Rents held flat for 5 years
A corridor buys itself back
Nine merchants formed an LLC, purchased two buildings, and stabilized rents for eleven tenants.
Community Wealth
Ownership is what makes economic progress permanent
Income can be interrupted. Ownership compounds. This section covers the property, institutions, and structures that hold value across generations.
Why this section exists
From paychecks to property
Most household wealth in this country is held in homes, businesses, retirement accounts, and land. Every one of those requires a decision, a document, and usually a deadline. We cover each of them in practical detail, and we work directly with communities that are organizing to own more of where they live and work.
Coverage
Fifteen areas of community wealth
Homeownership
Pre-approval, appraisal, insurance, taxes, and what to do after closing.
Property ownership
Titles, deeds, heirs' property, and keeping land in the family.
Community land ownership
Land trusts and cooperative acquisition of neighborhood property.
Real estate development
Site control, entitlements, capital stack, and community benefit.
Business districts
Corridor ownership, tenant mix, and commercial rent stability.
Cooperatives
Worker, consumer, and housing co-ops as shared ownership vehicles.
Community investment
Local funds, investment clubs, and revolving loan pools.
Black banks and credit unions
Where deposits go and how local lending capacity is built.
Local procurement
Getting municipal and institutional dollars to local firms.
Neighborhood revitalization
Investment without displacement.
Workforce development
Apprenticeships, credentials, and employer partnerships.
Estate planning
Wills, deeds, beneficiaries, and transferring what you built.
Intergenerational wealth
Teaching, transferring, and protecting family assets.
Church and nonprofit development
Congregational land, housing, and enterprise.
CDFIs
Mission lenders that finance what banks decline.
Case studies
What worked, and what it took
$18M in new local lending
Deposits into lending
A church network moved $6.2M in operating deposits to a local Black-owned bank.
140 acres retained
Land trust stops a partition sale
A family's 140 acres of heirs' property was consolidated and protected.