Effective organizing thrives when organizers grow. The Center for Community Leadership strengthens the movement by supporting organizers at every level—helping them sharpen strategies, avoid burnout, and build lasting careers. By investing in their development, we foster stronger campaigns and increase the leadership of marginalized communities in social justice and the community development field.

CCL offers cohort-based programs along with workshops and gatherings for organizers throughout the year.

Introductory Course

• 9-month foundation organizing skills training for new staff organizers
• October – June

Organizing Apprenticeship

• 6-month training and career development program for grassroots leaders new to organizing
• January – June

Advanced Course

• 6-month training and reflection space for experienced organizers
• January – June

Workshops & Gatherings

• Multi-level skills training, peer learning, and movement reflection
• On-going throughout the year

CCL programs are shaped by a guiding framework for community organizing as a power-building practice and strategy that works to win concrete changes in people’s lives and communities.

While our programs vary in length and format, they are grounded in these core elements:

Theory & Practice: While engaging in conceptual learning about the elements of community organizing, participants in CCL programs also practice what they’re learning on the ground and with the communities they’re organizing with. CCL instructors craft learning spaces where organizers can delve into community organizing history, theory, concepts, and key tools and resources to build up, apply, and reflect on their organizing skills.

Cohort-Based Learning: CCL courses bring together cohorts of organizers, providing opportunities for collaborative learning, digging into key questions, reflecting, and sharing about the work of organizing and their development in it. Our courses are spaces where organizers can build and deepen supportive relationships they can lean on in the ongoing movement-building work.

Expertise: CCL instructors are deeply committed to organizing and movement-building, having honed their expertise and craft over years of on-the-ground experience and organizational leadership. Grounded in their in-depth knowledge of organizing and a broader commitment to supporting the learning and development of individual organizers, their organizations, and the communities they work, CCL instructors facilitate a thorough curriculum and offer mentorship, coaching, and feedback to help participants improve their skills and practice.

Organizational Capacity Building: CCL programs are a valuable resource and investment in the onboarding, training, and ongoing development of organizers and organizational leaders, contributing to the overall capacity of ANHD member organizations and other partners and allies.

Networking and Peer Learning Opportunities: CCL courses, workshops, and trainings provide opportunities to gather and connect with a vast network of practitioners and organizations.

The CCL Advanced Power-Building Workshop Series is a five-part program that convenes organizers to deepen their understanding of how to align, build, sustain, and show collective power in their organizations and movements. Through day-long in person sessions facilitated by Susanna Blankley, we offer spaces to reflect, question, learn, experiment and plan with other organizers. 

This workshop series is designed for organizers who already have an understanding and foundation in organizing, and are looking to sharpen, deepen, and expand their knowledge and practices. The modules are designed to delve into concepts, tools, and practices on core organizing principles and approaches. Participants must be actively engaged in organizing and ideally be working with an organization where they have substantial opportunities to apply their learning.

Workshop Dates

The series consists of 5 day-long in-person sessions between January and May 2026.

• Aligning & Defining Our Power: Political & Popular Education | January 30, 2026
• Building Power: Base Building | February 27, 2026
• Sustaining Power: Leadership Development | March 27, 2026
• Demonstrating Power: Campaigns – Part 1 | April 24, 2026
• Demonstrating Power: Campaigns – Part 2 | May 29, 2026

We highly encourage folks to participate in the full series. The sessions build upon each other and are designed to support participants in deepening their understanding of the concepts in each module and their importance in effective and strategic organizing, as well as learning key tools and practices to apply your learning. If you can’t participate in the full series, though, you have the option to apply for just the sessions that best meet your current needs and capacity.

To Participate

• Get to know more about each session below
• Complete the application and let us know which sessions you’d like to participate in
  • If you’re applying for the full series, make sure to sign up by January 16th to take advantage of the discounted rate!
  • Check the application for for due dates for each workshop in the series
• Once accepted, you’ll get information on how to secure your spot

All of the sessions will be in person at the ANHD Office, located at 50 Broad Street. The sessions will be from 10 AM – 5 PM on the designated dates. Light breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Cost

• ANHD Member
  • $800 for the Full Workshop Series (5 Sessions)
  • $200 per Workshop
• Non-ANHD Member: 
  • $900 for the Full Workshop Series (5 Sessions)
  • $225 per Workshop

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Aligning & Defining Our Power: Political & Popular Education

January 30, 2026 | Application due by 1/16

This session focuses on Political & Popular Education as methods for aligning and defining our power. We’ll invite participants to reflect and work on:

• The importance of having and shaping vision and a long-term agenda
• Practices and methodologies that deepen analysis
• Skills to put our politics into practice

Building Power: Base Building
February 27, 2026 | Application due by 2/16

This session focuses on Base Building as a key organizing practice and strategy for bringing folks into organizing in ways that build power for the long-term. We’ll invite participants to:

• Develop a shared definition of our base
• Get clear on what base building is (and isn’t!)
• Delve into the theory and practice of base building as long-term strategy
• Learn tools for mapping and recruiting members

Sustaining Power: Leadership Development
March 27, 2026 | Application due by 2/16

This session focuses on Leadership Development as a way of sustaining our power. The session will cover:

• Defining and deepening our understandings of leadership
• Cultivating, sustaining, and nurturing leadership of members in our organizations
• Reflecting on our own leadership and understanding our roles as organizers   

Demonstrating Power: Campaigns
April 24 & May 29, 2026 | Application due by 4/13

This module consists of two sessions focused on Campaigns as a way of demonstrating our power.

Part 1 provides a foundation for understanding key elements of a campaign and covers:

• Defining campaigns and key campaign terms
• Identifying targets
• Developing demands
• Power mapping

Part 2 invites participants to workshop campaigns they are actively working on and offers opportunities to reflect on topics including campaign tactics and strategies.

Participants are required to register for and attend both sessions in this module.

CCL offers organizing trainings and workshops open to the broader ANHD community by CCL instructors and other guest facilitators. Past trainings have included: Building Community Power – Organizing 101; Supervision for Organizers; Making Memorable Meetings.

Check out upcoming trainings from CCL and other ANHD programs, including the Affordable Housing Institute, on our ANHD Training Series page.

All participants in the Organizing Academy courses have free access to all ANHD trainings for the duration of their classes.

Since 2009, over 350 participants have gone through a CCL training program, and over 100 community organizations have been involved in this opportunity.

Examples of campaigns and coalitions participants have worked on include:

• #HomelessCantStayHome
• NYS Rent Law Reform
• Right to Counsel in Housing Court
• Basement Apartments Safe for Everyone Campaign (BASE)
• Policing Reform Campaigns & Ending Solitary Confinement
• Stand For Tenant Safety, Department of Buildings Reform Campaign
• Certificate of No Harassment (CONH)
• Comprehensive Immigration Reform
• Lift the Caps Street Vendor Campaign
• NYC Rent Freeze/Roll Back Campaign
• Predatory Equity Campaigns
• Climate Justice
• NY Healthy Nail Salons Coalition
• Bronx Wide Coalition
• Housing Justice for All

And so much more! Click here for the full list of community organizations we have worked with through CCL.

If you’d like to get updates about CCL, including when program applications open, registration for upcoming workshops and trainings, fill out this form to let us know.

If you have questions about the Center for Community Leadership or its programs, please contact our Capacity Building team at capacitybuilding@anhd.org.