ACANA Community Development Corporation is a culturally diverse neighborhood driver for change. The ACANA-CDC focused is to transform the Southwest Philadelphia community into a vibrant neighborhood through the creation of opportunities and the development of entrepreneurial-ship to improve the quality of life for very low and moderate-income individuals. The CDC’s efforts will complement the Philadelphia Department of Commerce’s support for small business growth and commercial corridor improvement programs. ACANA CDC transformative approach prioritizes Southwest Philadelphia Commercial Corridors through beautification projects, street cleaning, sidewalk litter removal, public space maintenance, and promoting public safety issues.
The agency is currently under contract with the City of Philadelphia Commerce Department TCMP and cleaning programs, which serves to provide a technical support system to small and mid-size businesses. The ACANACDC portfolio provides services to over 612 micro-businesses owners, helping them to increase and make the delivery of goods and services effective. This effort benefits a multitude of low and moderate-income individuals within the community. These activities stimulate economic growth and development, welcome investors, create job opportunities for residents, and allow businesses to boom but most importantly, attract shoppers to Southwest Philadelphia Community.
With Philadelphia Department of Commerce Partnership, Wells Fargo Bank, Home Depot, Gift in Kind International, and other corporate sponsors. ACANA continued to engage in meaningful projects, including rehabilitating abandoned buildings, at the same time creating employment opportunities. The program currently employs seven Cleaning Ambassadors, to carry out daily cleaning maintenance tasks on the corridors. The CDC task areas include Woodland, Elmwood, Baltimore, and Chester Avenues. Over the last five years, the agency has garnered the assistance and collaboration of key stakeholders and community partners in the implementation of various projects and rebranding objectives.
ACANA CDC partners are the 12th District Police, the office of Council-member Kenyatta Johnson, the office of Councilwoman Jamie Gauthier and the Office of State Representative Joanna McClinton. The community partners are, Empowered CDC, Southwest District Service, African and Caribbean Business Council (ACBC), Southwest CDC, Women’s Opportunities and Resource Center (WORC), FINANTA, Community Design Collaborative, PACDC and the Mural Arts of Philadelphia. These partners continued to successfully work together to organize ongoing micro-business events to promote investment capitals, connect business owners to resources and secured funding to promote economic growth and business development. The partnership and collaborations have awarded the total of amount of $850, 000 in loans and grants funding to small business owners on the commercial corridors. Additionally, ACANA working on behalf of small business owners through the Philadelphia Department of Commerce, managed to fund Storefront Improvement Program at a hundred percent free for small business owners. The project helped to improve five storefronts in Southwest totaling $129,400.
ACANA CDC recognizes Philadelphia’s small businesses to be the economic engines for the city, therefore bringing culturally competent knowledge of immigrant business owners to trade and merges to develop CO-OP opportunities could help bridge cultural practices and create vibrant business corridors. The creations of CO-OP among business owners may well lead to job opportunities, increase taxable income to further drive economic, and community development projects throughout the city. ACANA proud itself as a champion and committed partner of the city in these achievements and as a fulfillment of the agency’s duty to the City of Philadelphia and the residents at large.
ACANA CDC- Strategy is grounded in seven principles:
- Creating a welcoming area to stimulate economic and business development growth
- Strengthening a diverse community to co-exist peacefully along the business corridor
- Improving the quality of life in the neighborhood through beautification
- Collaborate from design to operation and provide essential services
- Prioritize community engagement through graphic and musical arts
- Provide technical assistance and links business owners resources
- Foster partnership amongst residents, business owners, stakeholders, and civic organizations
Direct Technical Assistance
The City Targeted Commercial Management Program (TCMP), allow ACANA to provide technical assistance to business owners on the corridors businesses, local community organizations, and residents. It is a concentrated effort to revitalize and bring needed resources to this low and moderate-income community. ACANA coordinate and organized resource events and dissimilate information, collect data and surveys businesses, we conduct workshops, and connect city resources to address the essential needs of individuals and business owners.
ACANA Partnered with community development financial institutions (CDFIs) and other technical assistance providers such as, The Women’s Opportunity Resource Center (WORC), The Enterprise Center, FINANATA, West Philadelphia Financial Services, Philadelphia Score, the Welcoming Center, LSC, KIVA, West Philadelphia Corridor Collaborative, the Beech Companies and Community College of Philadelphia Power Up Your Business.
These institutions help to provide financing for business start-ups, business expansion, working capital, and real estate and business development. The technical support system to assist business owners includes legal assistance, business planning, accounting, tax preparation, storefronts improvement programs(SIP), awning and see-through gate installations, product merchandising and window displays, sales promotions, inventory, and public relation engagements. We provide guidance and educate responsible business owners to observe all City ordinances in conducting business in Philadelphia. Our welcoming strategy to stimulate economic and business development growth covered, the total beautification process in addressing cleanliness and sanitation, zoning issues business data collection to inform our funders. We advocate for equitable business development and growth to improve the quality of life and increase employment opportunities to stimulate healthy economic growth and development in the community.
For information on ACANA-CDC Corridor Revitalization Project: Please contact the program administrator: Musa Trawally at 215-729-8225 extension 103 or mtrawally@acanaus.org.