The Georgette and Cato Johnson YMCA is an anchor in Memphis’s Whitehaven neighborhood. It serves as a community hub, providing much needed services that address early childhood development, healthy living, and physical and mental wellbeing.

Whitehaven was underserved by an aging and undersized facility relative to the growing service demands. Most of the historic building, in operation since its open in 1959, was demolished, in part due to safety concerns, to make way for a rebuild effort. The new building continues the rich legacy of the old YMCA and the new project helped in reversing a generation’s long period of disinvestment in the Whitehaven community.

Funding for the project reflects the buy-in and support from local stakeholders. A capital campaign helped the YMCA raise over $6 million in public and private grants, including from the City of Memphis, the Shelby County school district, and Methodist South Hospital. The organization had exhausted its fundraising efforts and faced limitations on taking on too much debt relative to the organization’s revenue.

The Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF), a national Community Development Entity, and U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation, together utilized NMTC to provide $11 million in NMTC financing to support the project. But for the tax credits, the new Whitehaven YMCA was challenged to get financed. Without the NMTC, the project would have been delayed, scaled back significantly (in terms of size and impact), or tabled altogether.

A ribbon cutting for the new facility took place in March 2023. The result is a 33,000 sq. ft. community space, an expansion of nearly 26,000 sq. ft. from its earlier incarnation. Today, the facility’s offering includes a gym, year-round swimming facilities hosting aquatic and water safety instruction, an early learning center, and a before and after school care center. The YMCA serves roughly 9,000 individuals annually, well over double the number from the original facility.