Awards

IU Indianapolis Spirit of Philanthropy Award - 1991

About Eastside Community Investments

The Eastside Community Investments (ECI) was established in 1976 by the Near East Side Community Organization, a coalition of churches and block groups. The community development corporation (CDC) began rehabilitating old rental houses on the East Side of Indianapolis and selling them to families needing homes. It also sponsored a number of training and support services to help at-risk populations recover economic stability. Through its business activities, ECI had generated more than 1,500 jobs. It developed its own industrial park, invested in more than 100 local enterprises, and pioneered an asset building program to promote savings among neighborhood families.

Unfortunately, ECI suffered major financial difficulties in the late '90s. It fell from being one of the nation's leading CDCs and operated at a vastly diminished scale until it closed in 2001.