COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

Since 1979, BEDC has assisted in the creation and/or expansion of more than 100 merchant associations, local development organizations, and business improvement districts, providing on-going technical assistance and support to neighborhood-based organizations throughout Brooklyn. In 2006, with funding from the NYC Department of Small Business Services, the New York City Council, and the US Economic Development Administration, we formalized these services into a specific program called Re-NEW Brooklyn, which seeks to empower local stakeholders to revitalize their commercial corridors with streetscape improvements, business attraction, and support for existing businesses.

Re-NEW Brooklyn Activities and Programs:

Consultation and Outreach: We provide free in-depth consulting and outreach services to local organizations on a variety of issues, from community organizing to commercial real estate. For example, BEDC can provide data and survey instruments for Neighborhood Market Studies and assist with Business Attraction efforts by helping to outreach to desired businesses. Through our sub-contracts with the Lawyers Alliance for New York and the Volunteer Consulting Group, we are also able to assist organizations with technical legal issues (including incorporation as a nonprofit) and with board development and diversification.

Workshops: We sponsor a variety of workshops to address the needs of Brooklyn nonprofits performing commercial revitalization. Workshops include website development, merchant association best practices, excel training, fundraising strategies, strategic planning, storefront improvement, board development, business ventures, and more.

Supplementary Services: We offer the following supplementary services free of charge: GIS mapping, updated demographic information, and property ownership data. We also act as a conduit to the wealth of nonprofit resources that exist in New York City, advising Brooklyn nonprofits on how and where to access other resources.

Direct Capacity-Building Programs:

The BEDC Online Community: We have created an interactive web-based platform that allows NYC nonprofits engaged in commercial revitalization to share information, collaborate on projects, and promote the field of commercial revitalization to a wider audience. It is located at www.revitalizenyc.com.

LDC Planning Partnership and Neighborhood Internship Program: We recruit and match local graduate students with Brooklyn community organizations to conduct studies, develop programs, and envision plans for neighborhood improvements.

Community Economic Development Council (CEDC): Formed by BEDC seven years ago, the CEDC is a network of more than 200 Brooklyn organizations, elected officials, and community boards engaged in community development. The CEDC consists of quarterly meetings with guest speakers and presentations, as well as an e-mail listserv to which all members can post information about trainings, events, job openings, and questions. Links to the websites of all CEDC members are also posted at www.bedc.org/cedc.

Funding Sources:

New York City Department of Small Business Services