ABSTRACT
In 2004, federal agencies spent about $45 billion on community development, as broadly defined. Federal transfers of funds made up about 70 percent of funding spent by states and localities on community development (Gerenrot, Cashin, and Paulson 2006). No one knows how much nongovernmental organizations, including nonprofits, foundations, and for-profit private-sector organizations, spent, but the amount is substantial. With this level of effort and with the changeover in leadership both in the House and Senate in 2007, the impending transition in the office of president in 2008, the unprecedented number of presidential candidates (most running since 2006), the expected turnovers among state and local officeholders, and the continuing evolution of the community development field, it seems a propitious time to take stock in this important issue.
