What Urban Collaborative Project CDC does

Urban Collaborative Project (UCP), doing business as UCP and legally organized as The Urban Collaborative Project, is a BIPOC-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit (Tax ID 46-5413848) founded in 2013 and headquartered at 5003 Imperial Avenue, Suite 114A, in Southeastern San Diego's Council District 4. Per its website and operational disclosures, UCP builds a "self-healing community" by addressing health disparities and the built environment in partnership with residents of neighborhoods including Chollas View, Emerald Hills, Lincoln Park, Mount Hope, and Valencia Park. The organization operates across four programmatic pillars: Transportation & Infrastructure (Southeastern Connect microtransit pilot with SANDAG and Via Transportation, youth-led walk audits, annual Transportation Justice Expo), Health & Environmental Justice (Community Planning Collaborative for a Green Southeastern San Diego under a TCC Planning Grant, Euclid Stewards Project, Community Climate Conversations with County OSEJ), Arts & Community Beautification (Secret Stairs of Valencia Park, The Gathering Place in Lincoln Park, Coffee & Community Pop Up, murals with Affirmed Housing), and Capacity Building (Resident Leadership Academy, monthly District 4 Joint Town Council and Community Infrastructure & Transportation meetings).

UCP does not sell products or services. Its revenue model is a mix of individual donations (single, monthly, and annual), in-kind volunteer contributions of time, skills, equipment, and goods, and restricted government grants. Confirmed institutional funders include SANDAG and the City of San Diego (microtransit co-funding via the Clean Mobility Options Voucher program), the California Strategic Growth Council (two-year TCC Planning Grant), The San Diego Foundation (Euclid Corridor Stewardship pilot), Blue Shield of California ($15,000 for Secret Stairs of Valencia Park), the California Energy Commission's Clean Transportation Program, and San Diego Canyonlands. Core technology is minimal: the organization depends on the third-party Via San Diego smartphone app for microtransit booking and a Squarespace-hosted website (ucproject.org) for outreach; no proprietary technology, AI/ML systems, or patents are disclosed.

The organization is led by Founder and CEO Barry Pollard (also Board Secretary), with Carmina Paz as COO, a six-person staff, and an eight-person Board of Directors including Board President Nancy Gannon Hornberger, Treasurer Robert Ito, and Board Member Suzanne Afflalo, MD. Distribution and go-to-market are community-led: grassroots canvassing, social media, email newsletter, monthly community meetings, annual events (Transportation Justice Expo, Coffee & Community Pop Up), and direct resident engagement through the Resident Leadership Academy. UCP is registered as a private, independent nonprofit with no parent company, subsidiaries, or institutional investors.

Name

Urban Collaborative Project CDC

Legal name

The Urban Collaborative Project

Website

https://ucproject.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Urban Collaborative Project CDC is a BIPOC-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Southeastern San Diego that delivers community programs across transportation, environmental justice, arts, and capacity building for residents of Council District 4.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Development & Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG, Place-Based Initiatives) (BPAIANAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure (BPADALAL), Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF), Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC)

Keywords

• Community development programs
• Microtransit transportation services
• Environmental justice initiatives
• Community capacity building
• Arts and placemaking

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

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. Donations and Charitable Contributions: UCP accepts single, monthly, or annual monetary donations from individuals. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (Tax ID: 46-5413848).
2. Volunteer and In-Kind Contributions: Community members donate time, skills, technical expertise, assets, or goods such as property, bikes, clean up materials, and art supplies.
3. Government Grants and Programs: Funded by SANDAG, the City of San Diego, and Clean Mobility Options Voucher program for transportation initiatives. Also awarded a two-year TCC Planning Grant from California Strategic Growth Council.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Urban Collaborative Project CDC is a BIPOC-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that designs and delivers place-based community programs in Southeastern San Diego. Its core offerings span four program areas: transportation/infrastructure (including a microtransit partnership with Via San Diego), health and environmental justice, arts and community beautification, and capacity building for residents and neighborhood-based organizations.

Product overview

Urban Collaborative Project CDC is a BIPOC-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering community programs rather than a traditional tech product. Its offerings consist of community-based programs including the Southeastern Connect Microtransit Pilot (an on-demand EV ride service via the Via San Diego app), Health & Environmental Justice initiatives (Community Planning Collaborative, Euclid Stewards Project, Community Climate Conversations), Arts & Community Beautification projects (Gathering Place, Coffee Pop Up events, murals), and Capacity Building programs (Resident Leadership Academy, monthly community meetings). These programs work together to build a self-healing community in Southeastern San Diego through resident partnership, focusing on health, transportation, infrastructure, and environmental justice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transportation & Infrastructure Program
• Health & Environmental Justice Program
• Arts & Community Beautification Program
• Capacity Building Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Southeastern Connect microtransit service provides zero-emission rides for up to four passengers in service area
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• SANDAGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSANDAG partnered with UCP to launch Southeastern Connect, an on-demand microtransit service in Southeastern San Diego. SANDAG provides funding through the Clean Mobility Options Voucher program. UCP serves as community partner, gathering feedback and helping shape transportation options for underserved communities.
• Via TransportationcoreTechnology or IntegrationVia Transportation operates the Southeastern Connect microtransit service using electric vehicles. The service is accessible through the Via San Diego smartphone app and a service hotline.
• San Diego CanyonlandsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSan Diego Canyonlands partners with UCP for remediation of Chollas Creekside Park, including removal of invasive plants and organization of community cleanups to enhance the Chollas Creek habitat.
• SAGE ProjectmajorTechnology or IntegrationSAGE Project provides UCP with technical assistance and data collection for the Euclid Stewards Project, including attending community workshops, gathering feedback, and measuring greenhouse gas levels and climate impacts.
• County of San Diego Office of Sustainability and Environmental Justice (OSEJ)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOSEJ partners with UCP to lead Community Climate Conversations, a series of community outreach engagements dedicated to facilitating discussion and education surrounding sustainability, decarbonization, and community improvement projects guided by the Regional Decarbonization Framework playbook.
• Affirmed HousingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffirmed Housing partnered with UCP and local artist Maxx Moses to establish a series of art murals at an affordable housing development at The Orchard, 5052 Hilltop Drive.
• Community Health Improvement PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Health Improvement Partners developed the Resident Leadership Academy (RLA) framework that UCP uses to empower residents with skills, tools, and leadership training to identify and solve neighborhood problems.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Grounded Solutions Network: A national membership organization that supports community land trusts and shared-equity homeownership programs. It is comparable to UCP because UCP's Community Planning Collaborative explicitly includes community land trust development, putting it in the same CLT-building ecosystem.
• Enterprise Community Partners: A major national nonprofit that invests in affordable housing, community development, and climate resilience in underserved neighborhoods. It is comparable to UCP because both work at the intersection of community development, housing, and environmental justice, though Enterprise operates at national scale while UCP is a single-district CDC.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): A large national community development financial institution that funds and supports CDCs and community development projects across the U.S. It is comparable to UCP because both operate in the community development and place-based revitalization space, though LISC is a much larger, national intermediary funder rather than a single-district CDC.

Others

• ICLEI USA: A network of local and regional governments working on sustainable community development, climate, and equity programs. It is comparable to UCP as an ecosystem peer in the climate-equity and sustainable-cities space, though ICLEI is a government-membership organization rather than a community-led nonprofit.

Direct peers

• San Diego Canyonlands: A San Diego nonprofit focused on canyon and open-space stewardship, including the Chollas Creek area that UCP also engages with. It is comparable to UCP because both operate as place-based nonprofits in the same Southeastern San Diego geography, often on the same projects (UCP lists San Diego Canyonlands as a major partner).
• T.R.U.S.T. South LA: A South Los Angeles community land trust and CDC working on housing stability, anti-displacement, and equitable development in underserved neighborhoods. It is comparable to UCP because both are BIPOC-led, place-based CDCs pursuing community land trust development, anti-displacement strategies, and resident leadership in low-income communities of color.
• Community Health Improvement Partners (CHIP): A San Diego–based nonprofit that convenes cross-sector partners to improve community health outcomes. It is comparable to UCP because both are community-based nonprofits that operate in Southeastern San Diego on health-equity and resident-leadership work, and CHIP developed the Resident Leadership Academy framework that UCP uses.

Regional players

• The San Diego Foundation: A regional community foundation serving San Diego County, including Southeastern San Diego. It is comparable to UCP because both channel philanthropic and government funding into local community development projects in the same geography, and the Foundation is already a named UCP partner.
• County of San Diego Office of Sustainability and Environmental Justice (OSEJ): A county-level government body that partners with community organizations on climate, decarbonization, and environmental justice work. It is comparable to UCP because OSEJ is already a named UCP partner on Community Climate Conversations and decarbonization programming, both of which sit in the same local government and environmental justice space.

Emerging players

• Center for Community Innovation (UC Davis): A California-based research and practice center focused on equitable community development, land use, and community land trusts. It is comparable to UCP because both work on community land trust development and equitable community planning in California, though CCI is more research-oriented.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urban-collaborative-project-cdc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Urban Collaborative Project CDC