This year's retreats are for members only. Nonmembers can join us at a retreat's coinciding happy hour after the main agenda or as a "plus one" with a member organization.

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Community development corporations are doing essential work in LMI communities every day, often utilizing creative funding sources and place-based strategies. As the community development landscape continues to change, it's becoming clear that having a variety of steady funding sources and sharing information with one another is key to sustaining and growing our work. 

As we look ahead to the 2027 state budget process, we've invited legislators to join a roundtable portion of our retreats to listen and learn. They'll be there to hear from you to better understand what community development work actually looks like on the ground, how it's funded, and what kind of difference these investments make over time. It's a chance to build real relationships and a deeper mutual understanding in a relaxed, low-pressure setting.

During this part of the retreat, legislators will take a few minutes to introduce themselves, sharing which committees they sit on, what perspectives they bring to their work, and which communities they represent. This conversation is meant to help everyone get to know each other and build connections. It's not a time for lobbying or making specific policy asks - just an open, genuine exchange.

OCDCA will open our time together by grounding us in: 

• The importance of expanding and stabilizing funding for CDCs 

• Current and past association engagement, including efforts to preserve the Ohio Housing Trust Fund (OHTF) and support programs like Welcome Home Ohio (WHO) 

• The broader funding ecosystem impacting community development work ​

This retreat is about strategically facilitating working relationships and information sharing between legislators and experts in the community development field by articulating: 

• What community development funding makes possible 

• How organizations are leveraging resources like OHTF 

• Where funding processes create challenges or delays 

• What long-term impact actually looks like on the ground ​

This is a structured storytelling space — not an advocacy day. ​

Northwest 

Date: Wednesday, May 6th
Time: Roundtable 2-3:45pm, Happy Hour 3:45-4:45pm
​Location: Port Clinton Yacht Club, Port Clinton
Happy Hour: Same Location 
View the Invite Flyer

RSVP

Northeast - Elyria

Date: Thursday, June 4th
Time: Roundtable 2-4pm, Tour/Happy Hour 4-5:30pm
​Location: Foundry Kitchen and Bar, Elyria 
​Happy Hour/Tour: Same location 
View the Invite Flyer
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RSVP

Southeast

Date: Monday, May 11th
Time: Roundtable 2-4pm, Happy Hour 4-5pm
​Location: Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development, Athens 
​Happy Hour: Jackie O's, Athens
View the Invite Flyer
​

RSVP

Southwest

Date: Monday, June 8th
Time: Roundtable 2-4pm, Culinary Hour 4-5pm
​Location: Gem City Market and Community Kitchen, Dayton 
​Culinary Hour: Same location
View the Invite Flyer

RSVP

​Central

Date: Friday, May 15th
Time: Roundtable 2-4pm, Tour/Happy Hour 4-5:30pm
​Location: St. Stephen's Community House, Columbus
​Tour: Linden neighborhood
View the Invite Flyer

RSVP

Northeast - Warren

Date: Monday, June 15th
Time: Roundtable 2-4pm, Tour/Happy Hour 4-5:30pm
​Location: Wean Foundation, Warren 
Happy Hour: Modern Methods, Warren
View the Invite Flyer
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RSVP

Sponsored by

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 2025 Regional Meetings Recap

Thank you to all who attended and participated in our 2025 Regional Gatherings! View our recaps and photos for each meeting below.

Northwest Regional Meeting, Maumee

Hosts: Maumee Habitat for Humanity, Mobile Meals of Toledo, and Toledo Design Collective 

Attendees took turns sharing their successes in a great success story 'swap' with the whole group. The event concluded with a tour of the Maumee Habitat for Humanity and its ReStore.
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​Attendee count: 22

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Southwest Regional Meeting, Cincinnati

Hosts: HomeBase, Westwood Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation, Westwood Works. 

Participants engaged in a good policy conversation and even suggested starting a regional policy coalition. During the meeting, Westwood Works announced new funding. The gathering concluded with a tour of Westwood and an optional lunch, where 20 attendees stayed to eat and network.
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Attendee count: 35 

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Northeast Regional Meeting, Youngstown

Hosts: Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, The Well, Canton for All People, Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership 

Glenwood Grounds generously provided free refreshments, while Canton for All People, Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership, and The Well brought an assortment of food. YNDC led a very in-depth tour of the Glenwood Corridor during the latter half of the gathering.
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Attendee count: 25

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Northeast Regional Meeting, Cleveland

Hosts: Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development, El Centro de Servicios Sociales, LakewoodAlive 

Nordson Corporation sponsored vouchers for vendors at CentroVilla25. Representatives from the Cleveland Foundation, Nord Family Foundation, and George Gund Foundation joined a 45-minute panel to discuss the current funding landscape and how they can support CDCs. The gathering concluded with a tour of CentroVilla25, where participants saw the Microbusiness Development Program in action.
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Attendee count: 66

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Southeast Regional Meeting, Marietta

Hosts: Buckeye Hills Regional Council, ACEnet 

OCDCA delivered a more informative presentation at this meeting, focusing on how organizations that don’t identify as CDCs still fit within the membership. The host organizations gave strong presentations, highlighting why they chose to remain part of OCDCA and how they’ve benefited from membership. Many organizations also reported conducting their own advocacy work.

Attendee count: 26

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Central Regional Meeting, Columbus

Hosts: Columbus Empowerment, Central Community House 
​
Members engaged enthusiastically, especially during the policy discussion, and many financial partners joined the conversation. During the second half of the meeting, the host organizations led a bus tour of East Columbus, highlighting the community’s rich history. Attendees stayed two hours past the scheduled time to network over lunch.
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Attendee count: 28

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Southwest Regional Meeting, Yellow Springs

Hosts: YSH Inc, Hall Hunger Initiative, Agraria Regenerative Practices  

The meeting felt incredibly celebratory following the OHTF win. Host organizations led two tours: one of Agraria Farm and another of YSH Inc.’s new development, The Cascades Phase 1. We purchased food from a local restaurant, MAZU, and attendees stayed three hours afterward for a networking happy hour.

Attendees: 23

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