What Greater Jamaica Development does

Greater Jamaica Development Corporation (GJDC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community development corporation founded in 1967 in Jamaica, Queens, New York City, operating with nearly 30 professional staff and an annual operating budget exceeding $10 million. The organization functions as a platform of interrelated economic development services organized across three operational pillars: Real Estate (ownership and management of 175,000+ sq ft of office and retail space, 578,000 sq ft of parking facilities with over 2,000 spaces under the Jamaica First Parking brand, and major redevelopment projects including the $200M+ Arras joint venture), Business Services (a federally designated CDFI revolving loan fund providing $10,000–$300,000 term loans and lines of credit at below-market rates, the MWBE Accelerator, Industrial Services, Beginnings, and SEQ Go Green Restaurant Grants), and Community Engagement (the 10,000+ sq ft Greater Nexus coworking space, Jamaica Market dining hall, Harvest Room event venue, and signature events including the annual gala and Jamaica Q 5K Walk/Run).

GJDC's customer base is concentrated in Southeast Queens (zip codes 114xx and 116xx) and includes small and mid-sized businesses with under $10M in revenue and fewer than 500 employees, Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprises across NYC, industrial businesses in Southern Queens, commercial tenants seeking Downtown Jamaica office and retail space, and emerging/early-stage entrepreneurs. Revenue is generated through five streams: corporate and foundation grants, government contracts (city, state, and federal), project-operations income from owned commercial and parking assets, interest income from the revolving loan fund, and event/gala revenue. Loan disbursements have reached 6,258 cumulative small business loans with a 4.1x private capital leverage ratio.

The organization's go-to-market is fundamentally community-led: outreach to small businesses through the Business Services Group for one-on-one technical assistance and loan application support, supplemented by event-driven engagement (galas, expos, 5K walk/run, heritage-month celebrations) and digital channels (newsletter, website, social). Strategic partnerships span co-developers (Gotham Organization, Monadnock Development, Moses Sole Realty for Arras; BRP Companies for The Crossing at Jamaica Station), state agencies (Empire State Development, Port Authority of NY/NJ), federal funders (CDFI Fund, congressional earmarks), and major private donors (BNY, Capital One, Citi Foundation, Wells Fargo, Airbnb Community Fund, Resorts World NYC). Technology infrastructure is conventional (web-based service delivery, no public API or SDK); core technology is described as a community development and revitalization platform with no proprietary AI/ML or software IP identified.

Name

Greater Jamaica Development

Legal name

Greater Jamaica Development Corporation

Website

https://gjdc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Greater Jamaica Development Corporation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community development corporation founded in 1967 in Jamaica, Queens, operating a CDFI-designated loan fund, real estate portfolio, coworking space, and MWBE programs to serve small businesses and residents of Southeast Queens.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Economic Development

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Microenterprise Group Lending (Joint Liability) (FSAKAGAH), Commercial General Contracting (New Build) (IMAFAAAA)

Keywords

• Community economic development
• Small business lending
• Commercial real estate
• MWBE business services
• Community revitalization services

Headquarters

HQ city

Jamaica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Funding from corporations and foundations to support operations and programs
2. Government Contracts: Contracts from city and state government for economic development services
3. Project Operations Income: Income from owned commercial projects including office facilities, Jamaica Market, and public parking system
4. Small Business Loan Interest: Revolving loan fund generating interest income from loans to local businesses
5. Event Revenue: Revenue from signature events including galas and ticket sales

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Greater Jamaica Development Corporation (GJDC) is a non-profit community development corporation that plans, promotes, coordinates, and advances responsible development to revitalize Jamaica, Queens. It operates a CDFI-designated revolving loan fund issuing small business loans, owns and manages commercial real estate (office, retail, parking, market), delivers technical assistance and accelerator programs (MWBE Accelerator, Industrial Services, Beginnings), and runs community engagement assets (Greater Nexus coworking, Jamaica Market, Harvest Room event venue).

Product overview

Greater Jamaica Development Corporation (GJDC) is a community-building organization that operates as a platform of interrelated economic development services rather than a single unified product. The portfolio consists of three main pillars: Real Estate (offering retail and office space rentals, parking facilities, and major redevelopment projects like Arras), Business Services (providing small business loans through the South Queens Capital Access program, industrial services, MWBE Accelerator, and business resources), and Community Engagement (operating Greater Nexus coworking space, Jamaica Market dining hall, Harvest Room event venue, and parking). Programs like Beginnings and SEQ Go Green provide targeted support for startups and sustainable restaurant practices respectively.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Arras: A transformative mixed-use development project in Downtown Jamaica delivering affordable rental housing and homeownership opportunities along with community facility space, retail, and parking. Estimated cost of $200 million or more.
• Greater Nexus
• Jamaica Market
• Harvest Room
• Jamaica First Parking

Products and services

• Greater Nexus Coworking Space Over 10,000 square feet of shared coworking space and entrepreneurship hub in Southeast Queens featuring state-of-the-art equipment, wellness rooms, soundproof phone booths, and professional workspace for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
• Small Business Loans

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $10 million annual operating budget supporting economic development activities
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Gotham OrganizationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Partnership for Parsons Garage redevelopment (Arras project) - a transformative mixed-use development delivering affordable rental housing, homeownership opportunities, community facility space, retail, and parking in Downtown Jamaica. Estimated cost of $200+ million.
• Monadnock DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Partnership for Parsons Garage redevelopment (Arras project) delivering 400+ affordable housing units through two 14-story mixed-use buildings.
• Moses Sole RealtycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Partnership for Parsons Garage redevelopment (Arras project) in Downtown Jamaica.
• Empire State DevelopmentcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerState economic development agency partnership to expand MWBE resources in Southeast Queens, launched in December 2025.
• Port Authority of New York and New JerseycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for $50 million Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) Fund launched March 2025 to create opportunities for traditionally underserved businesses at JFK and LaGuardia airports.
• Queens Chamber of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStrategic alliance for business networking events, tech mixers, and Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations.
• Resorts World Casino New YorkmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual sponsor and venue partner for GJDC events including Women Who Lead, Hispanic Heritage Month Expo, and Black Business Month activities. Vice President Michelle Stoddart serves on GJDC Board.
• BRP CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinority developer partnership for The Crossing at Jamaica Station - 669 mixed-income affordable housing units, 50,000 sq ft retail/community space, and 300 underground parking spots.
• York College CUNYminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for Jamaica Q 5K Walk/Run event venue and community programs.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• National Development Council: National nonprofit that supports CDCs and CDFIs with technical assistance, lending capital, and capacity building. Comparable to GJDC's small business lending and technical assistance functions but operating nationally as a support organization rather than a single-neighborhood CDC.
• Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit focused on affordable housing and community development, deploying capital through CDFIs and CDCs. Comparable to GJDC's role in the affordable housing pipeline (Crossing at Jamaica Station / Arras analogue), but at much larger scale and portfolio breadth.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National community development intermediary that funds and supports CDCs and CDFIs across the country. Comparable as a CDFI-aligned entity providing capital and TA to small businesses, with far broader national reach and balance sheet than GJDC's local loan fund.

Others

• Opportunity Finance Network: National membership and intermediary organization for CDFIs, including GJDC. Industry body of record for community development finance, comparable as an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct peer, and relevant for understanding GJDC's funding ecosystem and peer benchmarking.

Direct peers

• The Point Community Development Corporation: Hunts Point, Bronx CDC providing arts and cultural programming, small business support, and community services. Comparable in mission (community revitalization via cultural-economic programming) and structure (501(c)(3) with mixed programmatic and commercial operations), though smaller in real estate scale than GJDC.
• Abyssinian Development Corporation: Harlem-based nonprofit CDC that combines real estate development, homeownership and rental housing programs, economic development, and community services. Comparable to GJDC's blend of mission-driven lending, mixed-use development (Arras analogue), and community programming under a single NYC-focused nonprofit.
• Local Development Corporation of East New York: Brooklyn-based LDC providing business loans, workforce development, and commercial revitalization services. Closely comparable to GJDC's Business Services Group and Capital Access lending programs serving a defined geographic catchment in NYC.
• Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE): NYC-based CDC and CDFI providing small business lending, affordable housing development, and community programs across the five boroughs. Directly comparable to GJDC's CDFI-anchored lending (Capital Access) and affordable housing pipeline serving immigrant and minority business communities.
• Bridge Street Development Corporation: Brownsville, Brooklyn CDC operating small business services, real estate development, and workforce programs. Similar mid-sized NYC nonprofit CDC operating commercial real estate and business support, with comparable ~$10M+ operating scale and borough-level economic development focus.
• Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation: Founded in 1967 like GJDC, Restoration is one of the nation's oldest community development corporations serving Central Brooklyn. It operates an analogous mix of small business services, affordable housing development, cultural programming, and commercial real estate, making it the closest comparable peer to GJDC's integrated model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GJDCPrez
• Facebookfacebook.com/GreaterJamaicaDevelopmentCorporation.GJDC

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Greater Jamaica Development