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Our History

In 1968, the Center for Community Change was born into a world of upheaval. We began by helping six community-based groups increase their organizational effectiveness, cultivate leaders, advocate for local residents, connect with partners and resources, and master the technical skills needed to create housing, businesses and services for their communities.

In CCC’s first years, bold themes emerged that would define the Center for Community Change for decades to come: a commitment to low-income people; a focus on neglected populations and communities; an investment in grassroots leaders; a belief in the power of ordinary people to solve their own problems; and a vision of a just America in which everyone had a voice.

Here are a few highlights:

1970s

Engaged local groups in monitoring how large government programs, such as the Community Development Block Grant, were implemented in low-income communities nationwide. Results: millions of dollars invested in housing, economic development, jobs and social services in poor communities.

Helped establish the Community Reinvestment Act (1977). In 1978, helped community-based groups in Brooklyn and St. Louis file the first formal complaints against banks that failed to meet their CRA obligations. Results: Brooklyn received $20 million and St. Louis $1 million in housing loans for low-income neighborhoods.

1980s

Organized public housing residents nationwide to save thousands of units from demolition.

Launched and continue to lead the housing trust fund movement, which presses city, county and state governments to establish permanent sources of dedicated funding for affordable housing. In 1980 there were two housing trust funds; today there are more than 600 nationwide that generate $1.6 billion each year.

1990s

Staffed and housed the Indian and Native American Employment Training Coalition, which expanded Indian job training and employment programs by $150 million a year.

Launched and staffed the Transportation Equity Network, which won more than $700 million for local transit programs that help low-income residents get to jobs.

2000s

Created and staffed the National Campaign for Jobs and Income Support, which took the lead in winning a partially refundable child tax credit that delivers $8 billion over 10 years to low-income families and lifts 500,000 children out of poverty, and in restoring Food Stamps eligibility to nearly 400,000 legal immigrants.

Launched and now staffs the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), a national coalition that unites 300 diverse grassroots groups to advance comprehensive immigration reform.

Started Generation Change, a national project to recruit, train and place the next generation of social justice organizers.

Conducted in December 2007 the Heartland Presidential Forum, which drew 3,600 grassroots activists from 32 states to question presidential candidates about the issues and values that are important to low-income people.

Initiated the Community Voting Project to increase voter participation in communities of color and low-income communities.

Launched the Campaign for Community Values, a national effort to project the progressive values of interconnectedness and the common good into the political debate—and into public policies adopted by a new Administration and Congress.

Over the years, CCC has built and strengthened thousands of grassroots organizations and hundreds of coalitions that provide a public voice for low-income people. We have cultivated thousands of grassroots leaders in low-income communities and communities of color.

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