HBCU Community Development

What HBCU Community Development does

HBCU Community Development Corporation (HBCUcdc) is a private, founder-led professional services firm headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, established in January 2021 by Cedric Grice. The firm advises Historically Black Colleges and Universities on strategic planning, campus master planning, mixed-use asset-based community development, budget development, and financial partnership formation, addressing challenges such as stagnant enrollment, deteriorating infrastructure, accreditation risk, and impoverished surrounding communities. Its underlying capability combines standard economic and financial analytics with policy expertise in federal programs (HUD Section 108, CDFI Fund, NPS Historic Preservation Fund) that HBCUs can access to fund infrastructure projects.

HBCUcdc operates as an enterprise field-sales consultancy with no intermediaries, engaging directly with HBCU boards, presidents, and administrators. The company monetizes through professional services engagements, with named anchor clients including Fisk University (enrollment growth from 630 to 1,041 students), Prairie View A&M University (mixed-use development planning), Howard University (campus master planning), Southern University ($760 million multi-year master plan), Jackson State University, Alabama State University, Tennessee State University, and Texas Southern University. The firm brokers introductions and partnerships with LISC, Enterprise Community Partners, the National Development Council, and other CDFIs to translate planning documents into funded community projects.

The business is structured around a single individual (CEO/founder Cedric Grice) supported by a 1-10 person team, with no institutional investors, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and a minimal capital structure that includes only a $5,000 Comcast RISE award disclosed in August 2023. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and engagement terms are negotiated case-by-case, consistent with a boutique advisory practice rather than a scaled platform. The operating geography is the United States, with the entire addressable market constrained to roughly 100 accredited HBCUs and the communities directly surrounding their campuses.

Name

HBCU Community Development

Legal name

HBCU Community Development Corporation

Website

https://hbcucdc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

HBCU Community Development Corporation is a Memphis-based, founder-led consulting firm that advises Historically Black Colleges and Universities on strategic planning, campus master planning, and community development, helping institutions access federal funding and partnerships to address enrollment, infrastructure, and accreditation challenges.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Consulting for Higher Education

NAICS

Business Service Centers (56143), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (92512)

SIC

Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552), General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Public HBCUs (State-Supported) (EDAHAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Nonprofit HBCUs (EDAHAMAB), Historically Black Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAD)

Keywords

• Community development consulting
• Strategic campus planning
• HBCU consulting services
• Economic development advisory
• Mixed-use development planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Strategic Planning Services: HBCUcdc works with HBCU leadership to develop internal planning processes that produce strategic plans and campus master plans. Revenue is generated through professional consulting engagements with HBCU boards and administration to develop planning documents and community development solutions.
2. Community Development Project Facilitation: Coordinates development projects including assembling professional teams for design, construction, marketing, and management of mixed-use developments. Revenue derives from facilitating partnerships and coordinating implementation of community development projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

HBCU Community Development Corporation (HBCUcdc) is a consulting firm that helps Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) develop internal planning processes, strategic plans, campus master plans, and community development solutions. The firm works with HBCU boards and administration to attract students, faculty, and staff, secure financial partnerships, and direct federal, state, and local funding into campus and community infrastructure improvements including residential housing and retail/commercial spaces.

Product overview

HBCU Community Development Corporation (HBCUcdc) is a consulting firm offering community development planning services for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The company's service portfolio includes Internal Strategic Planning Development, Campus Master Planning, Mixed-Use Asset-Based Community Development, Financial Partnership Development, Budget Development and Performance Evaluation, and Community Development Solutions. These services work together to help HBCUs develop planning infrastructure to attract students, faculty, staff, and business partnerships while maintaining accreditation and generating long-term income.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Internal Strategic Planning Development Consulting engagement in which HBCUcdc works with HBCU leadership to develop a comprehensive internal planning process that produces a measurable strategic plan and campus master plan, including public and private sector-financed community development projects and retaining HBCU ownership of generated income.
• Campus Master Planning Design of a Campus Master Plan based on strategic plan input that recommends projects matching academic priorities and enhancing the institution's ability to compete for students, faculty, and staff needed to support the institution's strategic goals financially.
• Mixed-Use Asset-Based Community Development Implementation of a mixed-use asset-based community development plan designed to attract students, faculty, and staff to the campus community through strategic projects aligned to academic priorities.
• Financial Partnership Development Establishment of long-term financial partnerships needed to fund HBCUs and surrounding community infrastructure, including assembling professionals for project design, construction, marketing, and management.
• Budget Development and Performance Evaluation Use of the latest advances in data analytics to create budgets and conduct performance evaluations needed to measure success and make required adjustments to reach long-term mission and goals.
• Community Development Solutions Strategic plans that leverage the assets of HBCUs and their surrounding communities to acquire financial resources needed to fund the restoration and advancement of these institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Increasing HBCU enrollment by 100%
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• St. Edward's UniversityminorOthersListed as a business associate, indicating a working relationship or partnership in community development initiatives
• Austin Community CollegeminorOthersListed as a business associate, indicating collaborative engagement in community development planning
• Huston-Tillotson UniversityminorOthersListed as a business associate - HBCU institution in Austin, Texas engaged in community development activities
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLISC connects hard-to-tap public and private resources with underinvested places. HBCUcdc positions HBCUs as candidates for LISC partnerships that expand beyond student development into community development including affordable housing, retail renovation, and new construction projects.
• Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnterprise addresses housing needs of residents in underserved communities. HBCUcdc recommends HBCUs partner with Enterprise for housing and community development projects, leveraging HBCU community-based leadership with Enterprise's technical expertise and resources.
• National Development Council (NDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNDC increases flow of investments into economically underserved communities. Over 90% of HBCUs are in communities meeting NDC's distressed community criteria, making them ideal partners for community development projects.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit that invests in affordable housing and community development in underserved areas. Comparable because Enterprise is both a strategic partner of HBCUcdc and a provider of community development expertise and capital that could be offered directly to HBCUs, partially overlapping HBCUcdc's value chain.
• National Development Council (NDC): National nonprofit CDFI providing training, lending, and advisory services for community and economic development. Comparable because NDC is both a partner of HBCUcdc and a potential competitor/adjacent provider of community development financing and capacity-building services to HBCUs.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National nonprofit CDFI supporting community development in underserved areas through financing, technical assistance, and partnerships. Comparable because LISC is both a partner of HBCUcdc and a strategic counterpart in community development, with potential overlap in the advisory and capacity-building services offered to HBCU-adjacent communities.

Direct peers

• Brailsford & Dunlavey: A national program management and consulting firm specializing in higher education facility planning, campus master planning, and development advisory. Comparable to HBCUcdc because both serve college and university clients on strategic planning and capital project delivery, though BD is much larger and serves predominantly non-HBCU institutions.
• MGT Consulting: Education-sector consulting firm providing strategy, facilities planning, and operational improvement services to K-12 and higher education clients. Comparable to HBCUcdc because it competes for similar institutional planning engagements, though MGT serves a broader education footprint rather than specializing in HBCUs.
• Attuned Education Partners: A higher education consulting firm with a specific focus on HBCUs and minority-serving institutions, providing strategy, operational, and financial advisory services. Closely comparable to HBCUcdc in target customer (HBCUs) and service nature (planning and operational support), making it the most direct head-to-head peer.

Broad incumbents

• EY-Parthenon (Ernst & Young): Global strategy consulting practice with an established higher education industry vertical that advises universities on strategic plans, capital projects, and operational performance. Comparable because it competes for the same institutional strategic planning budgets as HBCUcdc, though it serves the broader higher ed market rather than specializing in HBCUs.
• Ankura Consulting: Global advisory firm with an education and public sector practice providing strategic, financial, and operational advisory services. Comparable because it serves institutional clients on strategic planning and operational improvement mandates, overlapping with HBCUcdc's value proposition at a much larger scale.
• McKinsey & Company (Higher Education Practice): Global management consultancy with a higher education practice serving university systems on strategy, organizational design, and capital planning. Comparable in that it pitches for the same strategic planning and transformation mandates, but serves predominantly large flagship and system-level institutions rather than individual HBCUs.
• Alvarez & Marsal (Public Sector / Higher Education): Global professional services firm with higher education and public sector practices providing performance improvement, turnaround, and strategic advisory services. Comparable because it competes for institutional restructuring and operational improvement engagements, though at much larger scale and with a broader industry focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HBCUCDC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hbcucdc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 HBCU Community Development