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William Penn Foundation Grants Zion Baptist Church’s partner, Called To Serve CDC, $1 Million to support the Redevelopment of its Annex into a Community Impact Center In total, the $11 million project has secured nearly $8 Million in Grants, Donations and Tax Credits  (September 13 2022) North Philadelphia, PA – The Reverend Leon H. Sullivan Community Impact Center (SCIC), which will occupy the renovated Zion Baptist Church Annex, is getting closer to their $11 million funding goal. They recently received a $1 million grant from the William Penn Foundation, joining benefactors including H. Chase Lenfest, North10 Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP), City of Philadelphia Department of Commerce, the McLean Contributionship, the Gordon Family Foundation, and many community members.
Prior to 2014, the Zion Baptist Church Annex, located at the corner of Broad and Venango Streets offered invaluable resources and programs to residents of the North Philadelphia community. Thanks to a recent push for the re-envisioning of the space by community leaders, Called to Serve CDC and Sullivan CDC, this historic structure is being revitalized. The Center will occupy the same site as Zion’s Education Annex, founded by Rev. Sullivan, directly across Broad Street from Zion Baptist Church. The heart of the building, originally constructed as a place of worship, will be the space that once served as the sanctuary, repurposed as a radically welcoming and flexible common area and venue for events—from meetings to weddings. The many programs committed to the Sullivan Community Impact Center (SCIC) include the BriDDge Career Pathways Program for youth based on the booming interest in Esports, a community arts center, a co-op café/bookstore, the Temple Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative, numerous community programs offered by the Center for Urban Bioethics of the Lewis Katz School of Medicine and Temple University Health System, a commercial kitchen and much more. “We are pleased to join the list of other local funders supporting Called to Serve and the creation of its community impact center,” explained Hillary Murray, Interim Director for Creative Communities at the William Penn Foundation. “A high-quality, accessible neighborhood resource like the Sullivan Community Impact Center will provide neighbors from North Philadelphia and beyond with health services, educational opportunities, and other programming that will help create positive changes for generations to come.” The project has raised $3.1 million in commitments and cash as well as targeting $4.6 million in new markets and historic tax credits. An additional $3.3million is needed in order to meet the $11 million goal. Contributions from the public are welcome and can be made using this link. “I represent an example of what is possible when people are provided with opportunities,” said Rev. Michael Major, Sr., co-project leader, founder and board president of Called To Serve CDC. Major, who grew up on the block immediately behind Zion, was one of the youth who benefitted from the Zion Annex programs. Now in his 26th year as a senior technology business analyst for a local Wall Street firm, Major credits the support and encouragement he received as a youth for where he is today. The SCIC will bring together a constellation of diverse programs dedicated to improving health and wellbeing for a community that has been left behind. In honoring Sullivan’s legacy, this center will offer health services, education, technology, cooperative community ownership, arts and culture, as well as a large gathering place for events and engagement. Mosaic Development Partners, a Black-owned impact real estate development firm, is overseeing the project and Schultz & Williams, as well as Watchdog Real Estate Project Management are supporting the effort. The SCIC will continue the legacy of Rev. Leon H. Sullivan, noted civil rights leader and pastor of Zion Baptist Church for 38 years. From Zion, Rev. Sullivan launched both local and global campaigns on behalf of human rights and economic justice. He was called ‘The Lion of Zion’ for his unyielding and powerful voice in the march for freedom and justice. He empowered his congregation to get involved and invested in their own community programming and wealth building opportunities. He also created what would be known today as the modern-day crowd fund (10/36 program), where he encouraged members to give $10 per month for 36 months to invest in community-driven cooperative economics. Called To Serve is launching a similar program (20/24 program) to encourage local community investment for the Center. The SCIC is scheduled to open in late 2024. When completed, the renovated building will meet the requirements of the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. According to the USGBC website, LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. ### Called to Serve (CTS) is an emerging socioeconomic community development organization dedicated to the complete renewal, restoration and revitalization of underserved neighborhoods in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With a primary focus on the Nicetown-Tioga neighborhood of North Philadelphia, we envision a wholesome Philadelphia urban ecosystem with intact neighborhoods, thriving businesses with access to capital, and reformed schools that produce academically competent students. For more information, please visit https://www.calledtoservecdc.org. About the William Penn Foundation The William Penn Foundation, founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Greater Philadelphia region through efforts that increase educational opportunities for children from low-income families, ensure a sustainable environment, provide inclusive and equitable public spaces and arts and culture experiences, and advance philanthropy in the Philadelphia region. Learn more at www.williampennfoundation.org. The Leon H. Sullivan CDC is committed to improving the quality of life for all individuals and families in the Nicetown/Tioga area by addressing the spiritual, economic and social needs of the immediate community as well as participants from surrounding neighborhoods. For more information, please visit http://leonhsullivancdc.org.in/ Zion Baptist Church, founded in 1882 is the oldest African American congregation north of Market Street in Philadelphia. The church has an impressive history and longstanding reputation for religious, social and community outreach programs that have had a local, national and international impact. Learn more about Zion at www.zionbaptphilly.org
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