New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC)

In an editorial for the Philly Inquirer today, we pose the question: what to the oppressed is the semi-quincentennial? In 1852, Frederick Douglass was invited to deliver a speech commemorating the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In response, he asked a question and delivered remarks that still resonate today: What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? The answer written in commentary form hasn’t lost its power or relevance in Philadelphia in 2026: “What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim.” Forty years later, the nation marked another milestone with the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, celebrating the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas. Yet this celebration too did not represent all Americans. While the World’s Fair is often remembered for its grand architecture and technological achievements, it also reinforced racial hierarchies and excluded Black Americans from full participation and recognition. Folks from across the city are coming together to draw inspiration from those who challenged that exclusion, disrupted the status quo, and advanced real solutions to persistent systemic inequities for A People’s Exposition, a citywide exhibit and engagement series at the Kensington Engagement Center. Head here: https://lnkd.in/e-kizUgH to read the full editorial. Learn more about A People’s Exposition at https://lnkd.in/etT7CdsC. Join us and partners at our opening celebration on May 20th from 5:30PM-7:30PM at the Kensington Engagement Center (3000 Kensington Avenue)

Join us on May 20th for the opening celebration of A People's Exposition, a summer-long, citywide workshop series and exhibit happening at the Kensington Engagement Center! A People's Exposition draws inspiration from those who disrupted the status quo and put forth legitimate solutions to persistent systemic issues during the 1893 World’s Fair - often remembered for its architectural achievements rather than its reinforcement of racial hierarchies and exclusion of Black Americans. In that spirit, from May to October partners from across the city are hosting a series of workshops, events, and an exhibit to bring together people from across Philadelphia for honest and critical conversations about the state and future of Philly as the nation and city celebrate America’s semi-quincentennial. We'll learn, envision a more just future, and act on co-created solutions to four key issues. To support meaningful participation, we're offering $200 stipends for a limited number of participants committed to engaging deeply in the series! To be eligible for a stipend/certificate, participants must attend at least 3 workshops in a chosen month and 1 additional workshop outside it to encourage cross-topic learning. - June: Criminal Justice Reform - examining facets of the carceral state including prisons, jails, policing, and other strategies and practices of enforcement, surveillance, control, and punishment. As we explore the current state of criminal justice reform in Philadelphia, we’ll also explore alternative models of justice and support for individuals. - July: Community Food Systems and Transportation - exploring land access, the city’s food systems, and transportation by assessing who controls land, food, and access, and how we can collectively shape a more equitable and just food and transit system in Philadelphia. - August: Housing - building off recent housing wins in the City, the momentum of a 14-part workshop series at the Kensington Engagement Center in the fall of 2025, partners are coming together to evaluate our current housing fights across the city, to dive deeper into the topic of homelessness, and to take action on priorities identified by young people during a Teen Town Hall in the fall. - September: Youth and Education - through a series of teen town halls and convenings, we’ll explore the state of Philly’s youth and education, touching on topics youth and other youth serving organizations identify as priorities. Share your interest here: https://lnkd.in/epqAABJK Please note that submitting this form does not guarantee a stipend! We'll confirm stipend participation by email by May 28th, 2026, to those selected (on a first come, first serve basis). Learn more at https://lnkd.in/etT7CdsC, or sign up for our newsletter at https://lnkd.in/eevzbeHH #phillyevents #semiquincentennial #philadelphiaevents #america250

Thanks to funding from the @phlcommerce & @cityofphiladelphia Taking Care of Business program, NKCDC’s Corridor Stewards clean the streets of Kensington six days a week, removing litter and trash from sidewalks and parking lanes. They clean Kensington Avenue daily and also spend time on residential blocks and commercial streets, including Front Street, Frankford Avenue, Allegheny Avenue, Richmond Street, Lehigh Avenue, and Aramingo Avenue. In addition to their outstanding work cleaning our commercial corridors Monday through Saturday, our Corridor Stewards are now playing a key role in collecting and reporting real-time corridor data. As they go about their daily routes, they use NKCDC’s corridor data collection tool to document conditions and observations, feeding that information directly back to our databases. They are our eyes on the street, bringing firsthand knowledge into our formal corridor data collection process. Their consistent presence on the street gives them a deep familiarity with these corridors. By collecting and sharing their knowledge and converting it to real data, they strengthen our work and help us better understand changing conditions on the ground. To learn more about our economic development work, head to https://lnkd.in/eY6TUnjN or, read our annual report (pages 19-26): https://lnkd.in/e9pyKeyV

On Wednesday, April 29th, CBP Architects attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Ruth Street Civic House!   Transforming a once-vacant, blighted lot, this recently completed project provides 44 units of deeply affordable housing, bolstering the developer NKCDC's mission to revitalize and support the Kensington community.   Support and funding for Ruth Street Civic House were provided by PHFA, the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation, the Philadelphia Housing Authority, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, Raymond James Affordable Housing Investments, TD Bank, Community Housing Capital, Inc., Finanta (formerly Community First Fund), and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.   We are excited to see this project complete! Owner: New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC) Development Consultant: Stone Sherick Consulting Group, LLC. General Contractor: Caritas Construction Civil Engineer: Cornerstone Consulting Engineers & Design Services, Inc. Legal Services: Regional Housing Legal Services Environmental Engineer: RT Environmental Services, Inc. Structural Engineer: Ann Rothmann Structural Engineering LLC MEP Engineer: Holstein White Engineers Lighting Designer: BEAM, ltd. Energy Consultant: Innova Services Corporation Senator Christine Tartaglione

Thank you Rivers Casino Philadelphia for supporting community-driven development in Kensington, Fishtown, and Port Richmond!

Join us from May to October for A People’s Exposition at the Kensington Engagement Center! As the nation and city celebrate America's semi-quincentennial, we invite everyone to join us for a citywide exhibit and engagement series to take a critical and honest look at four key issues shaping Philadelphia, to envision a more just and equitable future for our city, and to act on co-created solutions that address our greatest challenges. During each month, partners and residents from across the city will come together to explore a topic through workshops, events, and conversations with neighbors, beginning in June with justice reform, followed by community food systems and transportation, housing, youth and education, and concluding in October exploring the intersection and action around all topics. Join us to get a first look at what’s ahead at our opening celebration (good food, music, community, and more!) on May 20th from 5:30PM-7:30PM! What you can expect from this series: - A welcoming space to connect with neighbors, organizations, practitioners, organizers, and others who want to create real change - Workshops to learn about the status of four topics impacting Philadelphians - Celebrations of our cultural vibrancy as a city and collective wins - Opportunities to explore and take direct action on creative, co-created solutions Join us on May 20th for our opening celebration and stay tuned as we share more including about stipends for folks who want to participate in the series and a calendar of each month’s workshops! Learn more at https://lnkd.in/etT7CdsC, or sign up for our newsletter for more consistent updates at https://lnkd.in/eevzbeHH

Construction is nearly complete on 4 brand new affordable homes being built by NKCDC in Kensington! These are the first of 17 homes being built over the next 18 months, which will expand access to affordable housing in the community. The construction of these homes is made possible with the support of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh’s Affordable Housing Program, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP), Finanta, and the Philadelphia Land Bank. We’re grateful to our elected officials for their ongoing support: Councilmember Mark Squilla (@marksquillaphl), State Senator Nikil Saval (@senatorsaval) and State Senator Christine Tartaglione (@senator_tartaglione), and State Representatives Joe Hohenstein (@rephohenstein), Jose Giral (@repgiral), and Mary Isaacson (@maryisaacsonpa). These new homes are a part of the @cityofphiladelphia Turn the Key program which helps first-time homebuyers by offering financial assistance through a soft second mortgage, making homeownership more affordable and accessible. The planned price of the homes is $191,500. Our project partners include: General Contractor: BDFS Group, a minority-owned firm Owner’s Rep: @Spak.Group Architect: @Toner_Architects To learn more about the Turn the Key program, head to https://lnkd.in/enJATmvC. Are you a first-time homebuyer interested in learning more about the process of getting your first home? Sign up for one of our First-time Homebuyer Workshops with our HUD-certified housing counselors (link in bio!)

Join NKCDC and other growers and gardeners in Kensington for the Kensington Spring Garden Tour on Saturday, May 2nd from 11AM-2PM! We’re celebrating the thriving and beautiful community gathering and green spaces in Kensington in partnership with gardens across the neighborhood including: Ruth Hart Garden, Ruth Street Community Garden, the Free Church of St. John, PS Supermarket’s Garden, Harvest Hope Community, Kensington Corridor Trust’s garden, the Simple Way Garden, Klean Kensington’s Hilton Street Community Garden, The Flippin Garden, and Krimson Garden! We’ve got yoga, garden activities, block parties, raffles, and more on deck for the day, and we want you to join us! The hub and start of our day's activities will be at the Kensington Engagement Center (3000 Kensington Avenue). You can also move at your own pace! - Yoga at 9AM at the Kensington Engagement Center - Bike Tour from 11AM-2PM - Guided Walking Tour starting at 11:30AM through 2PM For the last few months, NKCDC and partners have been engaging community in an ongoing planning process to envision a green future for Kensington – this marks our transition from indoor planning activities at the Kensington Engagement Center back outdoors again as we see our gardens come back to life! Come celebrate with us, share your input for a green planning process called Co-Creating a GreenPrint for Kensington, check out the brand-new McPherson Discovery Path at 2964 Kensington Avenue, and see the green hubs that make up the ever-growing network of gardens and greenspaces in our community! To get weekly updates from us about the Garden Tour, upcoming spring and summer garden programming, garden open hours and updates on our Co-Creating a GreenPrint process, text NKCDCNourish to 833-901-2072!

Join us for one (or many!) of the events and workshops this April at the Kensington Engagement Center as part of Co-Creating a GreenPrint for Kensington! Every workshop will have a meal made by our Food Systems team, and you'll be able to take something home from the garden center in our exhibit for participating! We’ve got the following coming: - Tuesday April 7th, 5PM-7PM: Organizing to Win Community Control of Vacant Lots and Side Yards with Iglesias Gardens - Saturday April 11th, 11AM-2PM: McPherson Garden Discovery Path: Community Planting in Action & Spring Clean up - Tuesday April 14th, 4PM-6PM: Dirt Day! @ Esperanza Pop-up Park (H & Westmoreland St) with Esperanza Health Center - Wednesday April 15th, 5:30PM-7PM: Reclaiming our Routes: Public Transit and Community Greening with Transit Forward Philadelphia - Tuesday April 21st, 5PM-7PM: Growing Cucumbers 101 with Abundant Philly - Saturday April 25th, 9AM-1PM: Field trip to Sankofa Farm (Leaving from 3000 Kensington Ave at)9 AM, Returning at 1PM - Tuesday April 28th, 5PM-7PM: Estamos Aqui! with Norris Square Neighborhood Project - Saturday May 2nd: 11AM-2PM, 2026 Kensington Spring Garden Tour Text NKCDCNourish to 833-901-2072 to get weekly updates about events!