More than 300 people gathered at the NeighborWorks Training Institute this month for "It Takes a Village: Achieving Black Wealth and Economic Prosperity," part of a symposia series with a focus on advancing equity for people of color.

Since 2017, with generous support from the Kresge Foundation, NeighborWorks America has strategically invested in creative community development within its network of nearly 250 nonprofits. 

NeighborWorks America was built on a foundation of equity, inclusion, integrity and service. This month, the national nonprofit has named two individuals as the 2023 recipients of the NeighborWorks Founders Award, presented to those who embody NeighborWorks' core values and whose lasting contributions shaped both NeighborWorks and its network: Rev. Norman Fong and Donald R. Phoenix.

During National Arts and Humanities Month, NeighborWorks America offers another look at what organizations do to incorporate arts in their communities.

For J'Tanya Adams, resident leadership is the key to unlocking possibilities. "Projects have to be community driven," explains Adams, who started Historic West End Partners, a nonprofit that focuses on economic and cultural development in Charlotte, North Carolina's West End. "Community leaders can recognize community needs and identify pain points and potential wins.

For decades, the Mission District in San Francisco has been a hub for working-class Latino immigrants. As immigrants from other places arrived, too, the district maintained its Latino centricity  with a supportive, vibrant ecosystem. Then, gentrification, arm in arm with the tech industry, began to change the neighborhood – both the people who could afford to live there and the businesses they frequented.