Program Information

Community development corporations (CDCs) exist to empower and uplift their communities. CDC activities include community economic development, affordable housing, financial empowerment, community engagement, and local food access. Ideally, these organizations would focus all of their time on fulfilling their mission, but instead they must adapt to the new reality of decreased government funding and decreased charitable giving for nonprofit community development organizations. Thus more of their time is spent fundraising rather than pursuing their mission and serving the families in their neighborhood’s footprint. Community development organizations need access to resources that help them create sustainable social enterprises that help them achieve their mission while becoming financially stable

​​The Social Enterprise Incubation Program is an intensive eleven-month program consisting of rigorous training and tailored technical assistance for OCDCA nonprofit members while they create their own social enterprise from start to finish. OCDCA is pleased to partner with Cause Impact for this program.

The program started in December 2021 and concludes with a pitch competition where participating organizations can compete for prizes at the OCDCA Annual Conference in Cincinnati, September 2022. In 2021, $10,000 in cash prizes were awarded.

Congratulations to the four organizations selected to be in the third cohort:
Generation NOW, Cincinnati
Columbus Empowerment Corporation, Columbus
Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance, Akron
LSC Service Corporation & Barton Services Inc., Lakewood
If you have any questions, please contact Suzanne Parks at [email protected] or (614) 461-6392 ex. 206.

Second Cohort, 2020 - 2021:

In the second cohort, OCDCA improved upon our program based on findings from the first cohort. We implemented an interview process at the beginning of the program, along with an application. From there, four organizations are selected and led through ten months of intensive technical assistance.
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This all culminates in a pitch competition, which was held both in-person and virtually at our 2021 Annual Conference in Youngstown on October 6 at the DeYor Performing Arts Center. The participating OCDCA members were Pyramid CDC in Columbus, Rural Action in The Plains, and Youngstown CityScape.

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First Cohort, 2018-2019:

Phase 1: Introduction Workshop
This first training provides an overview of social enterprises, including best practices, research regarding each attendee’s organizational core competencies, business plan creation, and marketing. Each participant completes a self-assessment to gauge their organization’s readiness for running a social enterprise.
Interactive discussion and problem solving were a major component of the SEIP.

Phase 2: Social Enterprise “Boot Camp” 
In the month following the workshop, participants apply to enter the SEIP. This highly competitive process results in up to six organizations being selected to advance into the program.The Boot Camp is a 2-day intensive training focused specifically on devising a specific social enterprise for their organization.

Phase 3: Technical Assistance
The three participating OCDCA members are: LakewoodAlive in Lakewood, North End Community Improvement Collaborative in Mansfield, and StarkFresh in Canton.
This phase lasts up to one year, depending on the CDCs needs, during which the CDCs develop a business plan for their social enterprise with technical assistance from OCDCA. Phase 3 culminates in a “shark tank” showcase, where CDCs pitch their social enterprise plans to a room of potential investors. StarkFresh was the winner of the pitch competition.

Phase 4: Investment & Start Up
Participants begin to execute their business plan and are eligible to receive startup investments for their social enterprise in the form of enterprise loans, grants, or organizational operating support. Funded CDCs start their social enterprise with continued technical assistance support from subject experts and program support through the OCDCA AmeriCorps VISTA program. For this cohort, StarkFresh received start-up funding.

Thank you to Bank of America for supporting this program!