Building the Organizations That Build Communities: Strengthening the Capacity of Faith and Community-Based Development Organizations

Faith-based and community organizations have accomplished a great deal in
building affordable housing, expanding economic opportunity, and revitalizing
their communities—but we know remarkably little about how these organizations
grow, become more effective, and reach the point of long-term viability. This lack
of knowledge became evident as we sought to identify effective, workable models
for building the capacity of faith-based and community organizations.
To address this knowledge gap, in June 2003 HUD’s Center for Faith-Based and
Community Initiatives and Office of Policy Development and Research jointly
convened a landmark symposium: the Building the Capacity of Faith- and
Community-Based Organizations Summit. We invited practitioners and
academics in the grassroots community development sector to share experiences,
exchange knowledge, and shed light on the complex issues involved in building
the organizational capacity of community development organizations. Invited
panelists presented important information and engaged in lively discussion with
summit participants on the evolution of faith-based and community develo