Grassroots Retreat News & Updates

Today the 2007-2008 State Budget takes effect. And today, a record $1.4 million is available to the certified community development corporations(CDCs) of South Carolina. On Friday, June 29th, the State Legislature finalized the annual spending plan for the coming year by voting on Governor Mark Sanford’s vetoes to the State Budget. The state lawmakers and Governor Sanford all agreed to include $1 million in recurring money for CDCs through the S.C. Department of Commerce. But during budget negotiations, the lawmakers included an additional $400,000 in one-time money for CDCs. This was done due to a strong educational effort by the S.C. Association of Community Development Corporations and our member organizations. On June 27th, Governor Sanford vetoed the additional $400,000, but on Friday, June 29th the House and Senate overrode the Governor’s veto.

The $1.4 million included in the 07-08 state budget represents the second year the State Legislature appropriated funds for CDCs. In the 2006-07 Budget, state lawmakers provided the first $1 million of $5 million appropriation authorized under the South Carolina Community Economic Development Act of 2000. This piece of legislation authorized the state to provide $10 million in grants, loans and tax credits to certified CDCs in South Carolina. The $5 million in tax credits were available immediately upon the signing of the bill by Governor Jim Hodges. This year’s appropriation is the second investment authorized under the law.

Community development corporations (CDCs) are local non-profit community groups organized to fight poverty and build wealth in low-wealth neighborhoods throughout South Carolina. These tax exempt corporations fulfill their mission through the development of affordable housing, small business development, job creation, access to affordable capital, and human development. The South Carolina Association of Community Development Corporation’s (SCACDC’s) mission is to raise the quality of life for low-wealth families and communities by advancing the community economic development industry in South Carolina. SCACDC achieves its mission through the capacity building of local community development corporations through the provision of grassroots leadership development, access to capital, advocacy, and technical assistance.

The State Department of Commerce, in partnership with SCACDC conducted 2 grant rounds with the first $1 million, with a total amount requested by CDCs being over $2 million by 19 certified CDCs. Projects seeking funding included a supermarket development, affordable housing for homeownership, and an entrepreneurial loan fund, just to name a few. To date, CDCs in South Carolina are attributed to impacting local economies by over $40 million.

We want to thank Speaker of the House Robert Harrell, House Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Dan Cooper, Senate Finance Chairman Senator Hugh Leatherman, Sen. Phil Leventis, Sen. John Land, Sen. Yancey McGill, Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Rep. Leon Howard, Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, Sen. John Matthews, and the entire S.C. Legislative Black Caucus, as well as Governor Mark Sanford for this historic endorsement of the community development corporations of South Carolina.

SCACDC is Building Wealth…One Community at a Time.

On February 1, 2007, The S.C. Association of Community Development Corporations (SCACDC) presented our 2007 Public Policy Agenda to Governor Sanford and the S.C. General Assembly in Columbia. The Agenda includes strategies to help working poor families receive tax credit refunds, strategies to increase opportunities for new entrepreneurs to find capital, as well as laws to protect the income and assets of the working poor in South Carolina.

The SCACDC believes that poverty is a result of systemic forces rather than individual lifestyle choices. Thus, our mission is to address not only the symptoms of poverty but also its root causes. We do this by advancing the state community economic development industry. In order to raise the level of economic development in distressed communities in South Carolina, SCACDC seeks to develop systems that support the economic development work of local non-profit development corporations. We also recognize the need for a comprehensive strategy to reduce poverty and grow wealth among cash-poor families and communities.

The S.C. Association of CDCs is building off of a major legislative victory in 2006, when the State Legislature and Governor Sanford appropriated the first $1 million of $5 million promised in the S.C. Community Economic Development Act of 2000. The first offering of grants from the $1 million CED Fund in 2006 drew requests totaling $1.7 million. Additionally, according to data collected from CDCs in South Carolina, the gap in capital to finance community economic development projects exceeds $30 million. To help meet this capital gap, the South Carolina Association of CDCs is seeking an additional $4 million in funding from the S.C. General Assembly to leverage the grants from the CED Fund and provide micro-credit and establish micro-financial institutions (MFIs) to help capitalize meritorious projects in communities.

In addition to the continued funding for CDCs, the SCACDC will advocate for the establishment of a state earned income tax credit (EITC) that rewards work. The South Carolina Earned Income Tax Credit would allow a refundable state individual income tax credit equal to 10% of the federal earned income tax credit and annually increase the amount of the credit in increments of 2-1/2% until the credit equals 20%. In 2005, over 430,000 individuals received the federal EITC, pumping over $500 million into the State’s economy. It is projected that a state EITC will providing working families with an additional $100 million.

“Although tremendous progress has been made in the past few years, to include over 400 units o affordable housing, over 100 jobs created, and over $40 million added to the tax base of local communities, but poverty data reminds us that our dream of the Beloved Community is still unfulfilled. The South Carolina Association of Community Development Corporation (SCACDC) is placing our self in the heart of the economic justice struggle by creating solutions to reduce poverty through empowerment,” says Bernie Mazyck, President and CEO of the South Carolina Association of CDCs.

If you wish to view and download SCACDC’s 2007 Public Policy Agenda, click on the Grassroots tab.

The South Carolina Association of CDCs (SCACDC) is coming off a very successful policy year where the South Carolina General Assembly appropriated the first $1 million of $ 5 million authorized in the S.C. CED Act of 2000. Additionally, for the first time the S.C. Department of Commerce earmarked a portion of their Rural Infrastructure Funds for certified CDCs. But our work has only begun and we need you to continue the work.

SCACDC will host our 2007 Legislative Policy Agenda Meeting, Wednesday, November 15, 2006, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at White Oak Conference Center, 633 Mobley Highway, Winnsboro, South Carolina.

Regional and national partners will be present to assist us with our policy issues. Jason Gray, Policy Director for Southern Rural Development Initiative (SRDI) of Raleigh, North Carolina and Ali Solis, National Policy Director for Enterprise Community Partners of Washington, D.C. will join us.

Thanks to a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the intellectual capital of SRDI, SCACDC will unveil a new tool that grassroots leaders and local elected officials can use to identify opportunities to access more federal funds. The Federal Funds Database will be launched in South Carolina during SCACDC’s Public Policy Agenda Meeting. If you want to see how this database can help you, join us on November 15th.

Additionally, the November 7th elections will soon be history and both the S.C. State House and the U.S. Congress will be set for the next 2 years. Ali Solis, National Policy Director for Enterprise Community Partners will be present to share her insight into how South Carolinians can maximize our influence in state and federal policy. This is a meeting you don’t want to miss.

Come help us set an agenda that will help build wealth for your community.

Please RSVP by November 13th to Lisa Christian at lc@scacdc.net
or call (843) 579-9855

Did you attend the 2005 Grassroots Retreat on St. Helena island? Did you miss it, but are interested in the information we discussed? Below, you’ll find the three key presentations from the two-day event.
Continue reading “Second Time Around: 2005 Grassroots Retreat Presentations”