UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 19, Page 3
February 8, 1996
Grants are awarded to five non-profit agencies by UD

     Assisting small businesses, improving the loan process,
computerization, marketing a summer festival and supporting strategic
planning are all initiatives being funded at five Wilmington nonprofit
agencies through some $50,000 in grants awarded Feb. 2 by the
University's Center for Community Development, through a grant from
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
     At a news conference at the Neighborhood House, the first five
grants in this new initiative in Wilmington's Enterprise Community
were announced:
        * Up to $12,000 to the Multi-Plex Tenant Council Inc., to help
          the organization do a feasibility study and write a business
          plan for a small business incubator project;
        * Up to $7,500 to the First State Community Loan Fund, to
          purchase appropriate computer hardware and to develop
          software that will enhance the organization's loan program;
        * Up to $15,500 to the Peoples Settlement Association Federal
          Credit Union, to assist in the purchase of computer hardware
          and software specific to the needs of the credit union;
        * Up to $12,000 to the African Festival/Parade Committee Ltd.,
          which holds an annual summer festival in Wilmington, to fund
          a computer and laser printer to enhance its marketing and to
          manage its database more efficiently; and
        * $3,000 to the YWCA, to support a strategic planning process
          that will affect many programs in the Enterprise Community.

     Last fall, the University received a $500,000 Community Outreach
Partnership Grant from HUD to support the establishment of the
Community Development Resource Center. The center provides
information, training, technical assistance and funding support to
organizations located in or serving the residents of the Enterprise
Community.
     Supporting partners of the Community Development Resource Center
are the Catalyst Project, the UD Center for Community Development, the
Delaware Association of Nonprofit Agencies, the Delaware Community
Foundation, the Delaware State Housing Authority, Delaware Technical
and Community College and Wilmington's Enterprise Community.
     The grant announcement was part of an afternoon of activities at
the Neighborhood House, all associated with the graduation of
participants in the 1995 Community Development Certificate Course,
including a panel discussion on "Challenges and Trends in Community-
Based Economic Development," and a graduation ceremony that featured
remarks by University President David P. Roselle and Wilmington Mayor
James H. Sills Jr.