfricanAmerican community. The original compound hasgrown with the construction of 13 units of low-incomehousing, four residential duplexes, as well as two unitsdedicated to long-term artists’ residencies. Project RowHouses also includes the Eldorado Ballroom withbusinesses on the ground floor, visionary and worldrenownedfolk artist Cleveland Turner’s home—knownas the Flowerman’s House—a sculpture park, the XShouse (Rice University’s Extra Small House), and threeshotgun houses (circa 1870) relocated from theneighboring Fourth Ward.Funder InterestThree PRH funders—Ford Foundation, HoustonEndowment Inc., and The Meadows Foundation—point to the successful and visionary blend of art,community development, and historic preservationas a source of their interest in Project Row Houses.Created by African American artists, PRH combinesefforts to awaken a historical presence of and for localAfrican American art and culture with an awarenessof community struggles and an effort to address themwith educational, social, and practical programs.Today, PRH maintains its African American focusand voice, as over 90 percent of its board directorsand staff members are African American. It is theunusual formula of the organization’s mission and itscharismatic leadership that continues to demonstrateits success and inspire supporters.The Ford Foundation was first inspired by PRH’sfounder’s effective communication with a wide regionalaudience. Throughout the years, the founder, RickLowe, has been able to illustrate how social justice andneighborhood revitalization can be combined.According to Miguel Garcia, acting deputy director ofthe Community and Resource Development Unit atthe Ford Foundation, Lowe has demonstrated that “anabandoned shotgun home, a simple architectural form,can be adapted to send a message that you canredevelop blighted properties into opportunities forlocal low-income African American families whilestimulating the imagination and creativity of regionalactors comprised ofthe creative class thatare typically white, “The project is like anmiddle class, and in amoeba; it grows organicallysearch ofbut stays true to its DNA.”fulfillment.” The— Miguel GarciaFord Foundationidentifies the organicand rooted nature of the organization and its ability todiversify and grow as deciding factors in its support.Explains Garcia, “The project is like an amoeba; itgrows organically but stays true to its DNA.”Houston Endowment Inc. (HEI) supports many ofHouston’s arts, social service, education, andcommunity development programs. The Endowmentconsiders Project Row Houses’ unusual approach ofuniting these areas as one of Houston’s great assets.Since 1994, HEI has awarded PRH with grants forhousing restoration and renovation, general programsupport, and land acquisition. The organization’s roleas a community player and leader and its wide rangeof services to the residents of the Third Ward appealto the board and staff of HEI. In 2004, HEI made itsfirst grant to the Row House CDC for operatingsupport and community development initiatives.The Meadows Foundation provides grants in fiveareas: arts and culture, civic and public affairs,education, health, and human services. ThroughProject Row Houses, Meadows can supportsystematic and integrated work that addresses79Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities
The Row House Community Development Corporation completedconstruction of four new low-income duplexes designed by the RiceBuilding Workshop. (Source: Project Row Houses).community problems, preserves history, andenhances arts and culture. The organization’s holisticapproach touches upon all of the Foundation’s areasof focus. As a result, it has awarded two grants toProject Row Houses and a third grant to its sisteragency, Row House CDC. All three grants wereopportunities to combine historic preservation,neighborhood development, and the arts withtransitional housing and social services.Regional/Neighborhood Equity ImpactsCommunity members from different races, ages,and socioeconomic backgrounds are regularly onthe Project Row Houses campus enjoying thefacilities and programs. Emily Todd, a grant officerat the Houston Endowment, describes Project RowHouses as, “A catalyst for conversations about andsolutions for some of our community’s mosttroubling questions.” The Ford Foundation’sGarcia explains that PRH “teaches regional actorsto adapt and adjust and not to throw awaymaterials, houses, or most importantly, people.”For example, from the 1930s until the early 1970s,the Eldorado Ballroom was the center of one of themost remarkable jazz and blues musicalcommunities in the nation. Due to Project RowHouses’ restoration efforts, the Eldorado Ballroomre-opened its doors for a gala on May 17, 2003, thefirst major event held there in over 30 years.Project Row Houses has restored and revitalized 22row houses and has extended its reach further intothe neighborhood through the development of newprograms and construction of affordable housing.Through the Row House CDC, Project Row Houseswill continue neighborhood development activities.Developers are now attempting to move into theThird Ward, attracted by the neighborhood’sproximity to downtown. Project Row Houses andlocal civic leaders responded with town meetings anddistributed posters and flyers around theneighborhood with the poignant message of, “ThirdWard is Our Home and It Is Not For Sale.” Signsthat read the same message are posted in front yardsas a sign of resistance by homeowners. Theorganization’s approach is not necessarily to affectchange by ownership, but by informing andeducating residents about their rights as homeownersand responsibilities as community members.Project Row Houses is also turning to a visualizationtool that will allow it to track density, land, traffic,employment, income, and race data (among others)in the Third Ward. The organization is aiming tocase manage families and assist them in their selfimprovementefforts. The organization’s activities andgoals are not limited to preserving history, but arefocused on how to address poverty and develop acommunity with a responsible and equitable plan.Project Row Houses hosts a community fashion show in Houston’s ThirdWard. (Source: Project Row Houses).ResultsThe grantmakers surveyed for this profilerecognize that PRH’s vision, social programs, andreal estate development are all integrated and haveresulted in comprehensive local changes in and forHouston’s Third Ward. The Ford Foundation’sGarcia speaks of the project’s role in the community“as the curator of the neighborhood’s identity andsoul. [The project] does not subscribe to purehistorical preservation but rather it seeks to blendthe yesterday and today to formulate tomorrow.”Furthermore, The Meadows Foundation indicatesthat Project Row Houses’ residences for teenmothers have been producing meaningful results,with most teens successfully completing school,acquiring employment, and securing permanentLIVABLE NEIGHBORHOODS/STRONG REGIONSPart III: Section 2: Making All Neighborhoods Stable, Healthy, and Livable as Building Blocks for a Strong Region 80
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Stories of Philanthropic Leadership
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Signs of Promise:Stories of Philant
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Funders’ Network for Smart Growth
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(II. B.)(II. C.)Turning Neighborhoo
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PART I:IntroductionThe Purpose of t
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social justice issues as they relat
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PART II:Perspectives on Advancing R
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peer work, we can reestablish a sig
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Annie E. Casey FoundationBaltimore,
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neighborhoods into healthy ones—g
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Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation
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Section 1:Promoting Equitable Publi
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I. A. BUILDING POWER AND GIVINGVOIC
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policy advocates. In 2002, Milwauke
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in Los Angeles, Ford’s Anthony no
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I. B. PROMOTING COALITIONSTO ADVANC
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Yet the interpersonal dynamics of c
Page 35 and 36: guidelines. “Many of the member o
Page 37 and 38: Funder InterestThe EPA supported th
Page 39 and 40: I. D. DEMONSTRATING THESTRUGGLE FOR
Page 41 and 42: Richmond, Calif.The second regional
Page 43 and 44: through policy reform at the local
Page 45 and 46: I. E. BUILDING COALITIONTHROUGH KNO
Page 47 and 48: organizing project, the Connecticut
Page 49 and 50: and businesses are quantified in a
Page 51 and 52: I. G. REVITALIZING WHILEASSURING DI
Page 53 and 54: In the late 1990s, the city of Albu
Page 55 and 56: I. H. A TRAVEZ DE LA FRONTERA:LAND
Page 57 and 58: The International Community Foundat
Page 59 and 60: I. I. MOBILIZING ACTION FORREGIONAL
Page 61 and 62: To meet all of these objectives, th
Page 63 and 64: efforts. And with each public plann
Page 65 and 66: pattern of disproportionate transpo
Page 67 and 68: Clinica de la Raza identify this cr
Page 69 and 70: Contact PeopleCarl AnthonyActing Di
Page 71 and 72: Section 2:Making All Neighborhoods
Page 73 and 74: II. A. REACHING BEYONDHOUSING TO IM
Page 75 and 76: A local resident receives the keys
Page 77 and 78: East Baltimore community and the Jo
Page 79 and 80: example, adjacent to the EBDI area,
Page 81 and 82: II. C. YIELDING REGIONALBENEFITS TH
Page 83 and 84: is using transit-oriented developme
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Page 89 and 90: II. E. COUNTERING THE PERFECTSTORM:
Page 91 and 92: funded community programs, includin
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Page 95 and 96: owned enterprises, totaling $8.5 mi
Page 97 and 98: LOAN GUARANTEESSection 3:Connecting
Page 99 and 100: III. A. MAKING HOUSING ANOPPORTUNIT
Page 101 and 102: A new report from the National Hous
Page 103 and 104: The Straphangers Campaign was found
Page 105 and 106: Funder InterestThe Straphangers Cam
Page 107 and 108: or increase poverty. Whether direct
Page 109 and 110: The Regional Plan Association then
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Page 113 and 114: director with LISC. No one set of s
Page 115 and 116: 12 western Louisville neighborhoods
Page 117 and 118: III. E. UNITING THREE STATESFOR ONE
Page 119 and 120: increased their personal wealth by
Page 121 and 122: summary evaluation of MSDI found th
Page 123 and 124: method alone was strong enough to m
Page 125 and 126: consistent body of work. The Counci
Page 127 and 128: 3) Issues Need to be ConnectedThe f
Page 129 and 130: PART V:Glossary of TermsThe terms d
Page 131 and 132: Regional and neighborhood equity. A
Page 133 and 134: Tijuana River Reserve, California:h
Page 135 and 136: Sargent Shriver National Center on
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1500 San Remo Avenue • Suite 249
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