Communities First

What Communities First does

Communities First, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 community development corporation founded in 2010 and headquartered in Flint, Michigan, with a regional office in Detroit and affordable housing assets in Gary, Indiana. The organization operates through three programmatic pillars: Engaged Communities (cultural programming), Equitable Development (affordable housing), and Economic Mobility (workforce and financial capability). Service delivery is concentrated on low-income families, seniors, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and people transitioning from homelessness, with a stated reach of 35,000 to 45,000 community members annually across Michigan and Indiana.

The organization's flagship outputs include the African American Film Series (11th year), Movies Under the Stars (12+ years, now spanning Flint, Saginaw, Detroit, and Gary), the Levitt AMP Flint Music Series, Community Candor Live discussions, A Taste of Culture, The GatHERing women's event, Good for the Soul comedy fundraiser, Step-Up Pick-Up and Green Life environmental programs, and Community Development Mixers across three cities. Affordable housing operations span more than 600 developed or preserved units across properties including Lancaster and Dalton Apartments in Gary, Marian Hall and Georgia Manor in Flint, and Grand on University.

The revenue model is plural: individual donations, corporate and foundation grants (GM on Main Street, Meijer, Chase for Business, Kresge, Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis, MEDC), state appropriations ($1.5 million for Marian Hall), corporate sponsorships (Comerica, Fifth Third, PNC), ticketed fundraisers, and income-based rental income from the housing portfolio. Most community programs are free; some events carry suggested donations. The organization is led by co-founders Glenn Wilson (President and CEO) and Essence Wilson (Chief Strategy Officer) and is governed without parent-company, private equity, or external institutional ownership.

Name

Communities First

Legal name

Communities First, Inc.

Website

https://communitiesfirstinc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Communities First, Inc. is a Flint, Michigan-based nonprofit community development corporation that builds affordable housing, delivers workforce and economic mobility programs, and produces cultural and civic programming across Michigan and Indiana, serving approximately 35,000 to 45,000 low-income residents, seniors, veterans, and individuals with disabilities annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Development & Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG, Place-Based Initiatives) (BPAIANAE), Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Community development
• Affordable housing
• Economic mobility
• Nonprofit community services
• Community engagement programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Flint

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual donors contribute to support community programs and services. The organization accepts one-time and recurring donations through its website donation portal.
2. Corporate and Foundation Grants: The organization receives grant funding from corporations, foundations, and government entities to support specific programs and initiatives. Examples include grants from GM, Meijer, Chase for Business, and various government agencies.
3. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors support specific events and programs. Annual sponsorship packages are offered to corporate partners seeking alignment with community development initiatives.
4. Event-Based Fundraising: Ticketed events such as the Good for the Soul Comedy Show generate fundraising revenue. Events like The GatHERing charge registration fees to support programming.
5. Affordable Housing Operations: Revenue from property management operations serving residents in affordable housing communities across Michigan and Indiana.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Communities First, Inc. is a nonprofit Community Development Corporation that develops and preserves affordable housing while delivering free or low-cost community programming across Michigan and Indiana. The organization operates through three pillars — Engaged Communities (cultural events, film series, concerts, neighborhood initiatives), Equitable Development (affordable housing development and preservation), and Economic Mobility (workforce development, financial education, credit-building workshops) — serving over 35,000 community members annually from offices in Flint and Detroit.

Product overview

Communities First, Inc. is a nonprofit Community Development Corporation offering a portfolio of community programs organized around three pillars: Engaged Communities, Equitable Development, and Economic Mobility. The organization operates affordable housing developments while delivering cultural programming including the African American Film Series, Movies Under the Stars outdoor cinema series, Levitt AMP Flint Music Series, Community Candor Live discussion series, A Taste of Culture festival, The GatHERing women's empowerment event, Step-Up Pick-Up environmental initiative, Green Life sustainability education, Community Development Mixer networking, Culture Shock youth exposure program, comedy shows, vision board parties, holiday celebrations, and family ski days. The organization serves Michigan and Indiana from offices in Flint and Detroit, with housing developments in Gary, Indiana. Services include wraparound support such as credit-building workshops, financial education, wellness programming, family relationship coaching, and recovery support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Affordable Housing Portfolio Portfolio of more than 600 affordable housing units developed or preserved, serving seniors, individuals with disabilities, low-income families, veterans, and people transitioning from homelessness. Includes properties such as Marian Hall, Lancaster Apartments, Dalton Apartments, Georgia Manor, and Grand on University.
• Wraparound Support Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 600 affordable housing units developed or preserved
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Flint Institute of ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership for African American Film Series, with FIA providing venue for monthly film screenings and gallery access.
• Detroit PistonsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Candor Live event hosted at Henry Ford Pistons Performance Center, with sponsorship support.
• General Motors (Factory One)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGM's Factory One venue hosts Community Candor Live events at 303 W Water St, Flint.
• Lurvey ConstructionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor for Community Development Mixer events.
• Greater Flint Health CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of Housing and Homelessness Convening with CFI and Flint & Genesee County Continuum of Care.
• Flint & Genesee County Continuum of CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of Housing and Homelessness Convening addressing homelessness in Genesee County.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National CDFI that invests in affordable housing, economic development, and community resilience across U.S. cities including Flint, mirroring CFI's three-pillar (housing, economic mobility, community engagement) model with significantly larger capital deployment.
• Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit developer and investor delivering affordable housing and community development programs, with comparable mix of real estate development, family financial security, and neighborhood revitalization that closely tracks CFI's Equitable Development and Economic Mobility pillars.
• NeighborWorks America: National network supporting community-based nonprofits in housing, neighborhood revitalization, and resident engagement; operates through local affiliates that compete and partner with grassroots CDCs like Communities First in shared geographies.
• Center for Community Progress: National nonprofit focused on vacant property and land reuse strategies in post-industrial cities like Flint and Detroit — a direct functional peer for CFI's Equitable Development pillar and neighborhood revitalization work.

Broad incumbents

• Habitat for Humanity International: Global affordable housing developer and homeowner services provider with a much larger national footprint and brand; comparable in mission (housing affordability for low-income families) and community volunteer engagement model.

Regional players

• Genesee County Habitat for Humanity: Local Habitat affiliate serving the same Genesee County/Flint geography as CFI, building affordable housing and stabilizing neighborhoods for low-income families — both organizations pursue housing development and community volunteer engagement in shared territory.
• Community Economic Development Association of Michigan (CEDAM): Michigan state association of community development organizations; Essence Wilson serves as its President, making CEDAM an adjacent industry-association peer that channels state-level funding and training to local CDCs like CFI.
• Hope Network: Michigan-based nonprofit providing affordable housing, behavioral health, and workforce development across the state — comparable operating model serving similar low-income, disability, and homelessness populations in overlapping Michigan geographies.
• Community Foundation of Greater Flint: Flint-area philanthropic foundation funding affordable housing, economic mobility, and community development; CFI has received funding from similar local foundations, making it an aligned funder-and-ecosystem peer in the same regional economy.

Others

• The Kresge Foundation: Major national foundation investing in community development, affordable housing, and economic opportunity in cities including Detroit and Flint where CFI operates; funder relationship and overlapping mission make it an enabling ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Communities_1st
• Facebookfacebook.com/communitiesfirstinc
• Instagraminstagram.com/communitiesfirstinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 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 Communities First