Payne-Phalen Community Council

What Payne-Phalen Community Council does

Payne-Phalen Community Council (also known as District Five Planning Council) is a registered Minnesota 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1975 as one of 17 official district councils established by Saint Paul City Council Resolution. It serves the largest of Saint Paul's 17 identified neighborhood planning districts, covering approximately 30,008 residents (Census 2010) in an area bounded by Larpenteur Avenue, Interstate I-35E, Grove Street, and the Bruce Vento Regional Trail. The organization is governed by an all-volunteer 17-member Board of Directors and operates with a small professional staff consisting of an Executive Director (Vivian Tran) and an Outreach & Administrative Assistant (Robin Horkey).

The council functions as a civic intermediary rather than a product or service company. Its core programmatic areas include neighborhood planning participation, community safety initiatives (block clubs, National Night Out coordination), recycling and household hazardous waste education, community gardening (including the Arcade Garden Collective maintaining 40+ gardens along Arcade Street), environmental advocacy (notably the MPCA/Northern Iron air quality campaign), and transit advocacy (the Get Outta The Gully! Purple Line BRT campaign). It runs multilingual engagement events including Earth Day in 6 Languages, the Community Cookout, and the Uniquely East Side Festival. Underlying technology is standard nonprofit infrastructure: a WordPress-based website (paynephalen.org), email newsletters via Constant Contact, and social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

Revenue is generated through government funding, foundation and community grants, and donations — there are no fees, dues, or commercial revenue streams. Services are delivered free of charge to residents and businesses through direct office engagement at 567 Payne Avenue, mobile outreach at community events, monthly public board meetings, and partnerships with anchor institutions including Macalester College, Hmong American Partnership, East Side Freedom Library, MPCA, MnDOT, and Ramsey County Public Health. The organization does not publish financial figures and does not sell any technology product.

Name

Payne-Phalen Community Council

Legal name

Payne-Phalen Community Council

Website

https://paynephalen.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Payne-Phalen Community Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit district council serving ~30,000 residents in Saint Paul's District 5 with community organizing, environmental advocacy, and civic engagement programs, operated by a 2-person staff and 17-member volunteer board.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development and Civic Engagement Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Community planning services
• Neighborhood organizing programs
• Civic engagement initiatives
• Community development programs
• Environmental advocacy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Nonprofit Funding: As a registered Minnesota 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Payne-Phalen Community Council operates primarily through government funding, grants, and community donations. Revenue supports community organizing, planning, neighborhood safety programs, recycling education, community gardening, and community building initiatives. No commercial revenue streams are indicated - the organization serves as a civic resource rather than a product/service company.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Payne-Phalen Community Council (District 5 Planning Council) is a registered Minnesota 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic organization that delivers neighborhood planning, community engagement, environmental advocacy, and community beautification services to residents and businesses of the Payne-Phalen Planning District in Saint Paul. It organizes community meetings, coordinates block groups, manages environmental campaigns (including MPCA enforcement work and the Arcade Garden Collective), and hosts civic events with multilingual outreach to a diverse population.

Product overview

Payne-Phalen Community Council is a nonprofit community organization (District 5 Planning Council) serving as a civic resource for the largest of Saint Paul's 17 neighborhood planning districts. The organization does not offer a technology product but rather provides community services including neighborhood planning and development oversight, community engagement programs (community meetings, block clubs, volunteer coordination), environmental advocacy (Get Outta The Gully!, MPCA/Northern Iron monitoring, Arcade Garden Collective), and civic events (Earth Day in 6 Languages, Community Cookout, Uniquely East Side Festival, Data Party). Core programs include Railroad Island Neighborhood Group, Union Job and Resource Fair, Cross Cultural Dialogues, and MnDOT project coordination for Arcade/East 7th improvements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Community engagement through annual meetings, monthly board meetings, and periodic community events with multilingual outreach in Hmong, Karen, Somali, Spanish, and English
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Macalester CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership on the Ready and Resilient Neighborhoods – Climate Change project, bringing academic resources and student engagement to community resilience planning in Payne-Phalen.
• East Side Freedom LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual co-host of the Union Job and Resource Fair and collaborative partner in community organizing and immigrant history preservation efforts. Also hosts Hmong Archives collection.
• Hmong American PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey community partner for multilingual outreach and engagement, particularly for Hmong community events and the Evie Carshare expansion workshops on the East Side.
• Capitol Region Watershed DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupport partner for the Arcade Garden Collective project, providing funding and resources for green infrastructure along the Arcade Street corridor.
• Urban RootscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Arcade Garden Collective project, contributing to community gardening and green space development in the neighborhood.
• St. Paul Parks ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting the Arcade Garden Collective and broader parks and recreation initiatives in Payne-Phalen.
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership on environmental justice issues. MPCA has been working with PPCC on Northern Iron and Machine air quality violations, permit proceedings, and community notification regarding foundry emissions affecting the neighborhood.
• Ramsey County Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in addressing public health impacts from industrial pollution, particularly related to Northern Iron foundry's lead and particulate matter emissions and childhood lead exposure in the area.
• Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership on the Arcade/East 7th Street improvement project. PPCC coordinates between MnDOT, watersheds, and community non-profits to ensure implementation of green infrastructure ('green lungs') in the main street corridor.
• Minnesota Department of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in addressing health impacts from industrial pollution in coordination with MPCA and Ramsey County Public Health on Northern Iron and Machine issues.
• Family Values for LifeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization for the annual Back to School Event that provides school supplies, clothing, food, and activities for area families.
• East Side Neighborhood Development Company (ESNDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey development partner for neighborhood improvement projects including Bush-Payne redevelopment planning and creating 'East Side Pride' lawn signs distributed throughout the community.
• St. Paul Labor OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partners in hosting the annual Union Job and Resource Fair at IBEW Union Hall, connecting East Side residents with employment opportunities.
• Metro State University GROW-IT CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocation partner for the Arcade Garden Collective seed sowing event (Sowing Bee), hosting the event at Metro State's GROW-IT Center.
• Lower Phalen Creek ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Wakan Tipi – Bruce Vento Sanctuary development and East Side heritage preservation, connected to Friends of Swede Hollow initiatives.
• City of Saint PaulcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial district council partner in city planning and citizen participation system established in 1975. PPCC participates in Saint Paul's nationally recognized district council system, engaging residents in city planning and decision-making processes.
• Indigenous Roots CafeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner location for Evie Carshare expansion workshop, hosting a workshop to gather input on carshare expansion on the East Side.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Urban Roots: Saint Paul youth development and community gardening nonprofit. Direct partner on the Arcade Garden Collective and comparable in its community-gardening, beautification, and youth engagement work operating in Payne-Phalen and surrounding East Side.
• Neighborhood House: Long-standing Saint Paul community-based nonprofit offering family services, youth programs, and community building since 1897. Comparable as a neighborhood-rooted nonprofit serving Saint Paul's diverse communities with similar service-coordination and civic engagement roles.
• Hmong American Partnership: Saint Paul nonprofit serving the Hmong community with social services, education, and civic engagement programs. Direct programmatic partner of PPCC and a comparable model of multicultural community-based service delivery in the same metro area.
• The Sanneh Foundation: Saint Paul-based community nonprofit providing youth development, food security, and family services on the East Side. Operates with a similar community-organizing and partnership-driven model serving Saint Paul's East Side and surrounding neighborhoods.
• Sabathani Community Center: Minneapolis-based community center providing services, programs, and civic engagement. Comparable nonprofit model focused on serving a culturally diverse urban community, similar in mission scope to Payne-Phalen's multicultural programming and neighborhood organizing.
• East Side Neighborhood Development Company (ESNDC): Saint Paul-based nonprofit focused on East Side community development, housing, and neighborhood revitalization. Direct operational peer in overlapping Payne-Phalen / East Side geography with explicit PPCC partnership on redevelopment and East Side Pride initiatives.
• East Side Freedom Library: Saint Paul library and community center focused on immigrant history, civic education, and community organizing. Active PPCC partner in co-hosting the Union Job and Resource Fair and comparable as a community-rooted civic institution.

Others

• National Civic League: National nonprofit promoting civic engagement, democratic governance, and community problem-solving. Thematically adjacent to PPCC's citizen participation role, with shared focus on inclusive civic processes and community governance reform.

Regional players

• Lake Street Council: Minneapolis-based district council serving the Lake Street corridor with a directly analogous district council model in a neighboring Twin Cities metro city. Comparable in scope and community planning function but operating in Minneapolis rather than Saint Paul.

Broad incumbents

• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National nonprofit supporting community development through financing, capacity building, and partnerships. Operates broadly in community development with an overlapping mission to neighborhood revitalization, though at much greater national scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/payne_phalen
• Facebookfacebook.com/paynephalen
• Instagraminstagram.com/payne_phalen_community_council
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/district-5-planning-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Payne-Phalen Community Council