Community Renewal International

What Community Renewal International does

Community Renewal International (CRI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1994 in Shreveport, Louisiana, by Mack McCarter to combat social isolation and neighborhood decline through a deliberate "Relational Foundation" methodology in which visible acts of caring are organized into sustained community relationships. Its core operational unit is the Friendship House — a community center run from a private residence where a CRI coordinator and family live on-site, offering after-school programming, youth clubs, mentoring, and family activities in low-income Shreveport-Bossier City neighborhoods; the network has grown to 11 Friendship Houses across the metropolitan area.

CRI operates four principal program lines built on the same relational methodology: the Adult Renewal Academy (GED preparation with 180+ graduates, partnered with Caddo/Bossier Parish Adult Education and Northwest Louisiana Technical College for vocational credentials), We Care Schools (a K-12 culture-of-caring framework piloted at University Elementary in 2018-19 and now deployed in 25+ Caddo Parish schools), the Haven House block-leader network, and the global Renewal Team membership program with 50,000+ members. Documented outcomes include a police-verified average 52% drop in major crime across the five Friendship House neighborhoods (60% in Allendale, 69% in Cedar Grove) and more than 3,000 youth served since 1997.

The business model is charitable: all programs are free to participants, and revenue is generated through individual and corporate donations, foundation grants and prize awards (notably a $1M Opus Prize in 2022), and in-kind volunteer services (legal, tutoring, construction, mentoring). CRI pursues geographic expansion through replication partners — the Center for Community Renewal coordinates domestic rollout (Abilene TX, Shawnee OK, Minneapolis MN, Washington D.C.) and Africa Community Renewal in Yaounde, Cameroon, with a 2015 multi-university MOU supporting credentialing of instructors for international sites. The organization is privately governed by a board of directors with no parent company or external investment ownership, and operates with a staff band of 11–50 employees.

Name

Community Renewal International

Legal name

Community Renewal International, Inc.

Website

https://communityrenewal.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Community Renewal International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that reduces social isolation and crime in low-income neighborhoods by placing resident coordinators in Friendship Houses, running We Care Schools and the Adult Renewal Academy, and replicating its Relational Foundation model domestically and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Residential Education, Programming & Community Development (EDALACAC)

Keywords

• Community development services
• After-school youth programs
• Adult education GED
• Neighborhood revitalization
• School culture programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Shreveport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Individual and corporate donations from supporters who contribute to fund CRI's community programs, Friendship Houses, and youth development initiatives.
2. Prize Awards: Prize awards such as the $1 million Opus Prize that expand humanitarian efforts and provide operational funding.
3. Volunteer Services: Pro-bono professional services from volunteers including legal counsel, tutoring, construction work, and mentoring.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Community Renewal International operates neighborhood-based Friendship Houses in 11 Shreveport-Bossier City locations, where community coordinators and their families live onsite and deliver after-school programs, youth and teen clubs, community service projects, and family activities for at-risk youth and residents. The organization also runs the Adult Renewal Academy (GED preparation and life-skills classes), We Care Schools (school culture transformation in partnership with 25+ K-12 schools), and the Haven House / Good Neighbor volunteer block-leader program, all anchored by the proprietary Relational Foundation methodology for building sustained caring relationships.

Product overview

Community Renewal International operates a portfolio of community-building programs centered on its Relational Foundation model. The core offerings include Friendship Houses (community centers in homes serving at-risk youth and families), We Care Schools (implementing caring culture in educational settings), and the Adult Renewal Academy (helping adults earn high school equivalency). Supporting programs include Haven House (neighborhood volunteer leaders), the Renewal Team (caring membership program with 50,000+ members), Good Neighbor Block Connector, and Women of CR. The We Care Schools sub-brand also offers free educational resources and workshop materials. The organization was awarded the $1 million Opus Prize in 2022.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Friendship House: Neighborhood community centers in homes offering after-school programs, youth clubs, and family activities for at-risk youth and families
• We Care Schools
• Haven House
• Adult Renewal Academy
• We Care Team

Products and services

• Friendship House A neighborhood community center operated inside a home where a CRI community coordinator and their family live onsite, providing after-school programs, youth and teen clubs, community service projects, and family activities for at-risk youth and families in low-income neighborhoods. Each area typically has two Friendship Houses, one for children and one for teenagers.
• We Care Schools A school community initiative that adapts CRI's Relational Foundation model to create a school culture of caring, with implementation in 25+ K-12 schools including University Elementary, Atkins Elementary, and Booker T. Washington High School. Provides teacher training, planning workshops, and frameworks that have been accepted as a Tier 1 PBIS plan.
• Adult Renewal Academy Free adult education program helping adults who did not finish high school earn their high school equivalency diploma, with classes in math, reading, life skills, and vocational pathways (e.g., welding with Northwest Louisiana Technical College). Classes are taught by certified instructors from Caddo and Bossier Parish Adult Education Programs at Friendship Houses and partner sites.
• Haven House / Good Neighbor Trained neighborhood volunteer leaders who reach out to connect residents in caring relationships, organize block parties and other community activities, and help create safer, more connected neighborhoods.
• Renewal Team A global caring-relationship membership program where members pledge to build positive caring relationships, sign up to volunteer, receive program updates, and participate in We Care activities. More than 50,000 people worldwide have joined.
• Women of CR A women's initiative within Community Renewal that engages women in building caring communities and supporting families in need in Shreveport-Bossier City.

Quantifiable outcome

• Major crime reduced by average 52% in five Friendship House neighborhoods
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• University Elementary SchoolflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018First We Care Schools pilot (2018-19), adapting CRI's Relational Foundation model to create school culture of caring. Accepted as Tier 1 PBIS plan.
• Bossier Parish Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2015Part of Multi-Party Memorandum of Understanding signed in May 2015 to develop educational curriculum supporting replication of the CRI model in Africa and throughout the United States.
• Louisiana State University-ShreveportcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2015Part of MOU with five area universities to design and implement educational credentials qualifying instructors for Africa Community Renewal.
• Southern University of ShreveportcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2015Part of MOU for curriculum development to support international replication of CRI model.
• Centenary CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2015Part of five-university collaborative designing credentialing programs for CRI model instructors.
• Northwestern State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2015Part of five-university collaborative designing credentialing programs for CRI model instructors.
• Africa Community Renewal (ACR)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Based in Cameroon, coordinated by Jean Nkengsa, working to replicate the CRI model in Yaounde, Cameroon. CRI model introduced to Cameroon in 2005.
• Red Ball OxygenminorOthersBusiness sponsor for Friendship House programs, helping make youth outreach possible including supporting youth like Corion Thomas.
• Fuller Center for HousingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to build new single-family residences in Allendale neighborhood. 48 new homes built with first-time homeowners, replacing dilapidated housing.
• Kids Across AmericaminorOthersSummer camp program that Friendship House youth participate in, exposing them to experiences beyond their neighborhoods.
• Shreveport and Bossier City Police DepartmentscoreOthersOngoing partnership providing crime data analysis and support for community policing initiatives. Police chiefs have publicly praised CRI's impact on neighborhood safety.
• Northwest Louisiana Technical CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing welding certification through Adult Renewal Academy, helping students like Magnolia Bates and Corion Thomas gain vocational skills.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Points of Light: Large nonprofit focused on volunteer engagement and community service; comparable to CRI's Renewal Team and volunteer-driven community model, operating in adjacent volunteer-mobilization territory.
• YMCA of the USA: National community-center operator providing youth programs, education, and family services in neighborhood locations; comparable as a broader incumbent in the community-center / youth-development space CRI occupies with Friendship Houses.
• United Way Worldwide: Major community-impact fundraising and grant-making organization funding local social services, youth programs, and education; comparable as a broader incumbent funder/convener for the community-renewal outcomes CRI delivers.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National community-development financial institution supporting neighborhood revitalization, affordable housing, and community-building initiatives; comparable in its neighborhood-renewal mission and emphasis on partnership-driven local impact.
• Habitat for Humanity International: Large nonprofit operating in neighborhood revitalization and affordable housing, including a direct partnership with CRI through Fuller Center for Housing; comparable as a broader community-renewal and housing-development incumbent.

Direct peers

• Communities In Schools: School-based nonprofit integrating supportive services and caring relationships into K-12 to address non-academic barriers to learning; directly comparable to CRI's We Care Schools framework, which builds a culture of caring inside schools.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National network of community-based youth centers offering after-school programming, mentorship, and activities for at-risk youth; directly comparable to CRI's Friendship Houses, which serve the same core population with similar youth-development and crime-mitigation objectives.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National youth-mentoring nonprofit pairing at-risk young people with adult role models; comparable to CRI's mentoring, Kids Club, and Youth Club tracks, focused on sustained one-on-one relationships to improve life outcomes.

Emerging players

• Hope Worldwide: Faith-based nonprofit running volunteer-driven community transformation programs domestically and internationally; comparable in its faith-rooted, volunteer-mobilized model of community service and international replication.
• After-School All-Stars: National nonprofit providing comprehensive after-school programs to underserved youth in schools and community centers; closely comparable to CRI's Friendship House programming for at-risk children and teens.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CRI_WeCare
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-3OTqzlkP2iXLPg35l6WUw
• Facebookfacebook.com/communityrenewal
• Instagraminstagram.com/communityrenewalinternational

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Community Renewal International