who we are, what we do

GROWTH is regarded as a local and national leader in developing innovative and attainable housing opportunities, securing a positive reputation for its ability to convene and facilitate work among diverse community partners.

With 150 years of combined staff experience, GROWTH serves as a national non-profit community based development organization with a regional focus, primarily serving the Iowa/ Illinois region through multi-family development efforts that include adaptive reuse projects such as downtown loft housing, single family employer assisted programs, homebuyer purchase and renovation programs, owner occupied rehabilitation, financial counseling, new infill construction.

For over three decades, with strong partnerships and acquiring millions of dollars in resources, GROWTH has now expanded to markets as far away as Florida, and has assisted with the purchase, rehabilitation and sale of more than 1,300 single family homes and created 318 multifamily residential units, with over 200 units of multifamily housing in its pipeline.

“The most outstanding rural non-profit organization in the country that best promotes fair and equal access to credit and capital and/or contributes the most in its community toward promoting wealth building in traditionally underserved populations.”-- Economic Growth Corporation, 2016 Recipient of 2016 James R. Leach Award, National Community Reinvestment Coalition

                 Before GROWTH's first redevelopment began in 2001                                           After GROWTH's first redevelopment was completed in 2002

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GROWTH MILESTONES

• One of Freddie Mac’s most successful alliance communities. More than $60 million of special mortgage products have been implemented in the region by GROWTH.
• Impacted over 1,300 single family housing units in the region to date
• Counseled over 2,500 homebuyers through its HUD-approved, Freddie-Mac certified housing education class
• Provided $15 Million in assistance to homebuyers since 1998
• Successfully administered more than $21.6 Million Neighborhood Stabilization Program 1 & 2 (NSP1 & NSP 2) dollars in the communities of Rock Island, Moline, and Sterling, IL. That amount was leveraged with an additional $22.8 Million in local, state, private, and other grant sources- for a total investment of $44 Million in neighborhood stabilization efforts throughout northwestern Illinois. 
• Successfully administered $3.5 Million in Illinois Attorney General National Foreclosure Settlement Funds in northwestern Illinois. That amount was leveraged with an additional $17.7 Million in public and private resources advancing efforts that included new rental construction, new single family homeownership, homebuyer and financial education, and demolition activities. ​
• Welcomed  800 homebuyers in northwestern Illinois to date.
• Created an innovative Employer Assisted Housing Program serving as a national model for live-work housing. To date, GROWTH's program has provided more than $1.9 million in direct financial assistance to 380 employees since 2003, with more than 49% of the employees relocating to Rock Island, IL from outside communities.
• One of 52 organizations nationally to receive funding from Wells Fargo Foundation’s Leading the Way Home Program Priority Markets Initiative.” Awarded two consecutive rounds totaling $175,000 towards redevelopment efforts in Rock Island’s oldest neighborhood.

Conflict of Interest Statement: 
Economic Growth Corporation and its affiliates (collectively, GROWTH) require staff and members of the Board of Directors to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations pertaining to GROWTH’S activities, to conduct themselves ethically and with integrity; and to avoid any conflict between their own interests and the interests of GROWTH.