Cornhill Empowerment Center

What Cornhill Empowerment Center does

Cornhill Empowerment Center is a private nonprofit community center located at 230 James Street in Utica, New York, operated by the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties. It opened in June 2025 as the first operational site within the broader, multi-decade Cornhill Revitalization Project, which also plans two larger Impact Centers (West Street and James Street) expected to open in 2026. The center serves as a shared physical space where local nonprofits and grassroots organizations deliver programs, events, and services to neighborhood residents, using a free membership model with no fee structure for community members; partner nonprofits register to host programming on-site. Membership, program registration, and partner onboarding are managed through Daxko Online, a hosted third-party SaaS platform, and the center carries no proprietary technology stack or AI capability.

The center's offerings span youth programming (including a free STEM summer camp with SUNY Polytechnic Institute), senior activities, workforce development, arts and media, and community wellness events; its anchor funding is a $3 million, 30-year commitment from the Community Foundation, supplemented by major grants from MetLife Foundation ($1M, 2022), Empire State Development ($3.5M, 2024), and the Pro-Housing Communities Program ($3M, 2025). Strategic development partners include Edgemere Development and Pike; operational partners include People First (housing), MUNPC (community programs), Collective Impact Network, the City of Utica, and Oneida County. The center targets a high-need catchment area - central Utica has a 49% poverty rate, more than 40 languages are spoken in local schools, and over 40% of residents are Black, Hispanic, Asian, or multiracial - making grant-funded nonprofit revenue, not commercial pricing, the underlying economics.

Revenue is generated exclusively through grants, donations, and public-private partnerships rather than user fees; membership is free for residents. The development partnership with Edgemere and Pike, combined with the integration of mixed-income housing (100+ apartments across the two future Impact Centers) into the program, positions the center within a blended social-impact real-estate model anchored by the Community Foundation's 30-year capital commitment.

Name

Cornhill Empowerment Center

Legal name

Cornhill Empowerment Center

Website

https://revitalizecornhill.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Cornhill Empowerment Center is a private nonprofit community center in Utica, New York, operated by the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties. It offers free membership and shared space where local nonprofits deliver programs, events, and services to Cornhill neighborhood residents as part of a multi-decade neighborhood revitalization initiative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAEAL

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYBPAIANAE

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

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Housing, Urban Planning & Community Development

SECONDARYBPAGALAC

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

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Enterprises & Impact Organizations

Keywords

• Community development
• Nonprofit community center
• Affordable housing
• Workforce development
• Youth education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Utica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding & Donations: The Cornhill Revitalization Project is funded through a combination of grants, donations, and public-private partnerships. The Community Foundation has committed $3 million over 30 years, with additional funding from government programs and foundations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Cornhill Empowerment Center operates a shared community space at 230 James Street in Utica, NY, where local nonprofits and grassroots organizations host programs, events, and services for neighborhood residents under a free membership model. It is part of the broader Cornhill Revitalization Project, which is also developing two Impact Centers (West Street and James Street) with mixed-income housing, commercial space, and community programming. Programming includes youth, senior, workforce, and recreation activities delivered by partner nonprofits.

Product overview

The Cornhill Empowerment Center operates a single unified community facility offering free membership to residents and hosting programs led by nonprofit partners. The portfolio includes the Cornhill Empowerment Center (existing facility at 230 James Street), two Impact Centers under development (West Street and James Street), and community programming such as the STEMpowerment Series. The Impact Centers represent the primary infrastructure expansion, with West Street serving families and James Street targeting young professionals, while the Empowerment Center serves as the operational pilot site.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cornhill Empowerment Center (Community Space) Shared community space at 230 James Street, Utica NY, where local nonprofits and grassroots organizations come together to support residents through programs, events, and services. Operates on a free membership model open to all community residents.
• STEMpowerment Series Free hands-on STEM camp for youth ages 8 to 15 offering interactive science, technology, engineering, and math experiences, team-based engineering challenges, and leadership-building activities at the Cornhill Empowerment Center.

Named customers2 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

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, development, program partner and support.

• Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida CountiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject lead and initiator of the Cornhill Revitalization Project. Committed $3 million over 30 years to support operations, programming, and overall success of the impact centers. Now manages the Cornhill Empowerment Center.
• People First (Municipal Housing Authority of the City of Utica)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoined project in 2022 to manage housing component integrated into each impact center. Awarded $3 million through Pro-Housing Communities Program for THRIVE Cornhill initiative.
• Mid-Utica Neighborhood Preservation Corporation (MUNPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandowner for West Street Impact Center site. Formerly operated Leisure Time Activity Center for 45 years. Received $300,000 capacity building grant from Community Foundation. Now operates programs at Cornhill Empowerment Center.
• Collective Impact NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner involved in the Cornhill Revitalization Initiative, bringing expertise in collective impact and community collaboration.
• City of UticacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey municipal partner in the project. Contributed former Renaissance Center on James Street to the initiative. Supports neighborhood revitalization through policy and infrastructure alignment.
• Oneida CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReleased Cornhill Revitalization Public Realm Improvement Plan in June 2025. Conducting Cornhill Corridor Study to enhance connectivity between impact centers.
• Carmina Wood DesigndevelopmentTechnology or IntegrationDevelopment partner providing architectural and design services for the impact centers.
• Edgemere DevelopmentdevelopmentTechnology or IntegrationJoined as development partner in February 2022 alongside Pike for the Cornhill revitalization project.
• PikedevelopmentTechnology or IntegrationJoined as development partner in February 2022 alongside Edgemere Development for the Cornhill revitalization project.
• SUNY Polytechnic Instituteprogram partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresenting partner for STEMpowerment Series - a free, hands-on STEM camp for youth ages 8-15 at the Cornhill Empowerment Center.
• Mohawk Valley Community Collegeprogram partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting partner for STEMpowerment Series summer STEM camp program at the Cornhill Empowerment Center.
• Greater Mohawk Valley Land BanksupportStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Oneida Herkimer Solid Waste Authority to enable demolition planning for the West Street Impact Center site.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Harlem Children's Zone: Operates a network of community-based programs (education, housing, health, workforce) within a defined distressed neighborhood — directly comparable to Cornhill's place-based, multi-program community center strategy.
• Purpose Built Communities: National nonprofit that supports holistic neighborhood revitalization combining mixed-income housing, cradle-to-career education, and community wellness — a closely analogous model to the Cornhill Empowerment Center's integrated housing + services + community engagement approach.
• East Lake Foundation: Atlanta-based nonprofit driving holistic redevelopment of the East Lake neighborhood with mixed-income housing, a K-8 school, and a community wellness center — structurally similar to Cornhill's mix of affordable housing, Impact Centers, and community programming.

Broad incumbents

• NeighborWorks America: National network of community-based nonprofits providing affordable housing and community revitalization across the U.S. — comparable mission of building resilient neighborhoods through local place-based organizations.
• Living Cities: Collaborative of major foundations and financial institutions working to close racial income and wealth gaps in U.S. cities through integrated urban community development — closely related to Cornhill's place-based equity mission.
• Habitat for Humanity: Global nonprofit building affordable housing paired with community engagement and homeowner services — comparable to Cornhill's affordable housing + community-center pairing, though at vastly greater scale.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National community development financial institution that funds affordable housing, economic development, and healthy neighborhoods across the U.S. — operates at far greater scale but pursues the same integrated neighborhood-revitalization mission as the Cornhill project.
• Enterprise Community Partners: Major national nonprofit combining affordable housing development with community services and place-based programs — directly comparable to Cornhill's mixed-income + community programming model at much larger scale.

Others

• The Kresge Foundation: National philanthropy with a dedicated place-based team funding holistic neighborhood revitalization in U.S. cities — comparable funder perspective and grantee profile to the Cornhill project's anchor partners.

Regional players

• Community Foundation of Greater Flint: Mid-sized community foundation driving place-based revitalization in a Rust Belt city — a regional peer for the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties' similar role in anchoring Cornhill.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/revitalizecornhill

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 Cornhill Empowerment Center