Southeast Community Organization- District 1 Community Council

What Southeast Community Organization- District 1 Community Council does

Southeast Community Organization (SECO), also known as District 1 Community Council, is a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit founded in 1977 and headquartered at the SunRay Shopping Center, 2105 1/2 Old Hudson Road, St. Paul, MN. It is the officially designated neighborhood organization for District 1 of the City of St. Paul — one of 17 district councils — and serves the four southeast neighborhoods of Eastview, Conway, Battle Creek, and Highwood, plus the Pig's Eye Lake area. Its mission is to organize residents around social and racial justice, share knowledge and power, build local leadership, and provide advisory recommendations to city and county officials on physical, economic, and social development issues, including land use, zoning, housing, and environmental stewardship. SECO operates a small paid staff of 3–5 (Executive Director Ianni Houmas plus community organizers and office administration) supported by a volunteer board of up to 15 elected members and 130+ active volunteers. Annual programming includes roughly 500+ community events (Spooktacular, Earth Day Clean-Up, National Night Out, housing forums, Drop-Off Day, cultural music series) and the monthly District 1 News newsletter, published since 1975 in email format since 2017.

SECO does not sell technology products or services. Its "platform" is community organization: public board and committee meetings (Board, Land Use, Environmental, Housing, Communications), a website (southeastside.org), a Mailchimp newsletter, social media, and direct in-person referrals. Programmatic offerings include housing justice resources (including a Renter Resources page with HOMELine partnership), environmental initiatives tied to Pig's Eye Regional Park (with Mississippi Park Connection, Lower Phalen Creek Project, and Great River Passage Conservancy), an Immigration & Legal Resources page (with MIRAC, COPAL, Unidos MN, International Institute of Minnesota), employment and zoning resource directories, and the SECO District 1 Resilience Fund for crisis relief and small business stabilization. The organization has no proprietary technology, no app, no API, and no AI/ML capabilities disclosed.

The revenue model is donation- and grant-driven rather than commercial. SECO raises funds through tax-deductible donations (including to the new Resilience Fund), board-led grant solicitation, and fundraising campaigns. Board members are formally expected to assist with grant solicitation and fundraising. Programs are delivered directly by SECO staff and through a network of strategic partnerships with the City of St. Paul, Ramsey County (which has directed roughly $75M to affordable housing in the broader area), Sanneh Foundation (which manages Conway Rec Center), St. Paul Urban Tennis, and the named immigrant-rights and environmental organizations above. Customers are District 1 residents — homeowners, renters (about half of neighbors), immigrant families, and small businesses — together with partner institutions such as Harding Senior High School and the Battle Creek Recreation Center.

Name

Southeast Community Organization- District 1 Community Council

Legal name

Southeast Community Organization

Website

https://southeastside.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Southeast Community Organization (SECO) is the official District 1 neighborhood council — a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1977 serving Eastview, Conway, Battle Creek, and Highwood in southeast St. Paul, MN. It convenes residents, advises city officials on land use and housing, and delivers community events, resource referrals, and a Resilience Fund for crisis relief.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Advocacy Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Community organizing
• Neighborhood council
• Civic engagement
• Housing advocacy
• Land use planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

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 Fundraising: SECO District 1 Resilience Fund accepts donations to support small business stabilization, food assistance, crisis relief, and stabilization funding for neighbors facing urgent hardship. The organization is a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit.
2. Grants and Government Funding: Board members are expected to assist with grant solicitation and fundraising campaigns to support organizational operations and community programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Southeast Community Organization (SECO) is the official neighborhood organization for District 1 in St. Paul, MN, serving the Eastview, Conway, Battle Creek, and Highwood neighborhoods. It organizes community events, runs housing forums, provides land use and zoning advisory recommendations to city officials, advocates for social and racial justice, and serves as the primary information and referral source for city programs. The organization is funded through tax-deductible donations, grants, and fundraising, and operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit governed by a volunteer board.

Product overview

Southeast Community Organization (SECO) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community organization serving District 1 in St. Paul, MN. Rather than a technology product company, SECO provides community programs and services including community events coordination, housing forums and resources, environmental advocacy (including Pig's Eye Regional Park initiatives), land use/zoning advisory services, communications/newsletters (District 1 News), and various resource directories for renters, employment, immigration, and schools/churches. The organization does not offer a technology product platform but rather serves as a neighborhood council connecting residents with city services, community development opportunities, and civic engagement activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 4 neighborhoods with formal advisory role to city officials
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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 and minor.

• Sanneh FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSanneh Foundation manages and programs Conway Rec Center, providing after-school activities, open gym, tot-times, family events, fitness center memberships, ice skating, athletics, and rental space for the District 1 community.
• St. Paul Urban TennisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization that runs programming out of the Eastview Park center.
• City of St. PaulcoreOthersFormal partnership as District 1 neighborhood organization. SECO provides advisory recommendations to city officials on physical, economic, and social development issues. One of 17 district councils in St. Paul.
• Ramsey CountycoreOthersCounty partnership for park management (Battle Creek Regional Park, Pig's Eye Regional Park), housing services, and community programs. Ramsey County has provided nearly $75 million for affordable housing construction.
• Mississippi Park ConnectionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization dedicated to restoring habitat along the Mississippi River. Works on climate adaptation projects including test plots within Pig's Eye Regional Park.
• Lower Phalen Creek ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndigenous-led conservation organization building an interpretive center by Wakáŋ Tipi. Works on environmental justice initiatives related to the Pig's Eye area.
• Great River Passage ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit focused on revealing, healing, connecting and protecting acres along the Mississippi River. Aims to create public connectivity throughout the East Side River District including Pig's Eye Lake.
• HOMELineminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProvides tenant rights information, rent stabilization FAQ, and renter resources education to District 1 residents through SECO's renter resources page.
• MIRAC (Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as community-based organization providing immigration legal services, Know Your Rights education, and advocacy for immigrant communities in District 1.
• COPAL (Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Acción Latina)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as community-based organization providing immigration legal services, advocacy, and culturally specific assistance for Latino communities in District 1.
• Unidos MNminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as community-based organization supporting immigrant families with legal assistance and advocacy services.
• International Institute of MinnesotaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as refugee and new American support organization providing services to District 1 immigrant communities.
• City of St. Paul (Drop-Off Day Partnership)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual partnership where City of St. Paul partners with local district councils including SECO to organize community drop-off events for proper disposal of bulky items, reducing illegal dumping.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Payne-Phalen Community Council: St. Paul district council providing community organizing, housing advocacy, and land use advisory services. Operates with the same volunteer board + small staff model and formal city-recognized role.
• Greater East Side Community Council: One of the other 17 officially designated St. Paul district councils, serving the adjacent Greater East Side neighborhood. Functions as a near-identical civic/community organization with the same formal advisory role to city officials, volunteer board governance model, and event-based programming.
• Highland District Council: St. Paul district council providing community organizing, civic engagement, and land use advisory services under the same official district council framework. Closely comparable 501(c)(3) structure.
• Union Park District Council: St. Paul district council with directly comparable functions: community organizing, housing/land use advocacy, events, and formal city advisory role. Same 501(c)(3) structure and board governance.
• North End Neighborhood Organization (NENO): St. Paul district council serving the North End with identical civic engagement and community development programming. Closely comparable governance structure and funding model.
• Dayton's Bluff Community Council: St. Paul district council with identical structure, mission scope (housing, environment, land use), and city-council relationship. Directly comparable 501(c)(3) neighborhood council with formal advisory powers on development.
• Hamline-Midway Coalition: St. Paul district council delivering community organizing, civic engagement, and neighborhood improvement programming under the same official district council designation framework.
• Macalester-Groveland Community Council: St. Paul district council serving the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood with the same official advisory designation, community programming model, and city-recognized governance role.
• West Side Community Organization: St. Paul district council serving the West Side neighborhood with the same official advisory designation. Highly comparable model: 501(c)(3) nonprofit, community organizing focus, monthly board meetings, and city-recognized land use/zoning role.
• Como Park Neighborhood Association: St. Paul district council delivering community organizing, neighborhood events, and city advisory functions. Operates with a directly comparable volunteer-driven, small-staff model under the same official designation system.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/district-1-community-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Southeast Community Organization- District 1 Community Council