The Hard Bargain Mt Hope Redevelopment Inc

What The Hard Bargain Mt Hope Redevelopment Inc does

The Hard Bargain Mt Hope Redevelopment Inc, operating as the Hard Bargain Association (HBA), is a 501(c)(3) grassroots nonprofit founded in 2004 (501(c)(3) status obtained March 2006) and headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee. Its mission is to preserve the historic Hard Bargain African American neighborhood — a 15-acre, two-block, 130+ household community founded in 1875 by Harvey McLemore, a freed slave — by combining affordable housing development, rehabilitation services, and community programming. The organization serves low to moderate-income families seeking homeownership, elderly and low-income residents needing home repairs, single mothers in transitional housing situations, and the broader neighborhood community. It maintains Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) status with HUD, with at least one-third of its 14-member board required to be low-to-moderate income or neighborhood representatives.

HBA's core product set includes: (1) a Homeownership Program that builds new homes and sells them below market value to qualified buyers who complete HUD-approved Homebuyer Education classes through partner agencies Good Neighbor Foundation and You Can Make It Homeownership Center; (2) a volunteer-driven Rehab Program that performs repairs (painting, carpentry, roofing, landscaping) on homes of elderly and income-qualified residents; (3) Ty's House Community Center at 608 Mount Hope Street, which offers computer and cooking classes, educational programming, and event rental space; and (4) supplementary programs including a community garden, beautification projects, and seasonal initiatives (Angel Tree, Thanksgiving Giveaway). Technology is not a meaningful input — the core delivery model is volunteer labor, donated materials, and skilled builder partnerships (Crane Builders has built all HBA homes since the first in 2007).

The revenue model is predominantly donation- and grant-driven, with secondary income from below-market home sales, Ty's House rental fees, and a small online merchandise store. Corporate sponsorship is structurally important: LP Building Solutions serves as main sponsor (over a decade of support), with Pinnacle Financial Partners, Nissan (which built four homes in 2023 via its Black Employee Network), and Jackson National Life Insurance (joined 2024) as core partners. The go-to-market is community-led — grassroots engagement through neighborhood meetings, design workshops, resident board representation, and annual fundraising events (Annual Celebration Dinner, Fall Festival, Blackberry Jam Music Festival). The organization is operationally small with 1–10 employees, led by Executive Director Derrick L Solomon, and operates exclusively within Franklin, Tennessee.

Name

The Hard Bargain Mt Hope Redevelopment Inc

Legal name

Hard Bargain Mt. Hope Redevelopment Inc

Website

https://hardbargain.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hard Bargain Association is a Franklin, Tennessee-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds below-market affordable homes, provides volunteer home repairs for elderly residents, and operates Ty's House community center to preserve the historic 130+ year old Hard Bargain African American neighborhood.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Affordable Housing & Community Development

NAICS

Other Community Housing Services (624229), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), New Housing For-Sale Builders (236117)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700), Services-Miscellaneous Repair Services (7600)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Affordable housing development
• Community revitalization
• Historic neighborhood preservation
• Home rehabilitation services
• Community center programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Franklin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Grassroots non-profit organization that depends on donor generosity to fund programs and operating budget. Accepts one-time and monthly donations, gifts in memory/tribute, stock gifts, United Way designations, and company matching gifts.
2. Home Sales: Builds new homes and sells them below market value to low to moderate-income families. Revenue from home sales supports the organization's affordable housing mission.
3. Community Center Rental: Ty's House community center is available to rent for events and private parties, generating rental income.
4. Merchandise Sales: Online shop selling branded merchandise including t-shirts, hoodies, hats, bags, and accessories with HBA logo.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Hard Bargain Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community development corporation that preserves the historic Hard Bargain neighborhood in Franklin, Tennessee by building new affordable homes sold below market value to low- and moderate-income families, providing volunteer-led home repair services for elderly and low-income residents, and operating Ty's House community center for educational classes and event rentals.

Product overview

The Hard Bargain Association operates as a community-focused nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of housing and community development programs. The core offerings include a Homeownership Program that builds and sells affordable homes to low-to-moderate income families, a Rehab Projects initiative that provides volunteer-powered home repairs for elderly and income-qualified residents, and Ty's House Community Center which serves as a hub for educational classes and community gatherings. The organization also operates a merchandise store selling branded apparel and accessories, manages various donation programs including online giving, stock gifts, and memorial contributions, and runs seasonal initiatives like the Angel Tree holiday program and community beautification projects. All programs are designed to preserve and revitalize the historic Hard Bargain neighborhood in Franklin, Tennessee.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Homeownership Program Program that constructs new homes and sells them below market value to low- to moderate-income families who complete a Housing Questionnaire and Homebuyer Education classes through HUD-approved partners.
• Rehab Projects Volunteer-driven program that performs home repairs including painting, carpentry, roofing, and landscaping for elderly and low-income residents of the Hard Bargain neighborhood.
• Ty's House Community Center Community center at 608 Mt. Hope Street offering computer classes, cooking classes, educational programs, and rental space for events and private parties.
• HBA Merchandise Store

Quantifiable outcome

• Built 8+ homes since 2007
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, main sponsor and foundational.

• Jackson National Life Insurance CompanycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Joined HBA's philanthropy initiatives in 2024 to fuel HBA New Home Construction and HBA Rehab Program. Together providing clarity for future homeowners in Williamson County.
• NissancoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Incredible community sponsor that assisted with building four new homes in 2023. Volunteers from Nissan's BEN team (Black Employee Network) participate in HBA Annual Fall Cleanup and HBA Angel Tree Program.
• LP Building Solutionsmain sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerMain sponsor that assists in all events year round including Blackberry Jam Music Festival, HBA Annual Celebration Dinner, and HBA Angel Tree Program. Has provided time, talent, and treasure for over a decade.
• Pinnacle Financial PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHas assisted HBA from the very beginning of the organization's existence. Provides support from financial literacy to mortgage products to construction loans. Sponsors HBA Annual Celebration Dinner for over a decade.
• Solomon Builders of NashvillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelped renovate the former cemetery caretaker's house in the Mt. Hope cemetery into Ty's House community center. Led the renovation with many subcontractors, suppliers, and vendors.
• Good Neighbor FoundationcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHUD-approved agency for housing counseling. Partners with HBA to provide Homebuyer Education classes required for purchasing homes. Contact: Abbey at (615) 610-4912, 129 Fowlkes Street, Franklin, TN 37064.
• You Can Make It Homeownership CentercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHUD-approved agency for housing counseling. Partners with HBA to provide Homebuyer Education classes. Located at 660 Fitzhugh Blvd STE 105, Smyrna, TN 37167.
• Crane BuilderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDavid Crane, president of Crane Builders and HBA board member, has served as the builder for all HBA homes since the first house at 613 Mt. Hope Street in 2007.
• United Way of Greater NashvillecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficially partnered organization. Can receive designations through United Way campaigns.
• Tennessee Housing Development AgencycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficially partnered organization for housing development initiatives.
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerHBA maintains Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) status with HUD, requiring at least one third of the Board to be low to moderate income or neighborhood representatives.
• Empty Hands FellowshipfoundationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerInter-denominational, inter-racial men's fellowship that originated the neighborhood revitalization effort in 1997 when they helped save Ms. Carrie Wilson's house from foreclosure and began the transformation that led to HBA's founding.
• First Missionary Baptist ChurchfoundationalOthersLocation where the subcommittee of Empty Hands Fellowship met monthly to discuss redevelopment, purchasing property, and building new homes. HBA holds neighborhood meetings at Franklin Primitive Baptist Church on Mt. Hope Street.

Scale indicators8 records

Broad incumbents

• NeighborWorks America: Congressionally chartered national network of 250+ community development nonprofits focused on affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization; comparable as a peer organization and funding intermediary to CHDOs like HBA.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): Community development financial institution that funds local nonprofits for affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization; comparable as both a peer and a potential funding source for HBA's housing programs.
• Habitat for Humanity International: National nonprofit that builds affordable homes with volunteer labor and sells them to low-income families; the dominant scaled analog to HBA's Homeownership Program, but operating across thousands of affiliates globally rather than a single neighborhood.
• Mercy Housing: National nonprofit affordable housing developer serving low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities; comparable mission and HUD-aligned funding strategy, but at significantly larger scale.
• Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit that develops and preserves affordable housing in communities of color; similar CHDO-aligned mission and federal funding access, but at much greater scale and geographic breadth than HBA.

Direct peers

• Rebuilding Together: National nonprofit providing critical home repairs for low-income homeowners, particularly elderly and disabled residents, using volunteer labor—directly comparable to HBA's Rehab Projects program.
• The Fuller Center for Housing: Nonprofit that builds affordable housing with volunteer labor and partner families, selling below market to low-income families—a more direct mid-scale peer to HBA's homeownership model than Habitat at the affiliate level.

Regional players

• Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Nashville: Nashville-area nonprofit providing homebuyer education, housing counseling, and affordable housing development; closest regional peer sharing Tennessee footprint and HUD-approved counseling partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HardBargainAssociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hard-bargain-association

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 The Hard Bargain Mt Hope Redevelopment Inc