🔍 From the Field: Sean Spencer, Tower Grove Neighborhood CDC
📰 In The News
✨ CBN Member Bright Spots
📅 Community Calendar
💼 Career & Volunteer Opportunities
🌱 Funding Opportunities
✏️ Resources & Training
🔎 FROM THE FIELD
We Don't Have Time for Half Measures
This week I sat in a room full of community leaders, city officials, developers, and civic partners at a convening hosted by Great Rivers Greenway around the Brickline Greenway. The energy was real. The vision—bold. And on the screen behind the panelists: "A Vision This Bold Takes All of Us."
I left that room thinking about Atlanta.
The Atlanta Beltline—a 22-mile loop of trails, transit, and green space threading through city neighborhoods—is the most frequently cited urban infrastructure success story in America right now. What gets less attention is what made it work: sustained, coordinated public and private investment concentrated in the communities along the corridor, with community-based organizations on the ground ensuring residents benefited rather than got displaced.
* Sean Spencer, Executive Director of the Tower Grove Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation, where he has served for 15 years. Founded in 1981, TGCDC is one of St. Louis' longest-operating place-based CDCs.
TOP NEWS
📅 Support CBN This GIVE STL Day!
📰 Housing Authority Transitions to Digital System
📰 National Search Announcement
Dear Friends & Family,
In 2011, over 30 community building nonprofits from across the St. Louis area came together to create a shared table where they could support each other as peers and advocate for critical issues with a shared voice. These pioneer members established the foundation of the Community Builders Network (CBN) that's now nearly 80 members strong!
At CBN, we are a collaborative hub of Community Development Corporations (CDCs), CDFIs, financial institutions, and community organizations actively working to strengthen capacity, improve coordination, and deepen impact across the St. Louis region. Our network helps to define what strong, sustainable organizations look like and the tools, resources, and support needed to get there.
Strong communities require strong systems behind them. We equip CDCs and partner organizations across the St. Louis region with equity-centered standards, data, training, and collective policy strategy, so they can spend less time navigating fragmented systems and more time building thriving neighborhoods.
We envision a St. Louis region where neighborhoods that have been historically marginalized, especially minority neighborhoods, have equitable access to the resources and opportunities available to our area's most privileged neighborhoods.
As we launch our new three-year strategic plan, we are sharpening our focus on how this work is done by aligning standards, strengthening partnerships, and advancing advocacy. We are refining and expanding our efforts to build a more connected and effective community development ecosystem.
Amplifying Impact Through Data-Informed Communications
This Give STL Day, your support helps ensure that community development organizations across our region have the clarity, capacity, and resources they need to thrive. When these organizations thrive, equitable communities thrive. Give today to invest in stronger organizations, stronger neighborhoods, and a stronger St. Louis!
The St. Louis Housing Authority (SLHA) is transitioning all Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) households to a fully digital system through the RentCafe Resident Portal.
This shift is part of a broader effort to modernize how residents and the agency submit documents and manage housing-related updates. RentCafe will become the primary platform for account access, application updates, and ongoing case management for households in both programs. All Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher participants are now required to register for RentCafe to access services.
For many households, this transition changes how everyday housing tasks are completed. Instead of paper forms or in-person updates, most communication and updates will now happen digitally. Through RentCafe, residents can:
View application or waitlist status
Update contact information (address, phone number, email)
Submit changes in household income or family composition
Receive official notifications and updates from SLHA
Track housing-related communications in one place
While this shift is intended to improve efficiency and streamline services, it has also introduced national concerns and issues around new access considerations for residents who may face barriers to digital tools, including: limited internet access, limited digital literacy, language access and disability-related accessibility needs. Housing authorities and partners will need to ensure that residents are not unintentionally excluded during the transition and that accommodations remain available for those who need them. Missed notifications could impact waitlist placement or program eligibility.
National Search Announcement to New Program Leader
The St. Louis Community Foundation announced the launch of a national search for the first Executive Director to lead the Inclusive Prosperity Partnership, marking a significant milestone in the pooled fund’s continued growth and expanding regional impact. The search committee is chaired by James S. McDonnell Foundation President & CEO, Jason Purnell and has engaged BoardWalk Consulting to conduct the national search. The effort will identify a leader who can guide strategy, strengthen and expand partnerships, and translate the Partnership’s vision into measurable outcomes.
CBN MEMBER BRIGHT SPOTS
🚲May is Bike Month!
Happy Bike Month! Trailnet and partners across the region are hosting activities throughout the region to celebrate. Regardless of why you bike, or even if you don’t bike at all, we have exciting events and resources for you all month long. VisitTrailnet’s Bike Month webpage to get started.
Bike to Work (Or Wherever) Day is coming up on May 15, 2026, from 7 to 9 a.m. Trailnet’s annual celebration will take place across St. Louis at stations hosted by local organizations and businesses. Whether you cycle or use alternative transportation, swing by a station during your commute, coffee run, morning workout, or ride to school. It’s a great way to energize your morning and connect with your community! Visit trailnet.org/biketoworkday for more information and to plan your route!
Summer Opportunity at Brickline North CDC
Brickline North CDC is seeking a Summer 2026 Economic Development & Advocacy Intern to support neighborhood-based work focused on community investment, housing, and equitable development along the Brickline North corridor. This is a paid internship ($17.50+/hour) with a hybrid structure, combining remote work with field-based, community engagement across St. Louis.
