This session explores how strategic university-community partnerships address economic inequities through asset-based community development and transformative service models. Drawing from North Carolina A&T's 2025 Community & Economic Engagement Summit, presenters will demonstrate how HBCUs and PWIs can work together to create sustainable economic development that combats toxic charity through genuine community wealth creation. The session showcases innovative approaches that move beyond deficit-based engagement to build upon existing community assets, creating policy advocacy and systemic change. Through interactive case studies from NCAT and WFU, participants will explore how GivePulse and Carnegie frameworks can track meaningful asset-building impact. This model demonstrates how academic institutions can serve as anchor institutions that transform communities through reciprocal partnerships centered on community-defined strengths and economic goals.