Accreditation


We are often asked why an organization or community should be interested in seeking “national accreditation” from Main Street America (MSA).

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION HAS ALWAYS HAD THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS:

  • A significant addition to grant applications submitted to funding entities
  • Recognition at the National Main Street Conference & at the annual Pennsylvania Premier Revitalization Conference
  • Acknowledgment of the accreditation achievement to the Governor of Pennsylvania
  • Validation of the program with local stakeholders

IN ADDITION, PDC TAKES EVERY STEP TO MAKE THIS NATIONAL ACCREDITATION HAVE EVEN MORE TANGIBLE BENEFITS, INCLUDING:

  • More coverage of the achievement by local media
  • Direct recognition of nationally accredited programs in PDC marketing activities
  • Extra points for PDC and Keystone CORE Services-funded initiatives
  • A 20% reduction in membership dues per year for five years to organizations that are nationally accredited for five (5) consecutive years

TO REVIEW THE FUNDAMENTAL REQUIREMENTS FOR NATIONAL ACCREDITATION, A COMMUNITY MUST:

  1. Be a member of the Pennsylvania Downtown Center.
  2. Be a Designated Member of the Main Street America.
  3. Meet the Community Evaluation Standards of Main Street America.
  4. Complete Self-Assessment Report with Main Street America.
  5. Report required community reinvestment statistics with the Pennsylvania Downtown Center.
  6. Have a full-time or part-time manager for at least 6 months of the calendar year.
  7. Have the manager attend all three managers’ meetings.
  8. Having at least one board or committee member, NOT THE MANAGER, attend one of the Regional Leadership Forums held annually at various locations around the state.
  9. Complete the Pennsylvania Downtown Center Salary Survey. It is recommended for any programs that are pursuing the DCED Main Street Matters: Main Street & Elm Street designation and/or national affiliate status.

It is essential to note in the above criteria that you do NOT have to be a DCED-designated program to be eligible for national accreditation. Still, if you are not DCED-designated, you must be a PDC Recognized Program. Much of the work related to evaluating a community’s performance for consideration as a nationally accredited program is conducted during a required annual program assessment for a DCED-designated community. Non-DCED-designated communities are eligible for a similar accreditation evaluation by PDC. DCED will pay for this evaluation and does not incur any costs to the community. PDC will determine if it has sufficient information to conduct the accreditation evaluation without the need for an on-site accreditation site visit.

2023 NATIONALLY ACCREDITED PENNSYLVANIA PROGRAMS

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