Northwest Side Community Development Corporation Awarded Two OCS CED Grants to Finance Social Enterprise Incubator and Athea Laboratories Expansion

October 21, Milwaukee, WI– The Northwest Side Community Development Corporation (NWSCDC) has been awarded two grants from the Community Economic Development (CED) program of the Office of Community Services (OCS), Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

One grant will support NWSCDC to launch a new social enterprise incubator.  The program will support local entrepreneurs to grow social enterprises which serve social needs in the community and create jobs through economic activity.  The grant will provide funds for business lending capital, as well as helping NWSCDC provide technical assistance and business planning to assist the social enterprises to grow new jobs.

Additionally, another OCS grant awarded in September will support NWSCDC to finance an expansion at Athea Laboratories and Packaging (Athea).  NWSCDC will make a business loan to help Athea invest in new equipment and fill growing orders.  Athea is rapidly expanding and expects to create 40 new jobs in the next three years.

“The Athea project is exciting because it’s right in our neighborhood.  These are quality new jobs, located in walking distance from the Garden Homes and Rufus King neighborhoods” said Andrew Haug, Resource Development Manager at NWSCDC.

Northwest Side CDC has a long history of collaborating with a variety of businesses on economic and workforce development projects. “NWSCDC has lent over $10 million since the year 2000, and our partners have now created over 1,000 new jobs. We are working to keep growing those numbers in our community” said Howard Snyder, Executive Director of NWSCDC.

About CED

Community Economic Development (CED) is a federal grant program funding Community Development Corporations that address the economic needs of low-income individuals and families through the creation of sustainable business development and employment opportunities.

More information on the CED Program is at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/programs/ced

About NWSCDC

The Northwest Side Community Development Corporation (NWSCDC) has served the economic development needs of Milwaukee’s low-income communities since 1983.

NWSCDC Vision: The NWSCDC will lead the transformation of the Northwest Side of Milwaukee into a preferred destination for businesses and residents.

NWSCDC Mission: We exist on the Northwest Side to create jobs, build partnerships and strengthen communities.

NWSCDC is a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) with a business lending fund dedicated to attracting companies and growing new jobs in our target market.

http://nwscdc.org/

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.