Community Development Services

Community Development Services accompanies and assists ELCA congregations, social ministry organizations, and grassroots community-based nonprofits that address poverty and social justice issues.  Services include assessments, consultation, and discretionary grants funded by the ELCA World Hunger Program.

Community Development Services is a program within the Poverty and Justice Ministries Department of the ELCA's Congregational and Synodical Mission Program Unit.

What we do:

• Assessment
  Community Development Services works with ministries to conduct SWOT analysis and asset-mapping. It provides program and resource assessments to determine the appropriate type of services or financial support that Community Development Services may provide to an organization, such as for relief, development, community organizing, or sustainable development.
   
• Consultation
  Community Development Services provides consultation and technical assistance to new and established poverty ministries within the ELCA. It provides advice on strategic planning, creating nonprofit and for-profit program initiatives, board development, leadership development, grant writing training, etc.
   
• Building Capacity for Sustainable Social Programs
  Building Capacity for Sustainable Social Programs is a three-module training curriculum sponsored by ELCA Community Development Services. The purpose for this program is to prepare ELCA congregations and social ministry organizations to manage faith-based, vibrant and healthy social ministry programs.
   
• Domestic Hunger Grants
  The Domestic Hunger Grants Program provides discretionary grants to organizations for projects that address hunger and poverty in urban and rural communities. These grants are provided by the ELCA World Hunger Program. Through the discretionary grants program, funds are allocated for five general purposes:

1. Relief
   Providing immediate access to food, shelter, clothing, medical care and supplies, and the means to deliver and sustain these—such as transportation, storage, and supplies—so that peoples' basic needs are met.
    
2. Sustainable development
   Leading to increased access to food and sustainable livelihoods through sustainable agriculture, appropriate technology, adequate housing, jobs, primary health care and disease prevention, job training, child care, elder care, nutrition education, literacy training, sanitation, safe water, and just land use and distribution.
    
3. Community organizing
   Bringing together men and women with common values, complementary interests, and shared concerns to build and maintain an environment that empowers all persons to obtain justice, affirm their dignity, and gain access to the goods of the earth. Ideally, community organizing is congregation-based and helps overcome the irresponsible use of economic, social, and political power.
    
4. Education
   Education is the tool ELCA World Hunger uses to help raise the church’s awareness of the root causes of and solutions to global hunger and poverty. Our education programs and resources engage ELCA members, congregations, synods, affiliated ministries and ecumenical partners and invite them to respond in concrete ways.
    
5. Advocacy
   ADVOCACY is how the ELCA works to overcome the effects and root causes of hunger and poverty through administrative, legislative, and judicial actions in the public sphere, as well as through corporate actions in the private sphere.

• Developmental Loan Fund
  The program provides low-interest loans to underserved communities seeking self-sufficiency as they work to develop affordable housing, community-controlled businesses, micro-enterprise, and community economic systems.
  

For more information, contact:
Joe Young
Program Director for Community Development Services
ELCA Congregational and Synodical Mission
8765 West Higgins Road
Chicago, IL 60631
800/638-3522 ext. 2683