New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC) is a community-driven, trauma-informed, and equity-focused nonprofit serving the Kensington, Port Richmond, and Fishtown neighborhoods of Philadelphia. For 40 years, NKCDC has provided real estate development, housing counseling, small business assistance, workforce development, nutrition education, and community health resources to residents and businesses across the region.
NKCDC advances social equity and economic empowerment by nurturing and creating opportunities for neighbors to live in, and actively shape, their neighborhoods of choice.
NKCDC operates on three core values: Community Driven (drawing inspiration and goals from the communities served), Trauma Informed (building networks to bring healing in response to poverty, violence, racism, and disinvestment), and Equity Focused (prioritizing areas of greatest need and ensuring those impacted by the work lead it). The organization uses a strategic combination of real estate development, community engagement, and direct services to help residents remain and prosper in their neighborhoods, with particular focus on those at risk of displacement.
NKCDC is led by Executive Director Dr. Bill McKinney, a longtime Kensington resident with over 25 years of nonprofit leadership experience and expertise in food access, education, and economic justice. The organization employs over 30 full-time and 15 part-time staff members organized across departments including Real Estate Development, Housing Services, Economic Development, Food Systems, Workforce Development, Community Health, and Civic Engagement. The Board of Directors comprises 15 members, all of whom live within NKCDC's service boundaries.
NKCDC offers four main program areas: Wealth Generation (homeownership support, small business assistance, financial education, workforce training); Displacement Prevention (housing stability assistance, home repair programs, affordable rental and ownership housing); Capacity Building (community organizing, civic association support, neighborhood asset development); and Health Improvement (nutrition education, community health workers, open space management, violence prevention through Cure Violence programming).
NKCDC hosts a variety of recurring and special events including First-Time Homebuyer Workshops (both remote and in-person), Plant Power Hour gardening sessions, Tusculum Garden Open Hours, civic association meetings, community cooking classes, legal aid workshops, and community engagement events. The organization also hosts special events such as the Justice Reform Exhibit Kickoff and School Closure Summit, with a full calendar available on their website.
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