Community Revitalization Fellowship

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The Center for Community Progress’ Community Revitalization Fellowship (CRF) is a learning opportunity to help grassroots community leaders revitalize neighborhoods struggling with serious challenges related to vacancy, abandonment, and disinvestment.

Each cycle, six resident leaders from three communities (eighteen people in total) are selected as fellows. The fellows participate in learning exchanges in each other’s communities that feature a mix of technical and leadership trainings as well as local neighborhood tours. They also develop strategies or projects to improve vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties in their neighborhoods.

The Community Revitalization Fellowship is designed as an opportunity for participating fellows to:

  • Gain knowledge about neighborhood stabilization and revitalization strategies, tools, and systems
  • Lead a strategic and impactful revitalization strategy or project
  • Build connections with fellows both within and across participating communities
  • Strengthen relationships with local organizations, elected officials, and other local leaders
  • Increase effectiveness of resident-led neighborhood interventions and advocacy

By participating in the program, fellows will become better equipped to advocate for and lead change that improves vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties in their own neighborhoods. The fellowship will also build the capacity of a key institutional partner in each community to provide ongoing local support to the fellows and their neighborhoods.

The 2024-25 CRF cycle will focus on helping fellows lead community-based efforts to improve vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties specifically through the practice of creative placemaking.

Program Highlights

  • Three learning exchanges for fellows in each of the selected cohort communities
  • Opportunity to attend Community Progress’ Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference
  • $10,000 for a creative placemaking project designed by the fellows and $4,000 to support institutional partners’ leadership in the program.
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“What I experienced…connecting with the Gary, Indiana and the Jackson, Mississippi fellows was awesome. I was able to conversate with residents from other cities and found out that we shared similar experiences in our communities. …Within my Newark community where I once saw blight, I now see the possibilities.”

Yolanda Stokes, Newark, New Jersey 2019 Fellow

2024-25 CRF Cohorts

Lafayette, Louisiana

In Lafayette, Louisiana; the fellows’ work focuses on addressing the more than 1,200 problem properties and creating economic and community development opportunities in North Lafayette. Their existing initiatives include the McComb-Veazey Neighborhood & Cultural District, which revitalized vacant lots to give McComb-Veazey residents a community gathering space and pocket park providing access to greenspace without having to cross a major thoroughfare, as well as the Veazey Mentoring Center and Oasis Rail to Trails Project.  

The institutional partner for the Lafayette CRF Fellows is Lafayette Habitat for Humanity (LHFH), a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating affordable homeownership opportunities. LHFH has been in long-term partnership with the City of Lafayette to develop affordable housing in North Lafayette, including building 28 houses in McComb-Veazey in the last six years. 

“Training local residents in revitalization and placemaking is crucial,” said Tina Bingham, Community Development Director at LHFH. “It ensures that the changes we make are sustainable and truly reflective of the community's needs and desires. By equipping residents with the necessary skills, we are not just building homes, but fostering community pride and resilience.” 

The Lafayette fellows are:   

  • Erica Fox 
  • Keler Mitchell 
  • Gabe Giffin James Proctor 
  • Justin Arceneaux 
  • Jessica Brown-Mason 
Memphis, Tennessee

In Memphis, Tennessee; fellows will continue their efforts in Klondike and Smokey City, two predominately Black and low-income North Memphis neighborhoods. Previously,  resident leaders have worked to turn overgrown vacant lots into a landscaped tree garden with seating and signage, beautify vacant properties by painting board-ups, and organized beautification and other community events.  

For their CRF project, the cohort plans to conduct a survey of residents who convene on the 900 block of Olympic Street—where a vacant lot has served as a longtime community gathering place—to learn about their vision for the street. The cohort will create a design based on the findings of the survey and input from community meetings, and use the funding for seating, art installation, landscaping, lighting, and other park infrastructure. 

The institutional partner for the Memphis CRF fellows is the Klondike-Smokey City CDC (KSCCDC), a grassroots community development organization established in 1996. KSCCDC works to improve the economic health of historic North Memphis communities through community, workforce, and family development. KSCCDC’s vision is for Klondike and Smokey City to be communities where residents, businesses, and visitors thrive economically and experience a vibrant quality of life. 

“Today marks not just our acceptance into the Community Revitalization Fellowship, but a
testament to the power of community, collaboration, and dedication,” said Taurean Haynes, Community Engagement Specialist with KSCCDC. “As we embark on this journey, let us remember that true revitalization springs from the hearts and minds of those committed to uplifting one another. Together, we shall cultivate a landscape where every voice is heard, every dream is nurtured, and every corner is infused with the vibrant spirit of renewal.” 

The Memphis fellows are:   

  • Phyliss Duckett 
  • Chris Campbell 
  • Corey Davis 
  • Charnell Johnson 
  • Vivian Bolden 
  • Beverly White 
Rochester, New York

In Rochester, New York; fellows have been working to break the cycle of poverty through antiracist community revitalization and equitable resource coordination. Their initiatives focus on the East
Main and Mustard Streets and Atlantic Avenue (EMMA) and Beechwood neighborhoods. The cohort members partnered to transform an intersection in the neighborhood at Parcels Avenue and Greeley Street, helped revitalize Adventure Playground at Grand Avenue Park, and transformed a vacant storefront into New City Café, a local roastery and community gathering space. 

The institutional partner for the Rochester CRF fellows is Connected Communities. A nonprofit public/private collaboration of neighborhood, business, government, and non-profit leaders; Connected Communities partners with residents to address the various needs of the EMMA and Beechwood communities. Connected Communities utilizes the Purpose-Built Communities framework to address the need for mixed-income housing, cradle-to-career education, community wellness, and long-term economic empowerment. 

“This fellowship represents an incredible opportunity for us to further our mission—breaking the cycle of poverty through antiracist community revitalization and equitable resource coordination,” said Neighborhood Hub Director Atashia Walker. “Our Resident Ambassadors and Block Ambassadors are thrilled to bring their insights and energy to this national platform. It’s a testament to the dedication and hard work of everyone involved. Together, we’re not just dreaming of a better future for our neighborhoods; we’re actively shaping it.” 

The Rochester fellows are: 

  • Tammy Westbrook 
  • Sheila Carpenter 
  • Solomon Davis 
  • Andre Cotton 
  • John Cotton 
  • Rebecca Fuss