Called to Serve Breaks Ground on the Reverend Leon H. Sullivan Community Impact Center with Help from PIDC

by Rachel Hazzard
February 24, 2025

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Called to Serve (CTS) recently celebrated the groundbreaking of the Reverend Leon H. Sullivan Community Impact Center with an event featuring remarks from PIDC, government officials, and the project development team. They highlighted how this transformative project builds on past achievements and sets a vision for the future of the community. 

Established in 2014 by Zion Baptist Church of Philadelphia, CTS is an non-profit developer dedicated to the renewal, restoration and revitalization of Nicetown-Tioga communities of North Philadelphia. In partnership with Zion Baptist Church and Leon H. Sullivan CDC, CTS is leading the effort to revitalize the Zion Baptist Church of Philadelphia’s historic Zion Annex into the The Reverend Leon Sullivan Community Impact Center.

Photos source: Daniel Burke, Photo and Video LLC

The Impact Center will honor the leadership of the visionary Reverend Leon Howard Sullivan. A civil rights activist and pastor, Sullivan was known for his work as a powerhouse in economic empowerment and a leader in the self-help movement. As the pastor of Zion Baptist Church for several decades, he worked to uplift the Black community by founding the Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC), an job training facility that now operates across the county. He built Progress Plaza, the nation’s first black-owned and developed shopping center. And he organized “Selective Patronage” in response to racist hiring practices, encouraging Black Philadelphians to boycott businesses that did not hire black people.

In keeping with Sullivan’s work to lift up Philadelphia’s Black community, the Impact Center will be a hub for four Black-owned tenants and a nonprofit organization offering critical services such as digital readiness, violence intervention, fresh food distribution, community arts, café and gathering space, and community health worker training in partnership with Temple Health. The 27,000 square-foot space is set to open in 2026, and will serve 4,600 people annually and create 83 full-time jobs and 100 temporary  construction jobs. 

Photo of building.
Rendering of the new community center.

To complete the renovation, CTS, Zion Baptist Church, and Leon H. Sullivan CDC secured funding from private and public institutions totaling $18.3 million, including:

  • New Markets Tax Credit equity investments made through PIDC, which was funded by U.S. Bank 
  • Sacred Places/Civic Spaces program funding through the William Penn Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts 
  • Leverage Source Loans through Reinvestment Fund 
  • Grants through the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Commerce
  • Grant sponsored by Congressman Dwight Evans

“As the city’s economic development corporation, PIDC is proud to be a key financing partner for this transformative project, which aligns with our mission to drive growth and economic opportunity throughout Philadelphia,” said PIDC President Jodie Harris. “The redevelopment of the Zion Baptist Church Annex into The Reverend Leon Sullivan Community Impact Center will create a powerful hub for essential healthcare services, workforce training, and community programming. This project demonstrates the strength of community-driven partnerships and serves as a critical investment in the future of the Nicetown-Tioga neighborhood, creating jobs and revitalizing a cornerstone of this vibrant neighborhood.”

CTS views the development of the Reverend Leon Sullivan Community Impact Center as a key component of the ongoing Broad, Germantown and Erie commercial corridor revitalization efforts, as well as an extraordinary opportunity to promote civic engagement, social cohesion, neighborhood equity, and to contribute to the overall health of the community and city.

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