Urban Design Center

To date, UDC has helped procure over $125 million in funding for community and economic development projects ranging in size from $500,000 to $22 million.  Our team possesses tactical knowledge of how our clients can utilize the myriad of economic reinvestment incentives and public policy initiatives to revitalize communities and bring their development and business concepts to fruition. 

Our firm has direct access to city, county, state and federal grant notification databases and works to track the availability of funding from various agencies and foundations on a monthly basis.  We focus on providing the requisite technical assistance and leadership to ensure that our clients garner the skill-sets for growth and independent management of their programs and projects.  We provide tailored organizational development services that highlight our clients’ unique mission, goals and objectives integrated with strategies to build the operational infrastructure and human capital required for effectively facilitating social and economic growth within targeted neighborhoods and business communities. 

As the fund developer and project manager for our clients, we assist them with grant and contract negotiations, coordinate site visits, facilitate project and community presentations, manage grant correspondence, facilitate project team meetings, and prepare progress and board reports.  Keeping our clients’ confidence and conveying the essence of their mission, goals and vision are our highest priority.

UDC’s capital development services include:

§        Facilitation of Board and staff strategic fund development planning to assess capital needs, milestones and internal operating capacity.  

§        Proposal packaging for grants, RFPs, bond financing, tax credit and conventional financing applications including development of narratives, budgets, demographic analysis, needs assessment and operations plans.

§        Grant and contract compliance management, management of grant correspondence and preparation progress and board reports.

§        Individual & corporate donor prospecting, marketing and management.

§        Facilitation of project and community presentations, project team meetings and funder site visits.

Our team has the capacity and expertise to provide grant development consulting services for economic development, transportation/transit, transit oriented development, industrial development/Brownfields, historic preservation, urban design, open space/park and planning projects. 

• Our firm served as the consultant for CRA/LA to facilitate the development of a winning 2009 Proposition 1C grant from the State of CA in the amount of $14.6 million for transit oriented development and infrastructure improvement along Crenshaw Boulevard in the Mid-City and Crenshaw Project Areas.
• UDC also facilitated and developed a winning $1.3 million 2009 MTA Call for Projects proposal for CRA/LA’s Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and Stocker at Crenshaw project.
• In 2007, UDC prepared a winning Proposition 40 California Cultural Historical Endowment grant on behalf of CRA/LA and the Department of Cultural Affairs in the amount of $2,418,750 for the renovation of the Vision Theatre.
• We prepared and managed the development of several grants funded by the State of California Proposition 40 and Proposition 12 Murray Hayden grant program as well as Proposition 40 Urban Parks Act. 
• We have written 17 successful City of Los Angeles Proposition K LA for Kids proposals including assistance on 8 Prop K proposals for the Department of Recreation and Parks.  Additionally, we provided project management and land-use consulting services for 3 completed Prop K funded projects including All Peoples Christian Center, Harbor City Harbor Gateway Boys & Girls Club and the Port of Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club.  We have separately provided planning and land-use services for two additional Prop K funded projects including Inner-City Arts and Barrio Action Youth Family Services Center.
• Currently, we are providing project management services for two specified Prop K funded projects including Angels Gate Park and the Vision Theatre/Manchester Jr. Arts Center and one competitive project sponsored by the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor for their Wilmington Teen Center site.

Awarded Facility and Transit Capital Grants Written and Managed by UDC

Prop K LA for Kids Competitive Grants

$373,374               Harbor City Harbor Gateway Boys & Girls Club (1997 RFP)

$218,000               Boys & Girls Club of San Pedro- Port of Los Angeles Club (2001 RFP)

$743,000               Concerned Citizens of South Central Los Angeles (2001)                                                                       

$500,000               Concerned Citizens of South Central Los Angeles (2001)                                                                       

$400,000               Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club (2003 RFP)                                                                                                  

$400,000               Variety Boys & Girls Club (2003 RFP)                                                                                                          

$246,000               The Jeffrey Foundation (2005 RFP)                                                                                                             

$196,000               Variety Boys & Girls Club (2007) RFP                                                                                                          

$278,018               Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor-Wilmington Teen Center (2007 RFP)                         

$4,000,000            City of LA Dept. of Recreation & Parks – 8 proposals (2005, 07, 09) totaling approx.                       

State of California Prop 12 & 40 Murray Hayden, Urban Parks Act, CCHE – (2002 Bond Act)

$1,240,000           Inner City Arts (MH Prop 12)                                                                                                                        

$118,000              Boys & Girls Club of San Pedro – Teen Supreme Center (MH Prop 12)                                               

$1,330,000           Variety Boys & Girls Club (MH)                                                                                                                     

$500,000              Daniels Field State Park (UPA)                                                                                                                      

$435,000              Wilmington Boys & Girls Club (MH)                                                                                                             

$160,000              Angels Gate Cultural Center (CCHE)                                                                                                            

$2,418,000           City of LA Community Redevelopment Agency Vision Theatre (CCHE)                                                 

Other State of California and Local Bond Programs

$14,600,000         City of LA Community Redev. Agency – Crenshaw Corridor Infill – 09 State of CA Prop 1C             

$1,200,000           City of LA Community Redev. Agency – Crenshaw/MLK  - 2009 MTA Call for Projects                     

$184,500               State of CA Parks & Recreation Habitat Conservation Fund 09 – City of LA – RAP                             

$190,500               State of CA Parks & Recreation Habitat Conservation Fund 09 – City of Rancho Palos Verdes        

City of Los Angeles CDBG Competitive Grants

$2,100,000            Concerned Citizens of South Central Los Angeles – Year 29                                                                  

$200,000               Harbor City Harbor Gateway Boys & Girls Club – Year 29                                                                       

$130,000               Boys & Girls Club of San Pedro – Year 29                                                                                                   

$150,000               Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club – Year 30                                                                                                    

$150,000               Boys & Girls Club of LA Harbor - Wilmington Boys & Girls Club – Year 30                                           

$500,000               Inner City Arts – Year 33                                                                                                                               

$400,000               Boys & Girls Club of LA Harbor - Daniels Field State Park  - Year 34                                                      

State of California General Fund Competitive Grant – 2001

$123,125               Boys & Girls Club of San Pedro                                                                                                                     

$75,000                 Harbor City Harbor Gateway Boys & Girls Club                                                                                         

Private Foundation Grants Obtained

$550,000               S. Mark Taper Foundation – Wilmington Boys & Girls Club                                                                     

$250,000               Weingart Foundation – Wilmington Boys & Girls Club                                                                             

$150,000               Parsons Foundation – Harbor City Harbor Gateway Boys & Girls Club                                                  

$100,000               Ahmanson Foundation – Harbor City Harbor Gateway Boys & Girls Club                                             

$50,000                 SBC Foundation – Exposition Park Intergenerational Community Center                                            

$80,000                 MetLife Foundation – Los Angeles & Variety Boys & Girls Clubs                                                               

$150,000               J. P. Getty Foundation planning grant – Second Baptist Church                                                             

$350,000               Kresge Foundation - Boys & Girls Club of LA Harbor Wilmington Club