Comprehensive Community Building Initiatives (CCIs) are a relatively new approach to combating poverty at the neighborhood level. The first CCIs were launched in the late 1980s by a handful of local and national foundations. They grew out of the conviction that previous efforts to combat the causes and consequences of poverty had met with limited success because they did not address the interconnections among the many problems faced by poor communities. CCIs, therefore, seek to work comprehensively across social, economic, and physical development sectors. They are also based upon the concept of "community building," which stresses a community-driven process aimed at strengthening the capacity of neighborhood residents, associations, and organizations to work individually and collectively to foster and sustain positive neighborhood change.

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