Rashad D. Byrdsong, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Community Empowerment Association (CEA), has dreamed of turning the parking lot beside his building into a community gathering and event space for quite some time. Last month, after years of fundraising, Phase I of the project officially began as the crew broke ground. This phase will include demolition and removal of all asphalt and concrete, site grading, building the block to grade, running the electrical and conduits, and paving. The second and final phase of the project is expected to take place in Spring 2025 and will include the site furnishings, such as the stage, planters, benches, signage, trees, lighting, and more!
Once completed, the 10,000 s.f. plaza will be a publicly accessible space that celebrates African American history and culture, further beautifies the physical core of the neighborhood, and serves as a literal and figurative connection point for Homewood.
As a core partner to this project, Neighborhood Allies has directly provided approximately 1,000 hours of technical assistance (TA) Hours to date. This support includes:
- $5,000 worth of in-kind design and storytelling services in support of the conceptual design phase of the project, equaling 56 hours of technical assistance from our Social Impact Design team alone.
- $14,655 in predevelopment funds towards architect and engineer services.
- Dedicated staff time and ongoing, hands-on support assisting CEA staff to apply for vital grants and government funding opportunities.
- Direct project management and construction administration during Phase I.
Our collaborative work on this project and deep partnership with CEA over the past several years has resulted in over $1.6 million dollars leveraged:
- $1,000,000 — Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) Grant: We assisted with acquiring CEA a highly competitive state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant to make improvements to its building and the adjacent community plaza.
- $150,000 — PA Department for Community and Economic Development (DCED) Grant: CEA received a grant invitation to apply for specialized state funding, but it required a very tight turnaround to complete and submit the application. Through this nuanced process, Neighborhood Allies was able to support CEA in applying to and successfully securing the grant!
- $100,000 — Neighborhood Initiatives Fund (NIF) Grant: Through the URA we assisted with acquiring funds for the actual site development of the plaza through the NIF program which prioritizes neighborhood-scale projects and programs to help unlock economic and placemaking potential and support vision-to-action community investment strategies that build an equitable Pittsburgh.
- $355,000 – Avenues of Hope ARPA Grants: We helped CEA to apply for American Rescue Act (ARPA) Grant funds through the URA’s Avenues of Hope Program, which assists with place-based initiatives that stimulate revitalization along historically disinvested commercial corridors within the seven Avenues of Hope communities.
“This is a community-driven initiative that will ultimately allow CEA to scale our organization’s ability to provide social, cultural and educational enrichment services to the broader community, particularly to youth and families. Neighborhood Allies’ support has been foundational in positioning us to secure additional funding to complete this $4 million placemaking project.”
-Rashad D. Byrdsong, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CEA
While we have provided in-depth support to this project over the past several years, we have been a supporter and partner of CEA for even longer! Our past investments include:
- $75,000 in 2014 for CEA’s Strategic Training Employment Program (STEP) to provide construction industry training as well as life skills training to local community residents.
- $10,000 in 2020 for the COVID-19 Emergency Food and Distribution Center. They were also recognized as our 2020 Quality of Life Awardee for their work responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the gifting of a six-minute promotional video about the organization.
- Deep collaboration on The Homewood Experience – a media and branding campaign that we worked on between 2020 and 2021 intended to drive a more positive public image for Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood and to celebrate its history and future as a center for Black culture.
- Sponsorship for their Annual Community Health and Wellness Summit 3 years in a row, totaling $4,000.
- $75,000 in 2021 in the form of a RISE HIGH Grant Partnership Award for their Community Health, Wellness & Healing Center.
