ASSET BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CENTER

What ASSET BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CENTER does

Asset-Based Community Development Institute (ABCDI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization founded circa 1992 and housed at DePaul University's Irwin W. Steans Center in Chicago. ABCDI supports a global network of community-based practitioners across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia, teaching organizations how to identify, nurture, and mobilize existing community assets and talents rather than addressing deficits. The core intellectual property is the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) methodology — a framework encompassing Learning Conversations, Asset Mapping, Community Engagement Strategies, Power Ladders, and Capacity Inventories — codified in foundational texts including "Building Communities from the Inside Out."

The organization delivers its methodology through a structured product portfolio: a 3-hour ABCD Overview training ($35-$75 sliding scale), a 6-week ABCD Essentials training ($450-$1,500), advanced "Beyond the Essentials" training, customized sector-specific trainings, and a catalog of books, guides, and workbooks covering health equity, neighborhood organizing, and library/museum community engagement. Distribution occurs via a virtual training platform, a ClubExpress membership portal, downloadable digital resources, and a decentralized network faculty who conduct keynotes and workshops globally. Spanish-language materials and the IMLS Community Catalyst Initiative (2017-2021) extend the reach into specific verticals and linguistic segments.

ABCDI's revenue model is a hybrid of training fees (sliding-scale professional services), recurring membership dues, and tax-deductible charitable contributions. Customer segments span grassroots community organizations, higher education institutions, libraries and museums, philanthropic foundations, and healthcare organizations. The organization functions as a methodology steward and network convener rather than a technology vendor, relying on a distributed expert model to deliver global impact with a small core team.

Name

ASSET BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CENTER

Legal name

Asset-Based Community Development Institute

Website

https://abcdinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ABCDI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization that trains a global network of community-based practitioners in the Asset-Based Community Development methodology, serving grassroots organizations, libraries, museums, universities, and foundations across the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Training and Capacity Building

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Community development training
• Nonprofit capacity building
• Asset-based methodology
• Practitioner network membership
• Organizational learning workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Training and Workshop Fees: Revenue from providing ABCD training programs including virtual workshops, overview sessions, and customized organizational trainings with tiered pricing based on organization budget size.
2. Membership Dues: Revenue from membership subscriptions for practitioners and organizations seeking access to the ABCD network, resources, and member benefits.
3. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from individuals and organizations supporting the nonprofit's mission of sustainable community development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ABCDI delivers structured training programs (ABCD Essentials 6-week course, 3-hour Overview, Beyond the Essentials, and Customized Trainings) that teach organizations how to identify, nurture, and mobilize existing community assets. It also offers membership access, published books and workbooks, recorded Network Sessions, and the IMLS Community Catalyst toolkit, all grounded in the asset-based community development methodology for community practitioners, nonprofits, libraries, museums, and foundations.

Product overview

The ABCD Institute offers a portfolio of educational and training products focused on Asset-Based Community Development. The core offerings include structured training programs (ABCD Overview, ABCD Essentials, Beyond the Essentials, and Customized Trainings) that teach community practitioners how to identify, nurture, and mobilize existing community assets. Supporting these are published books (including the foundational 'Building Communities from the Inside Out'), guides and workbooks covering topics like health equity and neighborhood organizing, and webinar-based Network Sessions. Spanish-language materials and IMLS Community Catalyst Initiative resources expand accessibility. The organization functions as a membership-based nonprofit providing community development methodology rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ABCD Overview Training A 3-hour introductory training providing an overview of key concepts and components of Asset-Based Community Development, designed for leaders and funders who need an understanding of ABCD.
• ABCD Essentials Training Dynamic 6-week virtual workshops introducing core principles and applications of ABCD in local community contexts, covering Learning Conversations, Asset Mapping, Community Engagement Strategies, Power Ladders, Capacity Inventories, and organizational leadership approaches.
• Beyond the Essentials Training Advanced training offering a deeper dive into ABCD principles, typically offered once per year for practitioners seeking to extend their application of the methodology.
• Customized Trainings Tailored training programs for specific organizations or sectors (faith, rural, etc.) conducted by ABCDI network faculty members to address sector-specific community development needs.
• ABCD Guides and Workbooks Collection of tools including The Four Essential Elements of ABCD Process, ABCD How to Get Started, Asset-Based Neighborhood Organizing guides, health equity workbooks, and agency-led asset mapping tools.
• Building Communities from the Inside Out Foundational guide summarizing lessons learned from studying successful community-building initiatives, outlining asset-based development approaches for local communities.
• When People Care Enough to Act Book providing exposition of ABCD organizing principles and best practices with examples, learning exercises, worksheets, and practitioner reflections.
• Building the Mercado Central Case study of Mercado Central, a retail business cooperative developed by Latino immigrant community in Minneapolis, demonstrating asset-based development and community entrepreneurship.
• The Connected Community Guide to uncovering hidden talents, assets, and abilities in neighborhoods to create vibrant communities through neighborliness and community change.
• Asset-Based Development Success Stories from Egyptian Communities Collection of ten case studies highlighting asset-based community development examples in Egypt, produced with Centre for Development Services Cairo.
• An Asset-Based Approach to Community Development: A Manual for Village Organizers Manual developed by Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) India and Coady International Institute, focused on working with village-level disadvantaged communities.
• Network Sessions Recordings from ABCD Institute and partner events covering topics including social capital, dementia-friendly communities, solidarity economy, trauma-informed community building, and community change.
• Spanish Materials (Materiales en español) Spanish-language versions of ABCD resources including health equity workbooks, data storytelling guides, community animation materials, and translated book content.
• IMLS Community Catalyst Initiative Resources Resources developed through partnership with Institute of Museum and Library Services, including tools for discovering individual assets, resident-led associations, institutional assets, and agency-led asset mapping.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported 24 on-the-ground recipients of IMLS grant funding through the Community Catalyst Initiative
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2017ABCDI collaborated with DePaul University and IMLS on the Community Catalyst Initiative from late 2017 until September 2021, supporting 24 on-the-ground recipients of IMLS grant funding. Created tools and resources for libraries and museums to catalyze community-led change.
• DePaul University Irwin W. Steans CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABCDI is housed at DePaul University's Irwin W. Steans Center in Chicago. This partnership provides institutional support and connection to academic resources.
• Data Across Sectors for Health (DASH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on ABCD workbooks including 'Improving Health Equity through ABCD' and 'Using Data to Tell Your Community's Story' co-authored by ABCD Stewards.
• Jeder InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian organization discussing ABCD and Beyond book for local government. ABCD & Beyond co-authors Dee Brooks, Lee Griffiths, and Fiona Miller from Jeder Institute.
• Native Roots NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in ABCD & Solidarity Economy discussion exploring intersection between asset-based community development and solidarity economy frameworks.
• ShareableminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in ABCD & Solidarity Economy discussion exploring intersection between asset-based community development and sharing economy.
• Co-OP DaytonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in ABCD & Solidarity Economy discussion exploring cooperative economic models combined with ABCD approaches.
• Next System StudiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in ABCD & Solidarity Economy discussion exploring systemic approaches to community change.
• Tamarack InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanadian community development organization that publishes 'Asset-Based Community Development at a Glance' resource.
• SPACE (South Africa)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJanine Ward from SPACE in South Africa shares the Greenlight approach for poverty alleviation in ABCD network sessions.
• Centre for Development Services, CairominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEgyptian partner for 'Asset-Based Development Success Stories from Egyptian Communities' publication with Arabic version available through Near East Foundation.
• Greater Rochester Health FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeborah Puntenney's work with foundation using asset-based approach to addressing neighborhood health issues in Rochester.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Civic League: US-based nonprofit focused on community-centered democracy and civic engagement, addressing overlapping practitioner audiences with training, training resources, and convening.
• Coady International Institute: Community development leadership and training institute that co-developed an ABCD manual for village organizers with SEWA, addressing the same audience and methodology as ABCDI.
• Industrial Areas Foundation: Largest and most established community organizing network in the US, training local leaders and organizations to build relational power — an adjacent but well-trafficked methodology for community change.
• Jeder Institute: Australia-based ABCD practitioner organization and co-author of 'ABCD & Beyond,' directly extending ABCDI's methodology into the Australian local government context.
• Tamarack Institute: Canadian community development organization that actively publishes ABCD-adjacent resources such as 'Asset-Based Community Development at a Glance,' making it a direct methodological peer operating in the same paradigm.

Broad incumbents

• Aspen Institute: Large nonprofit with multiple community development programs that overlap with ABCDI's mission around resident-led change, though operating at much broader scale and with varied frameworks.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): Major community development financial institution supporting neighborhood leaders, both for-profit and nonprofit, across the US — a structural peer in the community development ecosystem.
• Purpose Built Communities: National nonprofit working with neighborhood leaders on holistic community revitalization, touching the same resident-centered paradigm and providing training/services to local organizations.
• Centre for Community Change: National organizing and community development organization that trains local leaders and advocates for community-led solutions, sharing ABCDI's resident-empowerment orientation.

Emerging players

• Harlem Children's Zone: Resident-centered, place-based nonprofit pipeline for community transformation in Central Harlem, sharing the asset-based approach to building community capacity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@abcdinstitute700
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheABCDInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asset-based-community-development-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 ASSET BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CENTER