Center for Community Self-Help
The Center for Community Self-Help is a public charity based in Durham, North Carolina. It is the umbrella organization for Self-Help’s credit unions, loan fund, and Center for Responsible Lending, and supports work to expand ownership and economic opportunity through financial services, lending, real estate development, and advocacy.
Center for Community Self-Help at a glance
In short: Center for Community Self-Help gave $3.3M across 10 grants in 2024 (avg $330K), mostly in North Carolina. 50% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $3,300,528
- +80.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 10
- -16.7% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $330,053
- +116.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $156,875
- Total assets
- $57,288,052
- +3.7% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 50% first-time grantees (5 of 10, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (92% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Center for Community Self-Help
- How to Apply
-
The Center welcomes discussion with funders about alignment with its priorities; the available information does not describe a formal application process.
- Contact
Mailing address: 301 W Main Street, Durham, NC 27701-3227
Phone: (919) 956-4400
Website: https://self-help.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Center for Community Self-Help funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was SelfHelp Ventures Fund ($1.2M). Together the top 10 received $3.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
45 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $250–500K range: 11 grants of 45 (24%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Center’s website says Self-Help has expanded economic opportunity in North Carolina, Florida, Washington, D.C., California, Illinois, and other states. In 2024, the reported share of its grant dollars by recipient state was North Carolina 92%, Illinois 8%, and Virginia 1%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Center for Community Self-Help open to new grantees?
50%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 5 of 10 grantees (50%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $539K; repeat grants $121K. How we count
Medians: $361K first-time, $90K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $1.7M (2021) to $6.4M (2022). In 2024 it made 10 grants totaling $3.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| SelfHelp Ventures Fund Durham, NC | Charitable Lending | $1,221,584 |
| SelfHelp Credit Union Durham, NC | Charitable Lending | $819,672 |
| SelfHelp Federal CU Durham, NC | Charitable Lending | $360,522 |
| Center for Responsible Lending Durham, NC | Research & Innovation | $360,000 |
| SelfHelp CommDevelopCorp Durham, NC | Affordable Housing | $223,750 |
| Lawndale Christian Development Corp Chicago, IL | Affordable Housing | $90,000 |
| The Resurrection Project Chicago, IL | Affordable Housing | $90,000 |
| Hope Center Foundation Chicago, IL | Affordable Housing | $70,000 |
| Pee Wee Homes Chapel Hill, NC | Affordable Housing | $40,000 |
| Richmond Heritage FCU Richmond, VA | Charitable Lending | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Center for Community Self-Help?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $57,288,052 | $7,553,705 | $5,817,069 | $3,300,528 | 10 | $283,402 |
| 2023 | $55,248,135 | $3,240,499 | $2,520,442 | $1,828,889 | 12 | $243,872 |
| 2022 | $52,606,933 | $6,987,039 | $7,267,568 | $6,385,042 | 8 | $65,838 |
| 2021 | $50,951,499 | $5,300,422 | $2,517,509 | $1,670,125 | 7 | $3,384 |
| 2020 | $45,315,972 | $14,619,141 | $4,384,549 | $3,440,018 | 8 | $7,017 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Center’s stated mission is to create and protect ownership for all, especially people of color, women, rural residents, and low-wealth families and communities. Its website describes grant-supported priorities that include affordable rental housing, sustainable homeownership, financial coaching, support for underserved small businesses and community service providers, community organizing, HBCU resilience, clean-energy lending, and equitable disaster recovery.
The 2024 filing describes programs involving a secondary market for mortgages to low-income buyers in distressed communities; educational and technical assistance; real estate projects in distressed communities; and lending in low-income, rural, and minority communities. The filing reports approximately 17,685 beneficiaries for the secondary-market program, 28,757 for educational and technical assistance, 6,767 for real estate projects, and 41,000 for community development lending.
Among 2024 grantees, Lawndale Christian Development Corp says its mission is to support North Lawndale residents through economic empowerment, housing improvement, education, and community advocacy. The Resurrection Project describes work to help individuals, immigrants, and families pursue stable homes and equitable community participation. Hope Center Foundation says it addresses poverty and violence through programs in homeownership, financial literacy, workforce development, youth mentorship, and entrepreneurship. Pee Wee Homes says it builds and manages affordable, accessible small homes for people who have experienced homelessness.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the Center reported 10 grants totaling $3,300,528. Grant amounts ranged from $25,000 to $1,221,584, with a median of $156,875. Its largest grants included $1,221,584 to Self-Help Ventures Fund, $819,672 to Self-Help Credit Union, $360,522 to Self-Help Federal CU, and $360,000 to Center for Responsible Lending. The filing lists charitable lending as the purpose of the first three grants and research and innovation as the purpose of the Center for Responsible Lending grant.
Other 2024 grants included $223,750 to SelfHelp CommDevelopCorp for affordable housing; $90,000 each to Lawndale Christian Development Corp and The Resurrection Project for affordable housing; $70,000 to Hope Center Foundation for affordable housing; $40,000 to Pee Wee Homes for affordable housing; and $25,000 to Richmond Heritage FCU for charitable lending. Self-Help Ventures Fund describes its mission as creating and protecting ownership and economic opportunity, while Self-Help Credit Union describes providing reasonably priced member loans and competitive interest. Center for Responsible Lending says it works to promote financial fairness and economic opportunity and end abusive lending practices.
The Center’s website says grants to it can support impact across Self-Help institutions, including its credit unions and Ventures Fund. Preferred structures include flexible risk capital for pilot programs, capital grants or long-term low- or no-cost loans for real estate development, operating and subsidy grants for high-impact programs, and support for policy research, coalition-building, and community organizing. The filing says grantees must periodically document that funds were spent according to grant agreements.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Martin Eakes as CEO and Director; Crystal German as President; Lewis Myers as Chair and Director; Marcus Bowen as Treasurer; Dave Shumannfang as Secretary; and David S Beck as PolicyMedia Director. It also lists Mike Bauders, Farad Ali, Melvin Davis, and Mike Giarla as directors.
Center for Community Self-Help is led by Martin Eakes, CEO & Director since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 14 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Martin Eakes
CEO & Director
Ceodirector → CEO & Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Crystal German
President
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Farad Ali
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gene Nichol
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joseph A Smith Jr.
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Linda Shaw
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Melvin Davis
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mike Giarla
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Anna Tefft
Director
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David S Beck
Policymedia Director
Policy & Media Director → Policymedia Director, 2024
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mike Bauders
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dave Shumannfang
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lewis Myers
Chairdirector
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marcus Bowen
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (5)
- Former: David Stein (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Ashley Smith (2023) — Director
- Former: Lily Steponaitis (2022) — Director
- Former: Franja Brown (2020) — Directorstaff
- Former: Lillian Lois Deloatch (2020) — President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Center for Community Self-Help
How much does Center for Community Self-Help give each year?
Center for Community Self-Help gave $3.3M across 10 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $1.8M across 12 grants.
What is Center for Community Self-Help's typical grant size?
Center for Community Self-Help's median grant in 2024 was $156,875, and its average grant was $330,053, across 10 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Center for Community Self-Help that year got $539K on average.
Where does Center for Community Self-Help give grants?
Center for Community Self-Help gives mostly in North Carolina: 92% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was Illinois (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Durham, NC (5 grants) and Chicago, IL (3 grants).
Does Center for Community Self-Help give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on Center for Community Self-Help's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Affordable Housing" (5 grants) and "Charitable Lending" (4 grants).
Who are Center for Community Self-Help's largest grantees?
Center for Community Self-Help's largest 2024 grantees include SelfHelp Ventures Fund ($1,221,584), SelfHelp Credit Union ($819,672) and SelfHelp Federal CU ($360,522), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 73% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Center for Community Self-Help?
Center for Community Self-Help reported $57.3M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $7.6M.
What does Center for Community Self-Help fund?
The Center’s stated mission is to create and protect ownership for all, especially people of color, women, rural residents, and low-wealth families and communities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Center for Community Self-Help?
The Center welcomes discussion with funders about alignment with its priorities; the available information does not describe a formal application process. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Center for Community Self-Help's EIN?
Center for Community Self-Help's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 56-1271685. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 2, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 27, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 30, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 4, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 10, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Center for Community Self-Help funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/center-for-community-self-help-morg_605fdcdd326f4eca85e6fe6bbba9d4bf
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_561271685_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Center for Community Self-Help funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/center-for-community-self-help-morg_605fdcdd326f4eca85e6fe6bbba9d4bf},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Center for Community Self-Help's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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