Community Development Week

For the past year and a half, the community economic development field has faced unprecedented challenges with the emergence of COVID-19. Now as the District turns to recovery, we face a new challenge.

Now is the time for nonprofits, community groups, small businesses, philanthropy, anchor institutions, the DC Government and others to come together, so that we can ensure the District not only recovers but that we’re committed to an equitable recovery, focusing on the under-resourced families, communities, and businesses who were hardest-hit by the pandemic and face the biggest hurdles to finding stability once again.

This year, we’d like to leverage our annual Community Development Week as an opportunity for thought leadership, collaboration, and learning. Bringing together local leaders, government officials, organizations, and small businesses who have actively worked toward an inclusive and equitable recovery for the District, continuing to serve DC’s most vulnerable communities and residents.

2021 Calendar of Events

About Community Development Week

The District has a rich spectrum of community development entities including nonprofit and for-profit affordable housing developers, housing counseling and human service agencies, workforce development providers, small business technical assistance providers and associations, community lenders, community development intermediaries and government agencies that have made tremendous contributions to providing resources to low-moderate income communities and increasing economic vitality of the District.

CNHED represents this infrastructure of community development and we are honored to set aside the 2nd week of October each year as Community Development Week to draw attention to their efforts and celebrate their accomplishments.

The week’s activities will illuminate the community development field’s role in creating and preserving affordable housing; assisting the creation, health and expansion of small business; creating and financing community economic development projects; energizing commercial corridors; and creating opportunities to reap increased income and improved quality of life. Community Development week includes a series of coordinated activities across the span of CNHED members as well as with our government partners and supporters.

Bob Pohlman Lifetime Achievement Award

In 2018, CNHED created the “Bob Pohlman Lifetime Achievement in Community Development Award” in honor of CNHED’s Executive Director from 2000–2014. This award is awarded annually during our Community Development Week to an outstanding local leader with at least 20 years of consistent service and leadership in the District of Columbia’s community development field.

Learn More

Thank you to our Sponsors

By sponsoring DC Community Development Week you demonstrate your support of a proven leader in addressing the issues of housing affordability and neighborhood-based economic development in the District.

Your support is critical. Not only will your contribution enable CNHED to coordinate an excellent DC Community Development Week and 20th Anniversary Celebration, but ultimately, you enable CNHED to continue to:

Spearhead systems change throughout the community economic development sector in DC
Educate our public officials to sustain and increase local appropriations for critical community development programs
Inform, educate, and build the capacity of our members, partners, and allies
Facilitate racially equitable policy and programmatic improvements
Bolster the political will to create a District where all residents are part of thriving, livable communities that are socially, racially, and economically just

Thank You to our 2021 Sponsors

Community Development Week

About Community Development Week

CNHED represents this infrastructure of community development and we are honored to set aside the 2nd week of October each year as Community Development Week to draw attention to their efforts and celebrate their accomplishments.

Bob Pohlman Lifetime Achievement Award

Thank you to our Sponsors

Spearhead systems change throughout the community economic development sector in DC

Educate our public officials to sustain and increase local appropriations for critical community development programs

Inform, educate, and build the capacity of our members, partners, and allies

Facilitate racially equitable policy and programmatic improvements

Bolster the political will to create a District where all residents are part of thriving, livable communities that are socially, racially, and economically just