Cleveland Neighborhood Progress has published its latest report on salaries, benefits, and workforce trends across Cleveland’s community development corporations (CDCs), the nonprofit organizations serving the city’s neighborhoods.
In 2025, the median salary of CDC employees, excluding executive directors, was $57,500. The report also documents staffing and financial pressures across the network. Among the CDCs surveyed, the median annual operating budget was $1.2 million, down 15% from 2022, and 44% reported reducing staff. Executive director tenure has shifted as well: 91% had served in their roles for five years or less.
This CDC Salary & Benefits Report is CNP’s fourth since 2018. CNP collects this data from CDC partners as part of our CDC Advancement & Resilience Initiative, which includes grantmaking and technical assistance to CDCs. We continue to collaborate with CDCs and the City of Cleveland – the largest funder of the CDC network – for a more transparent and flexible funding system for CDCs.
Read and download the 2026 edition of the CDC Salary & Benefits Report below.