Celebrating NeighborWorks Week: Honoring Our Legacy and Looking Ahead

Each year, NeighborWorks Week offers a special opportunity to reflect on the impact of community development and the power of partnerships. As we celebrate this week, we are proud to honor our journey as a chartered member of NeighborWorks America since May 2007. 

From the very beginning, our mission has been rooted in strengthening communities and creating opportunities for people to thrive. Our first grant of $75,000, awarded at the time of our chartering, marked the beginning of an impactful partnership—one that has been defined by dedication, reliability, and measurable outcomes. Since joining the NeighborWorks network in 2007, GROW South Dakota has created 2,318 new homeowners, preserved 2,726 homeowners, constructed, acquired, and preserved 165 rental homes, repaired 2,987 homes, funded $126.6 million in lending, and generated $1.47 billion in total direct investment.  

We have proudly maintained an Exemplary rating, the highest designation awarded by NeighborWorks America. This is determined through rigorous assessments conducted regularly.  

NeighborWorks America, as a premier trainer of community development and affordable housing professionals, has provided GROW South Dakota staff hundreds of hours of professional training through the Training Institutes, Place-Based Trainings, Webinars, Peer-Training, Achieving Excellence, and Board Governance programs. GROW SD has participated in multiple initiatives to help strengthen our organization and partner organizations, scale innovation, and create programs, databases, customer tools, and more.  

As we celebrate NeighborWorks Week, we also celebrate the people—our staff, partners, volunteers, and residents—who make this work possible. Together, we have built more than homes; we have built hope, resilience, and opportunity.