The Community Development Project (CDP) of the Urban Justice Center formed in September 2001 to provide legal, technical, research and policy assistance to grassroots community groups engaged in a wide range of community development efforts throughout New York City. Our work is informed by the belief that real and lasting change in low-income, urban neighborhoods is often rooted in the empowerment of grassroots, community institutions.

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Community Development Quarterly.

Our Services

Litigation

CDP's attorneys work with grassroots organizations to develop litigation that arises out of the issues facing the groups' low-income constituents and members, and supports their organizing efforts around these issues. For more information and examples of how CDP uses litigation to strengthen grassroots organizing in NYC, click here.

Research and Policy

CDP's Research and Policy work helps grassroots organizations develop, design and implement participatory research initiatives to support and strengthen their organizing and advocacy work. For more information on Research and Policy and how it has helped community groups throughout NYC, click here.

General Counsel and Transactional Legal Services

CDP's attorneys offer legal advice and assistance to grassroots organizations in a variety of areas, including incorporation and tax exemption, complying with non-profit, employment and tax laws, and real estate and lease issues. For more detailed information and examples of CDP's general counsel and transactional work, click here.

Technical and Capacity Building Assistance

CDP's technical assistance work offers grassroots community groups training and assistance related to their formation and operation as not-for-profit entities. The goals of such efforts are to build these groups' capacity for effective organizational management and support their organizing and advocacy efforts in the communities they serve. For more information and examples of CDP's technical assistance work, click here.

The Issue Areas in Which We Work

CDP works with dozens of community-based organizations throughout New York City that are engaged in organizing and advocacy work on behalf of low-income communities, particularly communities of color. While we partner with groups working on a wide range of issues, most of our work falls into one of these general categories:

• Affordable Housing and Tenant Organizing
• Workers' Rights
• Immigrants' Rights
• Sustainable Economic Development and Access to Financial Institutions
• Education
• Civil Rights
• Environmental Justice
• Consumer Rights

Our Philosophy

Historically, urban, low-income communities - primarily communities of color - in the United States have been left out of the economic mainstream and, because of a fundamental and structural lack of resources, are often underserved in areas critical to quality of life and human development. At CDP, we believe that real change in low-income neighborhoods to overcome these factors can only come from empowering grassroots, community institutions.

As evidenced by the range of issue areas in which we work, our definition of community development is broad, and relies heavily on the priorities and commitments of the groups we assist. We count on these groups to inform us of their communities' needs and those issues that are critical to their residents' daily lives.

Through our work in partnership with community institutions, we strive to enhance community groups' ability to organize their constituents, advocate for change, and improve social and economic conditions in their neighborhoods.