WHDC logo.

ABOUT US

- Solutions Through Collaborations -

West Harlem Development Corporation (WHDC) was born from the need to administer and manage funds of the 2009 Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) between Columbia University and West Harlem Local Development Corporation. WHDC functions with the vision of building collaborations and leveraging resources to enhance the lives of the residents of West Harlem beyond the term of the CBA.
 
MCD9 Map drawn digitally.

MCD9 is bounded (south to north) by 110th and 155th Streets and (east to west) by Manhattan, Morningside, St. Nicholas, Bradhurst, and Edgecombe Avenues to the Hudson River. The district includes all of 10031 and portions of the following zip codes: 10027, 10025, 10032, and 10039.

Source: CB9M

 
WHDC has helped to manage $76m in funding to nonprofit organizations in the local community, including those serving in the arts, health, youth education and sports, older adult activities and enrichment events, economic development, skills training, and other sectors of the community.
 
Since 2011, WHDC has funded over $35 million in programs, initiatives, and grants to over 200 local non-profits
 
WHDC has funded over 1,000 summer youth camps and jobs for teenagers
 
WHDC funded over 500 summer jobs and 1,000 participants for senior events
 
WHDC funded the creation of an umbrella arts organization for West Harlem, the West Harlem Arts Alliance
 
WHDC created the HDFC Resource Center to impact over 250 HDFC buildings in Harlem
 
WHDC has funded hundreds of educational, technical and career training sessions
 
WHDC co-founded and funded the largest street food festival in NYS, the Uptown Night Market 
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Photos: Father with child at FC Harlem L.I.O.N.S game; students using the computer lab at Harlem School of the Arts. 

MISSION

The mission of WHDC is to promote increased economic opportunities and quality of life to sustain a vibrant community in West Harlem.

VISION

WHDC is a model organization that effectively manages the Community Benefits Agreement with Columbia University through collaborations and leveraging of resources to make significant contributions to the lives of the people of West Harlem.

Photo of rainbow over West Harlem.
Rainbow facing construction work at Montefiore Park, Hamilton Heights

GOALS

Support

Support community projects with grants and other activities. The priority areas are: affordable/sustainable housing, arts and culture, health and human services, education, older adult issues, and economic/workforce development.

Collaborate

Collaborate with nonprofits, businesses, institutions, governmental agencies, and other stakeholders for capacity building and the implementation of collective impact environment for the provision of services to benefit West Harlem.

Leverage

Leverage public and private resources to sustain the mission and vision of WHDC beyond the life of the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) whose benefits fund exhausts in 2024.

Manage

WHDC will continue to provide vital resources to the West Harlem community well beyond the end of the CBA contributions by Columbia University, due to wise fiscal management and planning.
Black and white photo of outdoor stairs in West Harlem park.
Staircase at 136th and Riverside Park

DOCUMENTS

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