Our community investments are focused in workforce development, affordable housing, small business, and social equity.
11th Street Bridge Park Investments & Accomplishments
Below are investments secured by the 11th Street Bridge Park and our equity partners.
Community Program & Partner |
Community Impact |
Investment |
| Anacostia River Festival | Attracts 9,000+ people to Anacostia Park to celebrate communities, parks and artists east of the river, and connects residents on both sides of the Anacostia River with the waterfront and to each other. | $220,000
(annually, on average) |
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| BBAR Farms | 20,586 pounds of produce harvested and $20,000 earned by community farmers from THEARC Farm and our 6 Bridge Park Plots | $630,000 |
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| Black Love Experience
(in partnership with Nubian Hueman) |
1,000+ people celebrated Black excellence and love through expressions of music, art, wellness, creative commerce and unity | $25,000 |
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| Community Leadership Empowerment Workshops | 92 community members equipped with community organizing, leadership and neighborhood planning tools to more actively participate in public decision-making | $47,636 |
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| Community Supported Agriculture | 366 local families received subsidized shares of fresh fruits and vegetables for 6 or more weeks | $32,000 |
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| Construction Training
(in partnership with Skyland Workforce Center) |
267 residents of Wards 6, 7 & 8 completed construction training, earning their OSHA-10 or OSHA-30 credentials, and 70 have been placed in full-time jobs | $400,000 |
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| Douglass Community Land Trust
(in partnership with City First Enterprises) |
Hired an Executive Director, filed articles of incorporation, established a board of directors, developed a pipeline of 252 housing and commercial units and acquired 65 rental units in Ward 8 (preserving permanently affordability) to stand up a new resident-led community land trust | $2,694,000 |
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| EduSaveDC
(in partnership with Capital Area Asset Builders) |
31 children in Ward 8 to enrolled in college savings accounts, receiving a 5 to 1 match for every dollar contributed (up to $1,800) towards post-secondary education | $165,000 |
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| Individual Development Accounts
(in partnership with Capital Area Asset Builders) |
50 families in the Ward 8 Homebuyers Club will be enrolled in Individual Development Accounts and receive a 4 to 1 match (up to $6,000) towards down payment assistance and home repairs | $350,000 |
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| Small Business Assistance
(in partnership with Anacostia BID & Washington Area Community Investment Fund) |
218 small businesses in Wards 7 & 8 supported through Wacif’s technical assistance and $657,103 in loans, and 21 businesses in Anacostia received pro-bono accounting support that helped secure $205,500 in emergency COVID-19 relief | $1,014,000 |
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| Taste of the Harvest | 1,000+ people celebrated the end of the farming season, learned about healthy eating, and shared food stories with their neighbors virtually at Taste of the Harvest, Homestyle | $36,682
annually, on average |
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| Ward 8 Artist’s Market
(in partnership with Anika Hobbs) |
10 artists in Wards 7 & 8 earned $9,290 through the Anacostia River Festival Artist’s Market | $5,125
annually |
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| Ward 8 Homebuyers Club
(in partnership with Manna) |
122 low- and moderate-income residents of Wards 7 & 8 purchased homes | $127,500 |
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| Tenants’ Rights
(in partnership with Housing Counseling Services) |
2,059 residents of Wards 6 & 8 were informed about tenants’ rights through workshops and door-to-door engagement | $30,000 |
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| Anacostia Unmapped 2.0
(in partnership with We Act Radio & Karen Baker) |
Supported 13 local artists in sharing work that captures the essence and stories of Anacostia through the production of the exhibition’s opening event | $2,618 |
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| Mobile Front Porch
(in partnership with Double Nickels Theater) |
Provided capital to build Mobile Porch, as well as programming support to document and preserve the memories of east of the river residents through 13 performances across Wards 6, 7 & 8 | $52,400 |
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| 295 Freeway Underpass Installation
(in partnership with Anacostia Arts Center) |
Improved Anacostia residents’ access to the river, Anacostia Park, and the future Bridge Park through the installation of display cases for rotating photography and art exhibitions in the 295 Good Hope Road underpass | $94,242 |
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| Anacostia Riverwalk Installation
(in partnership with 8 Arts & Culture, Ballou and Eastern High School) |
Produced an art installation along the Anacostia Rivertrail honoring the rich history of the river and region | $25,000 |
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| Bridging DC: Arts and Civic Interventions at the 11th Street Bridge Park
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1000+ people participated in programs that showcased and cultivated local creative talent, amplified Ward 8 residents telling their stories, and fostered meaningful connections, dialogue, and trust among residents, artists, and stakeholders. Programs include: Lantern Walk, District of Dance, Frederick Douglass Family Day, East of the River Film Series, Arts Education in Ward 8 schools, and Blues Speakeasy (in partnership with Washington Performing Arts) | $100,000 |
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| Navy Yard Art Installation
(in partnership with US Navy Museum & Capitol Riverfront BID) |
Transformed the static Navy Yard Wall on 11th Street SE with giant images from the US Navy Museum’s collection | $25,000 |
*In addition to the above investments, LISC DC is investing $50 million in the one-mile walkshed surrounding the Bridge Park. Learn more about the LISC DC Elevating Equity initiative.
Generating Income for Local
Residents & Businesses
As we continue to document the impact of the Bridge Park’s equity investments, we worked with researchers at the Urban Institute to estimate how much income the 11th Street Bridge Park’s equity strategies generated between January 2018 and September 2019. Data provided by our partners at the Washington Area Community Investment Fund, Building Bridges Across the River’s Skyland Workforce Center and other Bridge Park programs revealed that our equitable development activities:
- Created 125 direct and indirect jobs, providing workers with a high-end estimate of $345,000 in monthly income and induced about $172,000 in monthly spending
- Helped fill 31 construction jobs, leading to a high-end estimate of $125,000 in monthly direct income and $63,000 in induced monthly spending
- Were associated with a high-end estimate of $3.5 million in total direct income for residents through wages and event income
High-end estimates of total income generated, both through direct income and induced spending, are summarized below.
Area of Impact |
Direct Income |
Induced spending |
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| Small business jobs created or maintained | $1,096,802 | $548,401 |
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| Construction jobs filled | $956,722 | $478,361 |
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| Generic jobs filled | $1,302,931 | $651,466 |
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| Artist income from River Festival | $6,747 | $3,374 |
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Total |
$3,552,744
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$1,776,372
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*Note: Because some these outcomes would likely have occurred anyway, the above summaries are likely slight overestimates.
Learn More-Do More!
Learn more about strategies from our Equitable Development Plan and explore tools to create your own community-driven plan.
Equity Strategies Equity Tool Kit
We are grateful to our supporters for making these investments in our community possible
A Special Thank You to Our Community Equity Partners
