Technical Assistance

see also Capacity Mapping (CapMap®)

• Technical assistance on specific projects/programs;
• Real estate development coaching;
• Access to HUD Technical Assistance funds for CHDO’s and others using HOME funds;
• Access to capacity building programs/training in the Twin Cities or through other LISC sites;
• Coordination, design and promotion of local community building/development activities (i.e. HOPE VI, “At Home in Duluth,” Duluth HRA Strategic Development Plan, MHFA joint applications);
• Access to national LISC programs and resources – Commercial Corridor Revitalization Program, Child Care Initiative, Housing Authority Resource Center, Community Security Initiative, New Markets Tax Credits, Housing Preservation Program;
• Technical support with publicity/press releases for CDC activities;
• Technical assistance on historic preservation and “green building” initiatives;
• Involvement in local, state and federal public policy efforts related to housing and community developments; and
• Access to expertise, networking and “best practices” in 31 other local LISC sites.
  

• Helping groups to more fully develop their project concepts;
• Advising on the development process and potential financing plans;
• Analyzing and revising project pro formas; and
• Building capacity for real estate development and asset management, and other organizational development issues.

Capacity Mapping (CapMap®)

CapMap® is a unique tool designed by national LISC that allows Duluth LISC to “map” a partner Community Development Corporation’s (CDC) capacity along a spectrum of progressive measurements. This tool is one part of the entire capacity mapping approach, which focuses on more than simply identifying an organization’s current capacity stage, but also on using that information to help create growth and move an organization to verifiably higher stages of achievement. As such, the capacity mapping approach has six steps:

1. Define Overall Capacity Mapping Strategy: Identifying why the CDC is doing capacity mapping, what it wants to get out of the process, and who needs to be involved (funders, stakeholders, other CDCs) at the outset will help structure the process to meet the organization’s goals.
   
2. Establish the Baseline Map: Using CapMap®, determine what stage an organization would ultimately like to achieve and the organization’s current stage of capacity. It may help to think of this baseline as a “starting point.”
   
3. Create the Growth Plan: Comparing the baseline with where the CDC ultimately wants to be, Duluth LISC staff collaborates with the CDC to identify guiding strategies, as well as next steps for growth.
   
4. Choreograph Resources and Implementation: Duluth LISC and the CDC collaborate to identify and secure the resources needed to implement the growth plan. In some cases, CDCs have successfully used their mapping results and growth plans in proposals to secure funding from non-LISC sources.
   
5. Remap and Evaluate Results: After a defined period of time, use CapMap® to re-map the CDC’s current stage of capacity and compare it to its baseline results from step 2. This allows the CDC to discover what the results of the growth strategies and implementation actually were.
   
6. Refine Growth Strategies: Based on the actual growth results, what might need to be tweaked or done differently next time around? Work with the CDC to create a revised growth plan and take another spin around the capacity mapping wheel.