Overview

Community and economic development agencies are vital in fostering local growth, enhancing quality of life, and creating opportunities for residents and businesses alike. At Maher Duessel, we provide specialized audit, tax and consulting services tailored to meet the specific needs of community and economic development agencies, helping you manage compliance, optimize funding, and achieve impactful outcomes.

Driving community impact through enhanced compliance and performance.

Maher Duessel has extensive experience partnering with community and economic development organizations. Our team understands the complexities of grant management, regulatory compliance, and the strategic planning necessary to drive successful development projects. With our expertise, we ensure your agency operates efficiently and transparently, so you can focus on making a meaningful impact.
 

Programs provided by community & economic development organizations.

The organizations that we serve provide an array of programs to support economic growth:

  • Business Attraction Programs
  • Community Engagement
  • Community Events
  • Grant and Loan Programs
  • Historic Preservation
  • Property Revitalization
  • Public and Private Partnerships
  • Real Estate Development
  • Site Acquisition and Development
  • Tax Incentive Programs
  • Workforce Development


  • Empowering your good works.

    We conduct thorough evaluations of financial practices, program outcomes, and compliance with funding requirements, providing actionable insights that strengthen organizational performance. By identifying areas for improvement and optimizing resource allocation, our audits empower community and economic development organizations to enhance their contributions to revitalization, community well-being, and sustainable development. With our expertise, these organizations can better navigate challenges, measure success, and continue making a meaningful difference in the communities they serve.

Experience

Experience you can rely on as you strengthen your community.

  • We have several years of experience serving multiple regional planning development commissions in Pennsylvania.  These organizations are involved in initiatives such as transportation planning, workforce development, business financing, technical and grant assistance, and support for local governments including cities, counties, and municipalities. Our experience working with local governments, including audits of several counties, provides us with in-depth knowledge of the public-private partnerships instrumental to the success of these organizations. 
  • We have long-standing successful relationships with neighborhood based Community Development Corporations (CDC) in the Pittsburgh region. These organizations have unique challenges including balancing multiple (often competing) stakeholder interests in a defined neighborhood with limitations in budget and capacity. Our team members are sensitive to the demands on CDC's, and we craft an engagement approach that effectively uses Maher Duessel and the organization's resources as efficiently as possible.
  • Many of our community and economic development clients find it advantageous to structure their organizations with a blend of for-profit and non-profit organizations to maximize their resources and execute real estate development projects in an effective and efficient manner. We skillfully utilize our experience serving non-profits with similar operating structures to enable the same team members that perform your organization's main audit to assist with the audits/tax filings of your affiliated organizations.
  • Several of our community and economic development clients require a Single Audit. We have intricate knowledge of all facets of Single Audit compliance through our service to similar clients and ongoing internal and external training programs. With approximately 170 Single Audits performed annually, our professionals have a detailed understanding of the federal funding programs that community and economic development organizations rely on for support. Additionally, we invite our community and economic development clients to participate in our annual Continuing Professional Education (CPE) seminars (Government and Non-Profit Updates) which include training sessions on the latest Single Audit compliance matters.
  • Several of the public entities we serve are involved in financing a multitude of development and infrastructure projects and administer a broad range of loan and grant programs, and we have experience auditing loan programs in excess of $300 million. These programs include real estate projects, the financing of infrastructure improvements, and business expansion, among others. Many of these projects and programs involve transactions that are complex in nature. We have the expertise to respond in a timely manner to our community and economic development clients with questions regarding their grant and loan programs.

Services we provide for community and economic development organizations.

  • Financial Statement Audits
  • Single Audits
  • Audits in Accordance with Government Auditing Standards
  • Audit Assistance and Financial Statement Preparation
  • Accounting Consulting 
  • IRS Form 990, 990-T and other IRS Tax Filings 
  • PA Form BCO-10 Filings


Industry Insights

Publications

Let’s get started.

We’re here to support your needs. Our audit, tax, and consulting services are designed to help you achieve your mission.

Jump to Page

Necessary Cookies

Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.

Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies help us improve our website by collecting and reporting information on its usage. We access and process information from these cookies at an aggregate level.