This is more than charity.It's investing in economic infrastructure.

Since 1967, the Harlem Commonwealth Council (HCC) has turned capital into ownership, jobs, and lasting wealth across Harlem and beyond. We do this through three pipelines: The Learning Collective; the Harlem Entrepreneurial Fund, our U.S. Treasury-certified CDFI; and our NYC Small Business Solutions Center.

Upcoming event

Built to Last: A Wealth-Building Masterclass

HCC SBS Center
$0M+
Capital facilitated by the SBS Center since 2012
0+
People served since 2012
Harlem Entrepreneurial Fund
$0M
Deployed by HEF since 2008
0%
Of loans to LMI & women owners
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How the capital works

One mission. Three pipelines.

Your investment moves through three connected engines, each reinforcing the next, so one gift creates compounding returns for the community.

HEF lending Capital photo
Pipeline I

Harlem Entrepreneurial Fund (HEF)

Our certified CDFI loan fund: the lending infrastructure banks won't provide. We underwrite the whole story, then pair capital with the guidance to use it well.

$17MDeployed since 2008
Explore HEF →
The Learning Collective classroom Classroom photo
Pipeline II

The Learning Collective

One education platform from middle school to adult workforce. Every learner reached today is a future entrepreneur, employer, or innovator: the talent that powers Harlem's economy.

1,000+Adults & youth served
Explore the Collective →
Small business advising Storefront photo
Pipeline III

Small Business Solutions (SBS)

Advising, training, and capital connections from 42nd Street to Inwood, delivered as an NYC Business Solutions Center partner. The institutional support entrepreneurs need to scale and hire.

15,452Course enrollments, FY23 to FY26
Explore SBS →
In their words

The return, in real lives.

Some of the stories your support has made possible.

Chef Cisse

When I came to HCC, I had a dream but no roadmap. Today I've opened multiple locations, and my net worth has grown significantly. HCC didn't just expand my business. They expanded my future.

Chef CisseFounder, The Ponty Bistro
Francilia Wilkins Rahim

HCC didn't just solve today's crisis. They restructured my debt, cut my monthly payments from nearly $200K down to $7K, and freed the cash flow I needed to grow.

Francilia Wilkins RahimOwner, RF Wilkins
Latia McAlister and daughter Lia Brown

The Math Bee Olympics gave my daughter something no classroom could: the moment she realized what she's truly capable of. She came home with a gold medal and a whole new belief in herself.

Latia McAlisterMother of gold medalist Lia Brown
What your support builds

Highlights

A rolling look at the momentum you're funding right now.

The student today is the entrepreneur tomorrow.

We don't fund programs. We build the financial infrastructure that lets a community compound its own wealth, permanently.