Building Community

City Center’s community-affairs mission is to revitalize Downtown Allentown and its surrounding neighborhoods into a sustainable vibrant urban community.

City Center and its affiliates believe we can make the greatest impact by concentrating our support - financial, in-kind donations and volunteer service - in Downtown Allentown. Our philanthropy focuses on three key results-oriented areas: the arts, community development and education. 

Arts: A rich arts environment helps ensure a high quality of life for all citizens and provides economic vitality and educational opportunities to our community. City Center is committed to connecting our downtown neighborhoods with Allentown’s great art institutions.

Community Development: City Center is committed to strengthening our neighborhoods by partnering in comprehensive strategies that create a strong economic base in downtown and enable businesses to come here, start here and flourish here. Part of this includes community partners focused on housing rehabilitation to empower downtown’s residents and enhance their quality of life. 

Education: City Center is committed to enhancing educational opportunities for our residents in Downtown Allentown. We know the foundation of revitalizing our neighborhoods starts with education. 

Our top community-affairs priorities are our continued partnership with Central Elementary School, our community-entrepreneurship initiative called The Real Estate Lab, and our joint initiative to support local children and parents in need through The Learning Hub and its “Neighborhood Resource Center”.

 

 

COMMUNITY IMPACT REPORTS 

SPOTLIGHT PROJECTS

CITY CENTER, COMMUNITY SERVICES FOR CHILDREN & VALLEY HEALTH PARTNERS EXPAND SPACE TO SERVE MORE FAMILIES 

In October of 2022, City Center and Community Services for Children (CSC) announced they will expand their innovative space in Allentown to create “CSC Downtown,” a one-stop shop for the many services vulnerable families need to succeed. In addition, Valley Health Partners Community Health Center (VHP) agreed to increase its space in the same building. Together, CSC and VHP will form a one-of-a-kind center to provide early childhood education, healthcare, and social services to local children and families in need, in one convenient neighborhood location. CSC, which currently runs The Learning Hub and the Neighborhood Resource Center in the City Center-owned building at 6th and Linden streets, and VHP hope to make a long-term, positive impact on more of Allentown’s disadvantaged through CSC Downtown. 

“As a safety-net healthcare provider, Valley Health Partners Community Health Center is thrilled to be working with City Center to expand access to convenient, affordable medical, mental health, vision, and dental care for the most vulnerable people in downtown Allentown. We believe everyone deserves high-quality, culturally sensitive healthcare, and City Center is playing a critical role in expanding our reach and serving our community.” 

Veronica Gonzalez, MBA, Chief Executive Officer 
 

THE REAL ESTATE LAB GROWS WITH MORE RESIDENTS INVESTING IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITY 

The Real Estate Lab, a free program designed by City Center and Lafayette College to teach downtown Allentown residents how to invest in and manage real estate in their own community, made great strides in 2022. Twenty-seven graduates of the program have purchased a total of more than $4 million in downtown properties since the Lab launched in 2020. Through a new partnership with Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC), participants who complete the Lab program are now able to earn college credits. Lastly, The Real Estate Lab became an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit, allowing donations to the program to be made tax-free. These positive steps all support the Lab’s goal to give local residents access to the training, resources, and capital to become successful real estate entrepreneurs.
 

CITY CENTER FUNDING REQUESTS: 

Each year Downtown Allentown nonprofit organizations are invited to submit funding requests for a donation from City Center Group. Priority is given to programs designed to revitalize Downtown Allentown and its surrounding neighborhoods into a sustainable, vibrant urban community. 

  • All proposals must be made in writing on the organization’s letter head and must be emailed or postmarked by November 1, 2023, regardless of the amount requested.

  • Proposals are limited to four pages. 

  • The following information should be included in each request:
    •  A copy of the organization's 501(c)3 tax-exempt determination from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and a completed W9
    • Organization's address, phone and email address, name of the primary contact and Executive Director
    • List of Board of Directors and Advisory Committee members (include the names of any City Center employees who volunteer at your organization)
    • One-paragraph description of the organization and its mission statement, concise description of the project, including project goal, planned use of the contribution, demographics, the number of people who will benefit from the project, the timeframe and brief description of the staff responsible for the project. 
    • Dollar amount of requested contribution and  a total budget (include a description of any other support for the project)
    • Evaluation plan for determining success of the project: If the request is approved, an evaluation report from the recipient agency will be due by November 1 of that same year to be eligible for funding the following year. The evaluation report can be a simple one-page description of what the funding accomplished. Download Donation Evaluation Report. 
    • Please note if your program is eligible for the PA Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program. 

Areas not funded: City Center Group does not generally provide support for the following:

  • Organizations outside of Downtown Allentown
  • Individuals 
  • Religious organizations 
  • Athletic organizations
  • Advertising in programs
  • Endowment funds
  • Undefined operational support 

City Center In-Kind Donation Requests
City Center in-kind donations are available for 501(c)(3) organizations that address arts, community development and education. Requests for City Center in-kind donations can be submitted anytime during the year but must be submitted at least 4 to 6 weeks prior to need. All recipients of City Center in-kind donations must agree not to resell the product in any venue. Items donated specifically for an auction are the exception.  

Requests can be submitted to: 
City Center Group | Community Affairs Dept. 
Tower 6 | 600 W. Hamilton St, Suite 700 | Allentown PA 18101
communityaffairs@citycenterallentown.com