On a street in Dover, Delaware, where drug deals once took place midday in plain view, students are now serving ice cream. Mint chocolate chip. Cookie dough. Confetti cotton candy. Kids request their flavors and sit with grandparents at The Scoop on Loockerman, a new shop that provides both dessert and community change.  

Comprehensive community development is an approach to creating places of opportunity for all. It is community-driven and data-driven, with a spotlight on equity and seeking out the voices of residents Elizabeth Druback Celaya smiles at the camera.throughout planning and implementation. And it’s one of NeighborWorks America’s guiding principles, embedded in the organization’s strategic plan.

Philanthropy is increasingly tasked with solving complex community challenges like the need for more affordable homes, equitable access to economic opportunity and stronger mental and physical healthcare services. As these issues become more urgent, how can grantmakers help communities drive actionable change? 

NeighborWorks America's real estate convening marked the first chance that more than 160 staff from across the NeighborWorks network have had to be together in four years. In the days since, conversations started during the convening have continued and will continue throughout the year.
 

Ground breaking on changes to the Umeya Rice FactoryIn mid-May, demolition began on the Umeya Rice Cake Factory, known for making sweet Japanese rice crackers in California's Little Tokyo. The family-owned business has been a mainstay in Los Angeles – interrupted when President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, which placed Japanese families like the Hamano family in internment camps during World War II.

Ground breaking on changes to the Umeya Rice FactoryIn mid-May, demolition began on the Umeya Rice Cake Factory, known for making sweet Japanese rice crackers in California's Little Tokyo. The family-owned business has been a mainstay in Los Angeles – interrupted when President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, which placed Japanese families like the Hamano family in internment camps during World War II.

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