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Here Today, Here Tomorrow: CDC Acquisition of Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing |
December 2025 |
ASI Report: Executive Summary
In Massachusetts, community development corporations (CDCs) have long been part of the affordable housing ecosystem, producing and preserving more than 20,000 rental housing units. In recent... ASI Report: Executive Summary
In Massachusetts, community development corporations (CDCs) have long been part of the affordable housing ecosystem, producing and preserving more than 20,000 rental housing units. In recent years, CDCs have taken on the particular challenges associated with acquiring naturally occurring affordable housing—NOAH—affordable units in the unregulated private housing market.
To explore the role of CDC NOAH acquisitions and enhance their chances for success, MACDC undertook its Acquisition Strategies Initiative (ASI), which was comprised of three activities:
- Holding an in-person Acquisition Forum in May 2025 to kick off the work, bringing together the various stakeholders to explore options and establish a framework.
- Hosting two virtual peer learning sessions in June and July, with the first focused on practice and the second focused on policy.
- Writing a report summarizing the learnings, assessing the different strategies, and providing resources for further exploration.
This summary highlights the key learnings and findings, which we hope will contribute to the ability of CDCs to continue NOAH acquisitions and scale them up effectively.
In the Introduction, we demonstrate the importance of preserving NOAH. We discuss how the causes of lost NOAH vary according to the real estate market context and how the strategies to stem these losses in turn vary. We also highlight the types of CDC strategies that can make NOAH acquisitions successful.
In Section 1: Property Acquisition Approaches and Market Considerations, we dig deeper into some of the considerations outlined in the Introduction. We note how the affordability of NOAH is fragile—both relative and only guaranteed for the present moment. We detail the characteristics of hot markets and soft markets and describe the challenges to preserve NOAH in these real estate market contexts.
Section 2: CDC Capacity Needs and Potential for Scaling Up Acquisitions, looks at CDC capacity as an essential ingredient to successful NOAH acquisitions. While Section 1 (as well as Section 3) focuses on external factors, this section looks at factors within a CDC’s control. We cover a description of the internal processes that can foster success, factors related to property management, and how CDCs can scale up NOAH acquisitions.
In Section 3: Public Policy and Funding Considerations, we describe the range of financing options available to CDCs for NOAH acquisitions. The descriptions are broken down into:
- Public sources that can serve as permanent financing
- Private financing sources to facilitate NOAH acquisitions by mission-driven developers
- Funding for energy efficiency
Finally, in Findings and Recommendations, we summarize our key findings. We then present 15 recommendations across two categories—Practice and Policy.
We have also included in the Appendix the list of all people who participated in ASI—those who participated in the forum or one or more of the peer learning convenings or who otherwise contributed to this report. We are grateful to everyone who participated in this process and ultimately contributed to this report. We hope that our work accurately captures the collective interest in highlighting the importance of this work, as well as insights into what makes NOAH acquisitions successful.
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MACDC's Guide to Reading a Hospital's Community Benefits Report |
January 2022 |
This guide is intended for CDCs, CDFIs, and other community-based organizations who would like to better understand their local hospital's commitments to community health as articulated in their Massachusetts Community Benefits report.
This guide is intended for CDCs, CDFIs, and other community-based organizations who would like to better understand their local hospital's commitments to community health as articulated in their Massachusetts Community Benefits report.
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Massachusetts Certified CDC Salaries and Benefits Report |
December 2021 |
The Employee Salary Ranges and Benefits Survey was added to the GOALs program two years ago. It gives CDCs a reference for the breakdown of similar organizations with regard to varying salary ranges for core roles at CDCs across the Commonwealth... The Employee Salary Ranges and Benefits Survey was added to the GOALs program two years ago. It gives CDCs a reference for the breakdown of similar organizations with regard to varying salary ranges for core roles at CDCs across the Commonwealth.
Download Report
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The State of Organizing and Engagement Work in Massachusetts Community Development Corporations |
October 2021 |
Working with community residents is the core work of CDCs. We interviewed dozens of people and reviewed many documents and websites to get a sense of where organizing and engagement work stand within our membership. We also worked... Working with community residents is the core work of CDCs. We interviewed dozens of people and reviewed many documents and websites to get a sense of where organizing and engagement work stand within our membership. We also worked with an Advisory Committee made up of CDC staff, organizers from other groups and a funder to garner additional input. The findings are documented in this report.
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Unleashing the Potential of Entrepreneurs of Color in Massachusetts |
March 2021 |
MassINC and the Coalition for an Equitable Economy, of which MACDC is a founding member, published this report which lays out the elements of a plan to strengthen opportunities for entrepreneurs of color post-COVID.
MassINC and the Coalition for an Equitable Economy, of which MACDC is a founding member, published this report which lays out the elements of a plan to strengthen opportunities for entrepreneurs of color post-COVID.
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Health-Related Work Among Massachusetts CDCs ~ MACDC GOALs Report |
November 2020 |
Click here to view the report. This report describes Massachusetts CDCs’ engagement in the health space and creates a basis from which to deepen this engagement – as individual CDCs and as the Community Development movement as a whole.
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Building Communities of Promise and Possibility |
January 2019 |
State and Local Blueprints for Comprehensive Neighborhood Stablization by Ben Forman and Allan Mallach
State and Local Blueprints for Comprehensive Neighborhood Stablization by Ben Forman and Allan Mallach
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Investing in Impact: How the Massachusetts Community Investment Tax Credit is Improving Communities and Changing Lives |
September 2017 |
With nearly $24 million raised in 2014, 2015, and 2016 combined, the CITC program is driving success across the Community Development sector in Massachusetts.
The Community Investment Tax Credit was enacted by the Massachusetts Legislature... With nearly $24 million raised in 2014, 2015, and 2016 combined, the CITC program is driving success across the Community Development sector in Massachusetts.
The Community Investment Tax Credit was enacted by the Massachusetts Legislature in 2012 in order to “enable local residents and stakeholders to work with and through community development corporations to partner with nonprofit, public and private entities to improve economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income households and other residents in urban, rural and suburban communities across the Commonwealth." (M.G.L. c. 62, § 6M and M.G.L. c. 63, § 38EE)
This report examines whether the program, during its first three years of operation from 2014 to 2016, made progress toward this goal.
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MACDC's Members: Addressing Community Health |
May 2017 |
In January 2016, MACDC sent its annual GOALs survey to 71 member organizations and requested data across a range of program areas, including community health. The purpose of the GOALs survey is to quantify and highlight the work CDCs do in their... In January 2016, MACDC sent its annual GOALs survey to 71 member organizations and requested data across a range of program areas, including community health. The purpose of the GOALs survey is to quantify and highlight the work CDCs do in their communities. For the first time, GOALs included a supplemental survey to capture how CDCs currently address community health. The survey results showed that CDCs not only work on health issues, but their work addresses a broad range of these issues including social determinants like food access and health education. Most of the CDCs who responded also seem to be making use of their Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC) funding, as well as funding and partnerships with hospitals, health centers, health foundations and more to accomplish this work. Given the high proportion of CDCs who are working on health, MACDC now plans to conduct this survey annually to explore trends and help ensure that health issues continue to be a growing part of community development efforts in Massachusetts.
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Creative Community Development in Massachusetts |
June 2015 |
Arts, culture, and creative placemaking are playing an increasingly important role in community development nationally and in Massachusetts. This topic has garnered significant attention in recent years, as more and more advocates, practitioners... Arts, culture, and creative placemaking are playing an increasingly important role in community development nationally and in Massachusetts. This topic has garnered significant attention in recent years, as more and more advocates, practitioners, and funders are recognizing the nexus between these fields and mobilizing more of this collaborative work. Through this report, MACDC seeks to understand the entire landscape of creative community building in Massachusetts, from organizations like IBA that have years of experience at the intersection of arts, culture and community development, to relative newcomers like Worcester Common Ground who are in the beginning stages of taking on this work and everyone in between.
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Orange Line Opportunity Study |
April 2013 |
The Orange Line Opportunity Corridor Report is the first phase in a campaign to realize the full physical and functional potential of one of Boston’s busiest transit lines. This first-ever compilation of corridor characteristics and planned... The Orange Line Opportunity Corridor Report is the first phase in a campaign to realize the full physical and functional potential of one of Boston’s busiest transit lines. This first-ever compilation of corridor characteristics and planned development activity will help municipalities, public and private developers, and community groups advocate for corridor investments and plan for the potential and impacts of transit-oriented development.
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Small Cities Report |
January 2006 |
Many of Massachusetts' smaller cities offer an interesting opportunity to apply the best current thinking about smart growth development to the pressing need for more housing of all types. Yet, these very cities have often been overlooked in... Many of Massachusetts' smaller cities offer an interesting opportunity to apply the best current thinking about smart growth development to the pressing need for more housing of all types. Yet, these very cities have often been overlooked in policy formulations geared toward the thriving Boston metropolitan market and expanding suburban market. Often bypassed by the economic boom of the 1990s, many smaller cities are still struggling to make the shift from a manufacturing economy to one that is more diversified.
This project begins an effort by Citizens' Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) and the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC) to examine the policies and practices that support small cities as they make the necessary transition to a more diverse economy. Some communities have begun to turn the corner, and we believe that targeted policies and resources can assist struggling communities to rebound without displacing current residents. This report examines recent demographic and economic trends among these cities, and shares lessons and best practices for economic revitalization from six cities in particular: Fitchburg, Lynn, New Bedford, Salem, Springfield, and Waltham.
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