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(Source: https://cdesignc.org/resources)

Predevelopment is the initial planning stage of a real estate development project. The Community Design Collaborative has compiled a list of local resources for technical, design, organizational development, community engagement, and funding assistance during the predevelopment phase. Resources are listed alphabetically and include contact information, area of expertise, and a description of the services each resource provides.

AIA Philadelphia
1218 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-569-3186

Technical Assistance
Advances the influence of architects in shaping the built environment and effectively practicing architecture in an ever-changing society and competitive marketplace. Maintains Find an Architect, an online directory of local architecture firms that can be filtered by specialty.

Arts and Business Council for Greater Philadelphia
200 South Broad Street, Suite 700, Philadelphia, PA 19102
215-790-3620

Technical Assistance
Connects arts and culture nonprofits with volunteer lawyers for legal assistance and volunteer business professionals for consulting or as board and committee members.

Citizens Planning Institute (CPI)
One Parkway Building, 13th Floor
1515 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102-1583
215-683-4640

Community Engagement
Education and outreach arm of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. Offers a seven-week course each spring and fall to introduce Philadelphians, who “love where they live”, to the activities of city planning, zoning and development so they can help shape and preserve their neighborhoods. Also maintains an online Citizens Toolkit, a guide by neighbors for neighbors about how to promote your community, make it safe, clean & green, improve your built environment, develop assets, and get organized.

CHOP Cares Community Fund and Grants Program
3401 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104
267-426-6904

Community Engagement
Funding
Provides grants to CHOP employees for supplies and resources needed to fill a specific health or wellness-related need in communities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Grant projects have addressed child literacy, childhood diabetes education, reproductive health, health screenings, obesity and exercise.

Community Accountants
3721 Midvale Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19129
215-951-0330 Ext. 2125

Technical Assistance
Provides pro bono accounting-related services through volunteers to help nonprofit organizations handle their own financial records and reports effectively. Services include pro bono accounting, fiscal management, seminars and workshops, publications, board placement, Ask-An-Accountant, a free hotline, and referrals.

Community Design Collaborative
1218 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-897-9290

Design Assistance
Community Engagement
Matches volunteer design professionals with nonprofit organizations to provide conceptual design and community engagement to support neighborhood reinvestment. Organizes civic partnerships and interdisciplinary design professionals to address critical community development challenges and opportunities.

Community Legal Services of Philadelphia
1424 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102
215-981-3700

Technical Assistance
Provides legal assistance, as well as up to date information about policies and laws, including organization start-up, incorporation, tax-exempt status, zoning and land use, contracts and leases, real estate, and insurance.

Design Advocacy Group (DAG)

The Philadelphia Building
1315 Walnut Street, Philadelphia PA 19101

Community Engagement
Provides a public forum and advocates for design quality and equity in the planning, architecture, preservation and physical development of Philadelphia. Hosts free monthly meetings that are open to the public, featuring presentations, information sharing and robust discussion on topics related to the urban environment.

Division of Housing and Community Development (DHCD)
1234 Market Street, 17th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-686-9749

Technical Assistance
Funding
Administers housing and community development grant and loan programs; publishes annual Consolidated Plan detailing housing and community development activities receiving federal, state, and local funding.

Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA)
106 Clearfield Street, Philadelphia, PA 19133
215-609-1000

Technical Assistance
Helps people conserve energy and to promote a more sustainable and socially equitable energy future for the Philadelphia region. Provides weatherization services, energy education workshops, green job training, and repairs and replaces heating systems.

The Enterprise Center (TEC)
4548 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19139
215-895-4000

Funding
Organizational Development
Provides access to capital, building capacity, business education and economic development opportunities to high-potential, minority entrepreneurs. Seeks to better position minority enterprises to compete in the local, regional, and global economies through TEC’s portfolio of business acceleration initiatives.

Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic
University of Pennsylvania Law School
Gittis Center for Clinical Legal Studies
3501 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-898-8044

Technical Assistance
Offers free legal assistance to nonprofit organizations and small businesses. Services provided by senior law students in pre-venture counseling to co-founders; entity selection counseling; assistance strategizing, negotiating, drafting, and reviewing agreements; employee management advice; commercial real estate development advice; intellectual property counseling; non-profit advice.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Regional Office
1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-819-5122

Funding
Offers grants and grant assistance programs. Focused on brownfields, watersheds, hazardous waste, and land revitalization.

Fairmount Park Conservancy
1617 JFK Boulevard, Suite 1670, Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-988-9334

Technical Assistance
Works as a collaborative partner to lead and support efforts which preserve and improve the Fairmount Park system, including capital projects, neighborhood park stewardship and programming.

The Food Trust
One Penn Center, Suite 900
1617 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-575-0444

Technical Assistance
Works to improve the health of children and adults, promote good nutrition, increase access to nutritious foods, and advocate for better public policy.

Green Building United
2401 Walnut Street, Suite 103, Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-399-5790

Technical Assistance
Works on education, advocacy, and strategic initiatives to promote sustainable and environmentally responsible planning, design, and construction.

Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia
1829 North 19th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19121
215-765-6000

Technical Assistance
Funding
Offers homeownership, home repair, and homebuyer assistance programs.

Hamer Center for Community Design
105 Stuckeman Family Building, University Park, PA 16802
814-865-5300

Design Assistance
Promotes public interest art, architecture, and design by supporting collaborative research projects, facilitating dialogue between the academic and practitioner communities, and recognizing excellence in planning and design for municipalities and non-profit organizations in central Pennsylvania.

Keep Philadelphia Beautiful
230 South Broad Street, 17th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-854-4000

Funding
Community Engagement
Committed to a cleaner and greener Philadelphia through community microgrants, training, cleanups, and other resources for recycling and greening opportunities in Philadelphia.

Leadership Philadelphia
123 South Broad Street, Suite 2044, Philadelphia, PA 19109
215-893-9999

Organizational Development
Community Engagement
Trains and places talented leaders from the private sector who are interested in serving on nonprofit boards. Resource for obtaining new board members.

Local Initiatives Support Corporation Philadelphia (LISC Philadelphia)
The Cast Iron Building
718 Arch Street, Suite 500S, Philadelphia, PA 19106
215-923-3801

Technical Assistance
Funding
Provides technical assistance, operating funds, and training to community development corporations engaged in residential development and commercial corridor redevelopment.

Mayor’s Office of Sustainability
1515 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102
215-686-3495

Technical Assistance
Works with partners around the city to implement Greenworks Philadelphia, the City’s comprehensive sustainability plan.

The Merchants Fund
1528 Walnut Street, Suite 1004, Philadelphia, PA 19102
215-339-1339

Funding
Offers grants to small businesses throughout Philadelphia for business stabilization and loan matching.

Mural Arts Program
1727-29 Mount Vernon Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130
215-685-0750

Design Assistance
Creates community-driven murals across Philadelphia, with programs in Art Education, Restorative Justice, and Porch Light, an art-making program for community and individual healing.

NetworkArts
P.O. Box 4066, Philadelphia, PA 19118
215-592-1990

Design Assistance
Uses mosaics as a language of learning and as a tool to help children value themselves and their communities.

New Beginnings Nonprofit Incubator
Resources for Human Development
4700 Wissahickon Avenue, Suite 126, Philadelphia, PA 19144
215-951-0300

Organizational Development
Provides small and startup nonprofit programs with the support and resources they need to build their capacity and effectiveness.

The Nonprofit Center at LaSalle
1900 West Olney Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19141
215-951-1701

Organizational Development
Provides leadership development for board members and executive directors; education and training programs in administration, fundraising, human resources, financial management, strategic planning, evaluation, marketing and more; expert consulting or special projects, challenges, new directions or planning processes.

The Nonprofit Finance Fund
1528 Walnut Street, Suite 310, Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-546-9426

Technical Assistance
Funding
Offers as financial management advice and consulting plus loans and other financing to help nonprofits and social enterprises expand opportunities in low- and middle-income communities.

Partners for Sacred Places
1700 Sansom Street, 10th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-567-3234

Technical Assistance
Funding
Focuses on building the capacity of congregations of historic sacred places to better serve their communities as anchor institutions, nurturing transformation, and shaping vibrant, creative communities. Provides training, workshops, publications, and funding to help congregations and their communities sustain and actively use older and historic sacred places.

Penn Praxis
410 Duhring Wing, Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-573-8720

Design Assistance
Supports design action and thought leadership to advance inclusion, innovation, and impact in communities that design doesn’t typically serve. Enables faculty and student collaboration at PennDesign. Building a larger, broader constituency for preservation in Philadelphia through its Neighborhood Preservation Toolkit.

Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC)
Southeast Regional Office
1315 Walnut Street, Suite 532, Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-545-4570

Technical Assistance
Funding
Protects and restores natural and built environments with programs in energy & climate, trails & recreation, and watersheds.

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS)
100 North 20th Street, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-988-8800

Technical Assistance
Design Assistance
Strengthens communities through horticulture by increasing access to fresh food, creating healthy living environments, building deeper social connections, and growing economic opportunity. Programs include City Harvest, Public Landscapes, Tree Tenders, Green City Teachers, Community Gardens, and Land Care.

Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission
State Museum Building
300 North Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120
717-787-3362

Technical Assistance
Funding
Provides technical assistance for historic preservation, grants for nonprofits and local governments, and tax credits for owners of certified historic buildings in income producing use.

Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA)
Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency
P.O. Box 8029, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17105
717-780-3911

Funding
Provides capital for affordable homes and apartments. Enhances the quality and supply of affordable homes and apartments for older adults, persons of modest means, and persons with disabilities through homeownership programs, rental housing development initiatives, and a foreclosure prevention effort.

Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations (PACDC)
1315 Walnut Street, Suite 1600, Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-732-5829

Technical Assistance
Organizational Development
Works to create an equitable city where every Philadelphian lives, works, and thrives in a neighborhood that offers an excellent quality of life. Fosters strong community development corporations and nonprofit community organizations by enhancing their skills and advocating for resources and policies to create a just and inclusive Philadelphia.

Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC)
1515 Arch Street, 13th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102
215-683-4615

Technical Assistance
Develops the comprehensive plan for managing growth and development in the City of Philadelphia, District Plans, and specialized plans such as the Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan. Leads an interdepartmental effort to prepare the City’s Capital Program. Reviews proposed real estate development, including Civic Design Review for major projects. Maintains a list of Registered Community Organizations (RCO) to improve community notification of proposed developments.

Philadelphia Department of Commerce
1515 Arch Street, 12th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102
215-683-2100

Technical Assistance
Funding
Works with organizations, large and small, to make the city an attractive place to do business. Offers support through access to financing and improvement programs, assistance from location-based business service managers, projects to improve the city’s commercial corridors, efforts to ensure that minority, women, and disabled-owned businesses can succeed, resources for companies to launch and grow in Philadelphia, and workforce development to prepare residents for careers in family-sustaining jobs.

Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC)
1500 Market Street, Suite 2600 West, Philadelphia, PA 19102
215-496-8020

Technical Assistance
Funding
Spur investment, supports business growth, and fosters developments that create jobs, revitalizes neighborhoods, and drives growth to every corner of the city as Philadelphia’s public-private economic development corporation. Provides resources and expertise to help invest, develop, and grow.

Philadelphia Land Bank
1234 Market Street, 16th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-448-3040

Technical Assistance
Combats blight by reactivating publicly owned properties and returning vacant and tax-delinquent properties to productive use. Manages the process for transferring properties from public agencies to private owners. Also acquires privately owned vacant parcels that are roadblocks to revitalization and clears liens from titles to make properties more attractive to potential new owners. Individuals can acquire selected land bank properties for side yards and gardens. All other land bank properties are sold via competitive sales or requests for proposal.

Philadelphia Law Works
1500 Walnut Street, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19102
215-523-9550

Technical Assistance
Provides free legal assistance to nonprofits, small businesses and homeowners.

Philadelphia Parks and Recreation
1515 Arch Street, 10th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102

Technical Assistance
Funding
Manages an equitable and exceptional parks and recreation system that connects people to each other, to enriching experiences, and to the natural world. Activates and stewards those treasures with programs and services that contribute to the wellness and prosperity of all. Improves Philly’s parks, libraries, and recreation centers through the Rebuild Philadelphia initiative.

Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority (PRA)
1234 Market Street, 16th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-854-6500

Technical Assistance
Funding
Implements community development as a partner agency with the Department of Planning and Development. Focuses on investing in equitable communities and building public-private partnerships to promote social impact. Partners with the Philadelphia Land Bank to redevelop the public inventory of land and vacant structures. Promotes community engagement in its projects by working closely with the Philadelphia City Planning Commission.

Philadelphia Water Department (PWD)
ARAMARK Tower
1101 Market Street, 4th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-685-6300

Technical Assistance
Implements Green City, Clean Waters, Philadelphia’s 25-year plan to transform the health of the City’s creeks and rivers primarily through green stormwater infrastructure projects such as rain gardens and stormwater planters. Offers Stormwater Management Incentive Program(SMIP) grants to design and construct stormwater retrofit projects on non-residential properties in Philadelphia. Offers Rain Check workshops and grants to support the use of stormwater management tools in residential landscape improvement projects.

Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia
1608 Walnut Street, Suite 1300, Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-546-1146

Technical Assistance
Promotes the appreciation, protection, and appropriate use and development of the Philadelphia region’s historic buildings, communities, and landscapes. Shines a spotlight on the places that make the Philadelphia region special and gives a voice and a toolbox to those who care deeply about protecting them for the future through educational outreach, planning efforts, and direct advocacy.

Public Interest Law Center
United Way Building, 2nd Floor
1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-627-7100

Technical Assistance
Uses high-impact legal strategies to advance the civil, social, and economic rights of communities in the Philadelphia region facing discrimination, inequality, and poverty. Practice areas include employment, environmental justice, healthcare, housing, public education, and voting.

Regional Foundation Center
The Free Library of Philadelphia
1901 Vine Street, 2nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-686-5423

Funding
Organizational Development
Houses Philadelphia’s largest publicly accessible collection of print and electronic resources on fundraising, nonprofit management, general philanthropy and institutional advancement.

Regional Housing Legal Services (RHLS)
2 South Easton Road, Glenside, PA 19038
215-572-7300

Technical Assistance
Provides legal services and advocacy for affordable, sustainable housing and its related components — community and economic development, utility matters and preservation of home ownership. Offers innovative project and policy solutions that help create sustainable communities offering decent, safe and affordable housing for lower-income Pennsylvanians.

Temple Small Business Development Center
Beech Building
1510 Cecil B Moore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19121
215-204-7282

Organizational Development
Provide no-cost consulting services to entrepreneurs and small business owners to help identify local markets for your business, provide feedback on a business plan, and clarify compliance issues.

The Reinvestment Fund (TRF)
1700 Market Street, 19th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-574-5800

Funding
Promotes socially and environmentally responsible development through lending programs for homes, schools, businesses, and clean energy as a community development financial institution. Initiatives focus on food, health, early childhood education, clean energy, and arts and culture.

The School District of Philadelphia Office of Grant Development
The School District of Philadelphia
440 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130
215-400-4000

Funding
Organizational Development
Helps nonprofits, school leaders and district office administrators secure grants to enrich our students’ experience. Offers resources such as its Guide to Fundraising & Grantwriting for Schools.

The Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia (SBN)
1617 JFK Boulevard, Suite 1855, Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-922-7400

Technical Assistance
Builds a socially, environmentally and financially sustainable economy as a membership organization for sustainable business owners. Provides readings, case studies, and a community network for sustainable businesses.

TechImpact
417 North 8th Street, Suite 203, Philadelphia, PA 19123
215-557-1559

Technical Assistance
Offers technology services for nonprofits to empower them to better support their communities with solutions that promote productivity. Services include technology assessment and planning, database and data management, web design and outreach, and staff training for nonprofits.

TreeVitalize
PA Horticultural Society
100 North 20th Street, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-988-8795

Technical Assistance
Provides technical assistance and training to help communities plant trees in their neighborhoods and watersheds in order to restore the region’s tree cover.

Trust for Public Land
1608 Walnut Street, Suite 302, Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-240-7710

Technical Assistance
Funding
Design Assistance
Creates green play spaces in neighborhoods that need them most in partnership with public agencies, local communities, and other nonprofits through Parks for People—Philadelphia. Focuses on the transformation of asphalt schoolyards and underutilized recreation centers into vibrant greenspaces for the community to enjoy.

West Philadelphia Financial Services Institution
5200 Warren Street, Philadelphia, PA 19131
215-452-0100

Funding
Organizational Development
Serves as an economic engine to facilitate empowerment and wealth building through investment in communities. Offers loans for business expansion, technical assistance to aspiring and established entrepreneurs, and consumer education.

The William Penn Foundation
2 Logan Square, 11th Floor
100 North 18th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-988-1830

Funding
Offers grants to nonprofit organizations related to fostering learning, protecting watersheds, and cultivating creative communities.

Women’s Business Development Center
1315 Walnut Street, Suite 1116, Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-790-9232

Organizational Development
Offers training and counseling for women looking to start or grow a business in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Southern New Jersey.

Women’s Community Revitalization Project (WCRP)
100 West Oxford Street, E-2300, Philadelphia, PA 19122
215-627-5550

Technical Assistance
Committed to social and economic equity for low income women and their families, WCRP focuses on affordable housing, supportive services, and advocacy.

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