Racial segregation, major public investments and increased real estate values are just some of the factors that have contributed to housing and neighborhood development inequities for low-income communities of color.

The National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB) is looking to address the pressing needs of those communities with its announcement that it will provide $420,000 in grant funding to 12 nonprofit organizations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

Each of the nonprofits are focused on the task of developing or implementing local neighborhood development action plans that ensure equity and housing solutions for low- and moderate-income residents.

The organizations will receive one of two grants — a $40,000 planning grant, which goes to organizations looking to create an equitable neighborhood development plan or a $25,000 implementation grant, which goes to an organization that is looking for support toward an existing plan. 

The planning grant recipients are Empower Evergreen (Wichita, KS); Fifth Avenue Committee, Inc. (Brooklyn, NY); Foundation for Puerto Rico (San Juan, PR); Fundación Bucarabón (Maricao, PR); Growing Together (Tulsa, OK); Long Beach Residents Empowered (Long Beach, CA); Norris Square Community Alliance (Philadelphia, PA); Southern Dallas Progress Community Development (Dallas, TX).

The implementation grant recipients are The Allapattah Collaborative CDC (Miami, FL); Franklin Neighborhood Development Corporation (Sacramento, CA); Project Vida Community Development Corporation (El Paso, TX); and WE STAY/Nos Quedamos, Inc. (Bronx, NY).

The new funding is supported by JPMorgan Chase, and is part of NALCAB’s Advancing Equitable Neighborhood Development Grant Program and will allow those organizations to create or preserve affordable housing and approach other development opportunities within their respective markets. 

The subgrantees will address the needs of their communities through initiatives such as community organizing and education, direct investment in land and property for affordable housing, influencing policy and engaging policymakers, and more. 

Marla Bilonick, NALCAB President and CEO, noted that the impact of the funding “goes beyond a one-time improvement.”

“By addressing critical issues that threaten the preservation of affordable housing and long-time commercial corridors today, NALCAB member organizations are paving the way for Latino families and businesses to thrive economically for generations to come,” added Bilonick.

Since 2018, NALCAB has been able to mobilize more than $1.04 million in grants to help further equitable development in low-income communities.

This goal is to prevent displacement, preserve assets, create more job opportunities, build affordable housing, and more, Bilonick said. 

In addition to helping change patterns of racial segregation, NALCAB will also work with the organizations to analyze local trends, anticipate their impacts on low- and moderate-income communities, and build the organizations’ capacities to develop tools, strategies and policies that support their communities. 

This support is part of JPMorgan Chase’s five-year, $30 Billion Racial Equity Commitment to advance economic growth and inclusion for Black, Hispanic and Latino communities. 

“Affordable housing and homeownership are key factors in providing family stability and building generational wealth, but are out of reach for far too many people,” said Mercedeh Mortazavi, Vice President of Neighborhood Development at JPMorgan Chase, in a statement.

The goal is to advance the development of housing solutions for those who are facing barriers to housing affordability, stability and homeownership.