Creation and Purpose
What began as a funder briefing on displacement evolved into a research project and now an effort to address the issue of displacement. A multi-stakeholder group including nonprofits, funders, philanthropy, and private interests are now working together to advance solutions to the growing problem of affordable space for nonprofits.
Thriving communities with equitable access to opportunities, healthy cultural institutions, positive social connections and a network of supportive services are tied to a strong nonprofit infrastructure. And long-term nonprofit stability and sustainability is inexorably tied to affordable and stable office space. This is the central tenet of the Nonprofit Displacement Project.
What We're Doing
To address displacement requires a multi-pronged effort that includes:
- Identifying and creating affordable office spaces for nonprofits
- Providing technical assistance and capacity building that will assist nonprofits to navigate leasing, acquisition, and development of affordable space
- Policy approaches that mitigate displacement, support creation of nonprofit spaces, and provide funding to address the need for affordable space
- Changes in funding practices that speak to the real cost of operating and providing services
Members of the working group are supporting the following solutions:
California Community Owned Real Estate Program is a five-year initiative to expand the capacity of small and emergent local Community Development Corporations, Community Land Trusts, and other local nonprofit real estate efforts to drive community land control. These local real estate entities are key to building power, wealth, and well-being in low income communities and communities of color, but face both capacity and capital barriers for wider community impact. Community Vision and Genesis LA are undertaking this initiative in partnership as a statewide strategy.
COVID-19 Rapid Response Technical Assistance provides webinars, on-demand tools, and one on one technical assistance from Community Vision for nonprofits facing financial and real estate challenges due to the impact of COVID-19.
Spaces for Good is a free, online space listing platform for nonprofits. The platform allows nonprofits, real estate brokers, landlords, and event venues to advertise their space available to nonprofits for short-term, long-term, or temporary use. Members of the Nonprofit Displacement Project working group supported the development of this platform to meet a need shared by nonprofits in the Nonprofit Displacement report.
All Good Work connects nonprofits and social enterprises to donated office space - starting with coworking spaces and business centers - in Silicon Valley. The model seeks to mitigate nonprofit displacement in the Bay Area's challenging real estate environment, lower the cost of innovation in the social sector, and enable workforce decentralization that can broaden the reach of vital programs.
Real Estate Readiness Program Silicon Valley is the Northern California Community Loan Fund's highly regarded program that builds the capacity of organizations located in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
We recognize that this long-term problem requires not just attention during this critical time when commercial rents have skyrocketed but ongoing attentiveness to the cyclical issue. The Nonprofit Displacement Project intends to bring attention to both what can be done today and be forward-looking to identify how we address the long-term sustainability of nonprofits.
