Services & Capabilities
1. Asset Building
Focused on building permanent assets for low and moderate income communities: ranging from nonprofit facility development to creation of SRO housing.
Examples:
- Building $3 million Equity Fund to finance property acquisition and tenant improvements in restaurants along Third Street corridor in SF's Bayview Hunters Point community.
- Coordinated planning for development of the Landmark Nonprofit Building in downtown San Francisco—a collaboration of 10 nonprofit agencies, requiring 75-100,000 sq. ft. space.
- Built $10M Nonprofit Space Capital Fund to create permanently affordable space for nonprofits in San Francisco.
- Purchased/developed Renaissance Center facility (18,000 sq ft), achieving positive cash flow and long term sustainability for nonprofit agency.
- Founder of North of Market Development Corp., overseeing development and management of 3 low income residential hotels in Tenderloin.
2. Access to Capital
Created new avenues to capital for women, minority entrepreneurs and lower income communities. Advocated with banks, public and private investors to expand access to credit and Technical Assistance services.
Examples:
- Created Renaissance Financing Resource Center: made 80 loans for $3million; set standard of excellence for Technical Assistance programs, recognized by the Federal Reserve Bank of SF.
- Renaissance Equity Fund: raised State funds and performed due diligence and placement of equity investments in start-up firms.
- Bay Area Equity Fund: founding Board member of new, $50 million fund directing investment to low income communities in Bay Area.
- Community Lending Initiative: led project through SF Chamber of Commerce, linking banks and community loan resources to increase referrals of individuals denied credit.
3. Project Development
Specialize in designing and launching new, innovative, entrepreneurial community development programs, which empower individuals and communities to improve their quality of life. Conduct strategic planning, consensus building, marketing/public relations campaigns; create public/private partnerships and develop funding resources necessary to achieve successful—and quantifiable—results.
Examples:
- Developed Business Plan and funding for the Third Street Restaurant Project in the Bayview Hunters Point community in San Francisco
- Designed successful public relations campaign for TMC Development, an SBA real estate lender
- Conducted feasibility studies for both urban and rural business incubators
- Designed and launched first Business Incubator in No. Calif. serving women and minority entrepreneurs.
- Tenderloin Self Help Center: planned client-run mental health center
- Indochinese Childcare Project: created parent cooperative childcare center and placement service for new immigrant families.
4. Community Building
Expert in reaching out to diverse communities, achieving consensus on issues and developing local leadership; a pioneer in promoting entrepreneurship as a viable economic development strategy in the Bay Area; a key player in changing the city's perception of the Tenderloin as a "red light district" to an authentic neighborhood with positive qualities.
Examples:
- Built the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center from single training class to comprehensive, "Center of Influence" for supporting entrepreneurship, now recognized as a national model; trained 2000, created first business-to-business Network.
- North of Market Planning Coalition: created plan for positive development of neglected neighborhood; negotiated substantial funding from hotels to support low income housing and community programs for the poor.
- Organized the first political candidates night in the Tenderloin.
"Claudia is committed
to assisting both small business and nonprofit ventures in making the transformation that will achieve long term sustainability."
