Mission:
To see that all low-income people in the United States have the opportunity for fit and affordable housing and to move up and out of poverty into the mainstream of American life. The Enterprise Foundation rebuilds communities by working with partners to provide low-income people with affordable housing, safer streets, and access to jobs and childcare. It also helps strengthen nonprofit organizations working in the community development field.

Purpose of Site:
To provide information about the organization and its offices in twenty cities nationwide and disseminate resources to organizations working to improve their local communities.

Background:
Founded in 1982 by Jim and Patty Rouse, the Enterprise Foundation fulfills its mission by providing loans, grants, and technical assistance to nonprofit organizations that are building and revitalizing local neighborhoods. Its national network includes more than 2,200 nonprofit organizations, public housing authorities, and Native American Tribes in 800 locations.

Since its inception, the foundation and its family of related organizations have raised and invested $3.9 billion in loans, equity, and grants to create 132,000 homes for low-income people. Since 1986, it has helped place more than 35,000 people in jobs offering decent wages and growth opportunities.

Home Page:
The top of the Enterprise Foundation's home page invites users to dive into the site with a number of options, including links to the Search, About Us, Join Us, Support Us, and Site Help areas, in addition to the Community Solutions, Resources, Program Cities, and Information For You sections. The main body of the page features news items and updates, and the sidebar on the left side of the home page offers more links, including Network Conference, Policy Information, and Donors and Supporters.

Outstanding Feature:
For twenty years, the Enterprise Foundation has gained expertise in the various community development activities necessary to build healthy communities, and it shares much of that experience with its online Resources. For example, the Enterprise Resource Database includes how-to guides, model documents, program descriptions, and spreadsheet templates for implementing community development, childcare programs, and workforce development. Other online resources include Housing Developer Support System, Enterprise MoneyNet, Community Safety Virtual Campus, Community Forum and Job Board, Policy Information and Guides, Technical Assistance, Training and Conferences, Software, and Publications and Products.

Honorable Mention:
The Community Solutions section of the Web site assists organizations launching or improving community-based programs with information and resources specifically targeted in the areas of Housing Development, Workforce Development, Child Care, Community Safety, Community Planning, Nonprofit Management, and Public Policy. For each topic, the foundation outlines its work in the area, explains how its resources can help organizations, and provides additional references and links.