Community Development Corporation Approval by United Nations
Visitor Question: I have had a CDC since 2014. Are Community Development Corporations registered and/or approved by the United Nations?
If yes, how can I prove it?
If no, can I get it approved by the United Nations?
If yes, how do I get it approved, or registered, or stamped approved by the United Nations?
Thank you, Paul Deacon
Editors' Reply: We are not aware of any United Nations process for registering or approving community development corporations, and our short scan of their related publications and online presence did not show any such process.
Be aware that what we have called a community development corporation on this website might be called something else in other countries, but we have seen this term used fairly frequently in contexts other than our American frame of reference.
It is much more likely that there would be a certification process in the nation, province, or state where you are operating. Please explore that option.
We have to say though that we do not know of any American states that certify or register CDCs for their performance as community development entities. By definition, a CDC is a corporation in America, and therefore must go through the same state registration process to which any other corporation is subject. These registrations say nothing about quality though.
It is certainly possible that there is a certification process available for some activity of your community development corporation though, if you are seeking to improve your credentials and reputation.
As an example, in the U.S. the Small Business Administration (SBA) has a process for certifying what they call CDCs, although their CDC stands for Certified Development Company. Some, but certainly not all, American CDCs (community development corporations) could become certified as development companies. These certified development companies are corporations that work with particular lends to provide financing for small business.
The United Nations works at a much more conceptual and general level than do community development corporations, so it does not surprise us that they have not ventured into this topic. Yes, there could be national-scale development corporations, but those are not what we mean when we talk about a community development corporation.
Do look at your particular province or national government to understand their particular programs. Sometimes a province or state will establish a certification for communities that satisfy particular criteria. A federal program might establish criteria that identify corporations that are eligible for particular grants.
If you are seeking to enhance your credibility, it is worthwhile to investigate obtaining a certification that is relevant to your particular activities. In the current climate I would not expect governments or coalitions of governments to focus on local community development corporations, so invest your time in (a) expanding and improving your local efforts so that you have credibility with your local population, and (b) checking into metropolitan, provincial, or national certifications for a specific activity, as opposed to an overall certification of meeting certain quality standards.
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