New Kensington Community Development Corp
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
NKCDC advances social equity and economic empowerment by nurturing and creating opportunities for neighbors to live in, and actively shape, their neighborhoods of choice. (See Schedule O)
- Income
- $9.9 million
- Spending
- $7.0 million
- Spent on programs
- 78%
- Reserves
- 16.5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 74%
- Employees
- 71
- Volunteers
- 14
- Highest pay
- $171,250, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 96 out of 100.
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 16.5 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 26% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 29% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 32% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1578% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 4 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 85 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 2514 of 14 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
0 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $5.5 million spent. Planning: By constantly engaging with neighborhood residents in an ongoing "Co-Creating Kensington" process, we learn about the community's hopes, concerns, and priorities and use them to raise funds and organize our work. We also work to help keep residents informed about legal, regulatory, political, and policy issues that may impact their lives. This continuous dialogue is the foundation of our work and forces us to be accountable, guiding our strategic plans as well as more specialized efforts such as a greening plan currently in progress. Economic development: NKCDC supports small business development in order to create jobs and community wealth. We assist start up and existing businesses, maintain an inventory of available property, help local entrepreneurs identify and obtain services and funding, support pop-up markets, staff the Kensington Business Coalition, and clean the commercial corridors 6 days a week. Housing counseling: NKCDC works to expand homeownership opportunities for working families. Since 1985, NKCDC has helped more than 4000 low and moderate income families purchase their first homes. We offer homebuyer workshops, energy assistance, financial literacy, financial counseling, and foreclosure and eviction prevention services. We also partner with other organizations to help residents access home repair programs. Community organizing: NKCDC staffs a City-supported Neighborhood Advisory Committee (NAC) which promotes awareness of City resources, programs, and issues. Quarterly community forums help disseminate information and address neighborhood issues, empowering residents involved in 19125 and 19134 zip codes. Our staff also help residents prevent foreclosures, address tangled titles, access legal services, and get trained as "community connectors organize neighborhood clean-ups, promote transportation safety, and support block captains. Real estate development: through its "anchor-based" approach to real estate development, NKCDC is building on existing community anchors such as McPherson Library and its own Orinoka Civic House and adding new anchors such as the Kensington Engagement Center and Tusculum Garden. By investing in formerly vacant and blighted properties, and bringing goods and services requested by residents, we can increase the zones in Kensington that feel safe for everyone including kids and seniors, give people reasons to come back to the Avenue, and create conditions for our small businesses to grow. We can also provide more desperately needed affordable housing and "stack" our programs and services in a small geographic area to maximize their impact. NKCDC also stabilizes and maintains vacant lots, increasing access to green space and addressing dumping. Community Health Workers: We train trained longstanding residents in Kensington to become PA State Certified Community Health Workers (CHWs). These trusted partners and community advocates learn a range of skills in community and behavioral health and then go door-to-door connecting residents with critical resources and assisting them as they navigate complex social services and healthcare systems. They work closely with other NKCDC teams and our partner organizations to connect residents to housing, food, utility, employment, mental health, and other services. Nutrition education: Nutrition education and food assistance programs are essential for promoting the health, stability, and resilience of the Kensington community. Our nutrition educators meet residents where they are - whether in our affordable apartment buildings, community gardens, local pantries, corner stores, or afterschool programs. Nutrition education programming provides practical knowledge, culturally relevant meals, and direct access to healthy food in a neighborhood impacted by food insecurity and health disparities. Urban agriculture: NKCDC's garden spaces are a hub for community cohesion and healing, providing residents with opportunities to not only grow their own food and enjoy the biological benefits of green space, but reclaim and reimagine public spaces. We are in the midst of a collaborative and inclusive planning process for Kensington's green spaces that will result in the creation of a place-based vision for urban agriculture, guided by the community's needs and expertise. Cure Violence: In response to the community's identification of public safety as a priority, we partnered with Temple University's Center for Health Justice and Bioethics to bring the Cure Violence model to Kensington. The Cure Violence team identifies tensions, mediates high-risk situations, and manages a caseload of individuals who are more likely to be involved in violence, employing the "credible-messenger" approach in high conflict areas of the neighborhood. Trauma-informed and evidence-based approaches like Cure Violence are one of many components contributing to the reduction in violence in Philadelphia.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since July 1985.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.