Lawrence Community Works
Lawrence Community Works is a nonprofit community development corporation founded in 1986 in Lawrence, Massachusetts, integrating affordable housing development (230+ homes built), workforce training, youth development, and community organizing for 5,000+ resident members.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersLawrence, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Lawrence Community Works does
Lawrence Community Works (LCW) is a nonprofit community development corporation incorporated in 1986 in Lawrence, Massachusetts, operating from its headquarters at 168 Newbury St. The organization integrates community planning, asset-building, and affordable housing development around a stated three-pronged framework investing in People, Place, and Systems. Its core programs include Asset Building, a Home Buyers program, Workforce Development, the Movement City youth development and scholarship program, Real Estate Development (230 affordable homes built to date, with 148 apartment homes reported in the active pipeline), and Community Organizing initiatives such as NeighborCircles and the Reviviendo neighborhood planning effort. The organization is member-governed, with 5,000+ resident members who vote in board elections and serve on committees; membership is open to Lawrence residents, workers, and volunteers.
LCW does not operate a technology platform; its "products" are physical real estate, in-person programs, and community services delivered through direct engagement rather than software. The revenue model is diversified across individual donations (one-time and recurring gifts at $25–$200 tiers), corporate and business sponsorships, planned giving, membership dues, and a Massachusetts Community Investment Tax Credit that offers donors a 50% state tax credit on gifts of $1,000 or more. Fundraising is event-driven — the annual 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament raised nearly $30,000 in 2023 with a $40,000 target in 2024, and a 40th Anniversary Gala was held in 2024. Cumulative impact metrics disclosed include $110M+ in new neighborhood investment, $175M in local property value created through the home buyers program, 16 once-vacant parcels reclaimed, and outcomes such as 91% of Movement City graduates learning new skills and 90% reporting increased self-esteem.
The organization is led operationally by a Chief Operating Officer (Juan Bonilla) and a Director of Real Estate (John Harden), with resource development managed by Joshua Stachowski. Historically, LCW traces its roots to 1981 (as Immigrant City Community Housing Corporation), nearly collapsed in 1998 to a single staff member, and was rebuilt beginning July 12, 1999 by Bill Traynor from a storefront at 197 Essex St. as Lawrence CommunityWorks. The entity is a Massachusetts-incorporated nonprofit with no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed institutional investment, private equity, or venture capital ownership; governance rests with its membership and elected board.
Lawrence Community Works firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lawrence Community Works
- Legal name
- Lawrence CommunityWorks, Inc.
- Website
- https://lawrencecommunityworks.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Lawrence Community Works is a nonprofit community development corporation founded in 1986 in Lawrence, Massachusetts, integrating affordable housing development (230+ homes built), workforce training, youth development, and community organizing for 5,000+ resident members.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lawrence Community Works industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Development Services
- NAICS
- Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Employment & Job Readiness Support Services (BPAGAEAJ), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)
Keywords
Where Lawrence Community Works is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lawrence
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Lawrence Community Works business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Individual donors make one-time or recurring gifts to support LCW's mission of transforming Lawrence through housing, economic opportunity, education, and civic empowerment. The organization offers donation options at $25, $50, $100, $200 levels with monthly, quarterly, or yearly giving frequency. Donors can direct gifts to specific programs.
- Corporate/Business Sponsorships: Businesses and organizations sponsor LCW events, particularly the annual 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament which raised nearly $30,000 in 2023 with a goal of $40,000 in 2024.
- Planned Giving: LCW offers planned giving opportunities for long-term donor investments, allowing supporters to make legacy contributions to the organization's mission.
- Community Investment Tax Credit: Donors of $1,000 or more can receive a 50% state tax credit on their total donation, making it a financially incentivized giving option for major donors.
- Membership Dues: Members pay dues as established by the Board of Directors. Membership provides voting rights for board elections, eligibility to sit on committees and advisory boards, and access to stipended positions within the organization.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Lawrence Community Works product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lawrence Community Works is a nonprofit community development corporation that provides affordable housing development, homebuyer education and counseling, workforce development, youth programming, and asset-building services to Lawrence, Massachusetts residents. It supplements direct services with member-led community organizing and real estate development that has produced 230 affordable homes and more than $110 million in neighborhood investment.
Product overview
Lawrence Community Works operates as a community development corporation offering an integrated portfolio of social programs focused on people, places, and systems change. The core offerings include: Asset Building and Home Buyers programs for financial capability; Workforce Development for employment preparation; Movement City for youth development and the Armand Hyatt Scholarship Fund; Real Estate Development for affordable housing (230 homes built, 148 more in development); and Community Organizing through NeighborCircles and resident engagement. Additionally, the Membership Program enables resident participation in governance and network activities. These programs work together under a three-pronged approach: investing in people (skills and financial resilience), place (stable neighborhoods with affordable housing), and systems (institutional coordination).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Asset Building Program Financial capability and asset-building services for Lawrence residents, including Individual Development Accounts that help low- and moderate-income households save toward homeownership, education, and small business goals.
- Home Buyers Program Homebuyer education, counseling, and pre-purchase support for Lawrence residents pursuing affordable homeownership, including first-time homebuyer preparation.
- Workforce Development Program Workforce training, job readiness, and career advancement services for Lawrence residents, with focus on connecting low- and moderate-income participants to local employment opportunities.
- Movement City Youth Program Year-round youth development program offering college access, leadership development, and after-school opportunities for Lawrence youth.
- Real Estate Development Affordable housing and mixed-income real estate development, including new construction and rehabilitation, that has produced 230 affordable homes and more than $110 million in neighborhood investment in Lawrence.
- Community Organizing Program Resident-led community organizing across seven neighborhood committees that build local leadership and drive campaigns on housing, public safety, and neighborhood quality-of-life issues.
- Resident Membership Program Annual membership program for Lawrence residents that gives members voting rights, leadership pathways, and access to CDC programs; the program has grown to 5,000+ dues-paying members.
Quantifiable outcome
- 230 affordable homes built and $175M in local property value created
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Lawrence Community Works
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Lawrence Community Works technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Lawrence Community Works partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Lawrence Community Works competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Neighborhood Developers: A community development corporation serving Chelsea, Revere, and Everett, MA with an integrated model combining affordable housing development, workforce development, and resident organizing — directly comparable to LCW's three-pronged People/Place/Systems approach in a similar Greater Boston immigrant community context.
- Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation: Boston-based CDC combining affordable housing development, community organizing, and resident services — closely parallel to LCW's integrated CDC model and community-led governance approach.
- Madison Park Development Corporation: Roxbury, MA CDC focused on affordable housing, workforce development, and community building — directly comparable mission, geographic proximity, and integrated program model.
- Urban Edge Housing Corporation: Boston-area CDC developing and managing affordable rental housing while providing resident services — directly comparable to LCW's housing development and resident engagement model.
- Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation: Dorchester, MA-based CDC with affordable housing, small business support, and workforce development — comparable integrated community development approach serving an urban immigrant community.
Broad incumbents
- Habitat for Humanity: National affordable homeownership organization with a volunteer-driven housing development model — comparable to LCW's home buyers program but operating at vastly greater scale and with a narrower focus on homeownership rather than integrated community development.
- Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National CDFI and CDC support intermediary that funds and supports community development corporations including affordable housing, economic development, and capacity building — LISC's dual role as funder and peer places it in the same ecosystem as LCW.
- NeighborWorks America: National network of 240+ community development organizations providing affordable housing and community revitalization — the national umbrella network that LCW and similar CDCs either belong to or benchmark against.
- Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit that develops affordable housing and partners with CDCs on community development — comparable mission at national scale and a likely funder/peer for organizations like LCW.
Regional players
- Lawrence Workforce Investment Board: Local workforce development organization operating in the same Lawrence, MA market as LCW — directly comparable in workforce training mission and likely a partner, collaborator, or partial substitute for LCW's workforce development programming.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Lawrence Community Works social profiles
Digital presenceLawrence Community Works financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lawrence Community Works leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Lawrence Community Works funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lawrence Community Works M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Lawrence Community Works
What does Lawrence Community Works do?
Lawrence Community Works is a nonprofit community development corporation that provides affordable housing development, homebuyer education and counseling, workforce development, youth programming, and asset-building services to Lawrence, Massachusetts residents. It supplements direct services with member-led community organizing and real estate development that has produced 230 affordable homes and more than $110 million in neighborhood investment.
Is Lawrence Community Works a public or private company?
Lawrence Community Works is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Lawrence Community Works founded?
Lawrence Community Works was founded in 1986. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Lawrence Community Works based?
Lawrence Community Works is headquartered in Lawrence, United States, in the North America region.
How does Lawrence Community Works make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate/Business Sponsorships, planned Giving, community Investment Tax Credit and membership Dues.
Who are Lawrence Community Works's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Neighborhood Developers, Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation, Madison Park Development Corporation, Urban Edge Housing Corporation and Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation. Broad incumbents are Habitat for Humanity, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), NeighborWorks America and Enterprise Community Partners. Lawrence Workforce Investment Board is listed as a regional player.
Does Lawrence Community Works have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lawrence Community Works.
What industry is Lawrence Community Works in?
Lawrence Community Works's product category is Community Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAEAL, Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services, with a secondary code of BPAGAEAJ, Employment & Job Readiness Support Services. Its NAICS code is 8134 and its SIC code is 8300.