We seek to shift economic development practices to be more inclusive of people of color and produce better outcomes for our priority communities.
We seek to improve labor standards by increasing community voice in policy processes and by creating greater public and private sector accountability.
We support a cultural shift in economic development efforts through training programs, industry networks and technical assistance that equip government agencies with the necessary tools to embed accountability and equity into their economic development work. We believe that increasing the representation of diverse and progressive constituents in economic development decision making will lead to new policies and practices that produce better outcomes for people of color and low-wealth communities.
We believe that advocacy and organizing efforts have shifted public policy and private sector practices in relation to labor laws that benefit our priority communities. We support efforts to develop new progressive policies, protect existing progressive policies, and abolish regressive policies that harm people of color and low-wealth communities. We also plan to use this intervention for targeted support of cities or regions for longer-term place-based investments.
You can see recent Equitable Economic Development grants below.
And explore other Inclusive Economies grants in our database.
|
Year Approved
|
Organization
|
Status
|
Amount
|
Duration
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 |
Jobs with Justice Education Fund
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $675,000 | 24 months |
| 2024 |
PowerSwitch Action
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Active | $900,000 | 36 months |
| 2024 |
Local Progress Policy Institute
The purpose of this grant is to provide general operating support. |
Active | $675,000 | 36 months |
| 2024 |
The New York Women's Foundation
The purpose of this grant is to support the Bronx Economic Justice Project, a cohort of grassroots organizations developing collaborative economic models built on solidarity, mutual aid, and cooperation in under-resourced communities in the Bronx. |
Closed | $150,000 | 18 months |
| 2024 |
TREND Community Development Corporation
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $304,400 | 12 months |
| 2024 |
Coworker.org
The purpose of this grant is general program support to Coworker.org. |
Closed | $348,500 | 24 months |
| 2023 |
Center for Innovation in Worker Organization
The purpose of this grant is general program support to the Center for Innovation in Worker Organization. |
Closed | $400,000 | 24 months |
| 2023 |
National Employment Law Project
The purpose of this grant is for general operating support. |
Active | $750,000 | 36 months |
| 2023 |
New Growth Innovation Network
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $280,000 | 24 months |
| 2023 |
JUST Capital Foundation
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $450,000 | 24 months |
| 2023 |
One Fair Wage, Inc.
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $450,000 | 24 months |
| 2023 |
Local Solutions Support Center
The purpose of this grant is to support the Local Solutions Support Center in coordinating and creating efforts to counter the abuse of preemption and strengthen local democracy by raising awareness of state preemption and its consequences, reducing the use of this threat to local autonomy, and strengthening the power of local governments to advance policies that promote equity, inclusion, public health, and civic participation. |
Closed | $600,000 | 36 months |
| 2023 |
Good Jobs First
The purpose of the grant is for general operating support for research, training, technical assistance, and publishing to promote greater accountability and equity in economic development. |
Closed | $600,000 | 36 months |
| 2023 |
Panorama Global
The purpose of this grant is to support the Ascend Fund—a philanthropic collaborative dedicated to accelerating the pace of change toward gender parity in U.S. politics by investing capital in nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations that break down barriers preventing women from running for office and winning. |
Closed | $200,000 | 12 months |
| 2023 |
Black Worker Initiative
To develop a new, cutting-edge regional economic development approach for Greater Birmingham, with strong input from diverse local partners and national experts. |
Closed | $150,000 | 24 months |
| 2022 |
Transform Finance, Inc.
The purpose of this grant is general operating support for Transform Finance which seeks to build wealth and power for communities by challenging legacy investment approaches, seeding transformative investment models, and centering non-investor voices. |
Closed | $570,000 | 36 months |
| 2022 |
Financial Services Stakeholder Project NFP
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $250,000 | 24 months |
| 2022 |
Common Future
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $850,000 | 36 months |
| 2022 |
Next River Institute
The purpose of this grant is to support Next River’s work to move conversation, culture, and resources to nourish the people and communities whose ways of being, doing, and relating point us toward the audacious change this moment demands. |
Closed | $75,000 | 12 months |
| 2022 |
TREND Community Development Corporation
The purpose of this general operating support grant is to strengthen communities and foster wealth creation for BIPOC residents, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders through inclusive ownership of commercial real estate projects. |
Closed | $150,000 | 12 months |
| 2022 |
Center for Cultural Innovation
This general operating grant supports strengthening elements of the nascent alternative economic ecosystem in order to address a gap in critical infrastructure needed to enact an economic system that shifts capital and ownership to those who have been historically excluded. |
Closed | $50,000 | 12 months |
| 2022 |
Texas Organizing Project Education Fund
The purpose of this grant is to support the furthering of TOPEF’s Board and Commission Leadership Institute (BCLI) and to expand training opportunities more broadly across progressive partners and TOPEF grassroots community leaders. |
Closed | $400,000 | 24 months |
| 2022 |
Family Values at Work: A Multi-State Consortium
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Active | $1,200,000 | 72 months |
| 2022 |
Coworker.org
The purpose of this grant is to support Coworker.org to build systems that workers can use to develop leadership, new forms of collective power, and productive engagement with employers. |
Closed | $300,000 | 24 months |
| 2022 |
Jobs to Move America
General operating support grant to empower communities to leverage their tax dollars to generate good, equitable jobs, career pipelines, sustainability, and more government accountability. |
Closed | $750,000 | 36 months |
There's a lot of talk in philanthropy about racial justice, trusting and centering grantees, sharing power, and enabling the risks necessary for innovative ideas to launch, succeed, or fail. But what does this look like in practice? In this…
As reported in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Surdna is one of many funders stepping up their support for workers. Below is an excerpt of an article by Alex Daniels that looks at foundations' early efforts to help workers survive and thrive. Early…
San Francisco – along with Albuquerque and New Orleans – are a part of a Living Cities’ cohort intended to tackle entrepreneurial barriers for people of color. The initiative–named Start Up, Stay Up, Scale Up –is designed…
Albuquerque – along with San Francisco and New Orleans – are a part of a Living Cities’ cohort intended to tackle entrepreneurial barriers for people of color. The initiative–named Start Up, Stay Up, Scale Up –is designed to connect…
New Orleans – along with Albuquerque and San Francisco–are a part of a new Living Cities’ cohort intended to tackle entrepreneurial barriers for people of color. The initiative–named Start Up, Stay Up, Scale Up –is designed to connect…
By the end of July, the group that works to connect the dots among the city’s community development corporations plans to have a report that looks at how other cities are connecting the dots in a much broader way. Community LIFT has…
Anchor institutions can play a vital role in strengthening and connecting local economies, and can serve as powerful drivers for building inclusive and equitable communities. A new report issued this week by the Funders’ Network as part of its…
WASHINGTON – June 6, 2017 – Today, National League of Cities (NLC), PolicyLink and the Urban Land Institute (ULI) announced the selection of six additional cities for participation in the organizations’ jointly-supported Equitable Economic…
Next City announces two new journalism fellows who will cover the equitable economic development beat, Deonna Anderson and Serena Maria Daniels. Click here for complete…
You can see recent Equitable Economic Development grants below.
And explore other Inclusive Economies grants in our database.
|
Year Approved
|
Organization
|
Status
|
Amount
|
Duration
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 |
Jobs with Justice Education Fund
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $675,000 | 24 months |
| 2024 |
PowerSwitch Action
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Active | $900,000 | 36 months |
| 2024 |
Local Progress Policy Institute
The purpose of this grant is to provide general operating support. |
Active | $675,000 | 36 months |
| 2024 |
The New York Women's Foundation
The purpose of this grant is to support the Bronx Economic Justice Project, a cohort of grassroots organizations developing collaborative economic models built on solidarity, mutual aid, and cooperation in under-resourced communities in the Bronx. |
Closed | $150,000 | 18 months |
| 2024 |
TREND Community Development Corporation
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $304,400 | 12 months |
| 2024 |
Coworker.org
The purpose of this grant is general program support to Coworker.org. |
Closed | $348,500 | 24 months |
| 2023 |
Center for Innovation in Worker Organization
The purpose of this grant is general program support to the Center for Innovation in Worker Organization. |
Closed | $400,000 | 24 months |
| 2023 |
National Employment Law Project
The purpose of this grant is for general operating support. |
Active | $750,000 | 36 months |
| 2023 |
New Growth Innovation Network
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $280,000 | 24 months |
| 2023 |
JUST Capital Foundation
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $450,000 | 24 months |
| 2023 |
One Fair Wage, Inc.
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $450,000 | 24 months |
| 2023 |
Local Solutions Support Center
The purpose of this grant is to support the Local Solutions Support Center in coordinating and creating efforts to counter the abuse of preemption and strengthen local democracy by raising awareness of state preemption and its consequences, reducing the use of this threat to local autonomy, and strengthening the power of local governments to advance policies that promote equity, inclusion, public health, and civic participation. |
Closed | $600,000 | 36 months |
| 2023 |
Good Jobs First
The purpose of the grant is for general operating support for research, training, technical assistance, and publishing to promote greater accountability and equity in economic development. |
Closed | $600,000 | 36 months |
| 2023 |
Panorama Global
The purpose of this grant is to support the Ascend Fund—a philanthropic collaborative dedicated to accelerating the pace of change toward gender parity in U.S. politics by investing capital in nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations that break down barriers preventing women from running for office and winning. |
Closed | $200,000 | 12 months |
| 2023 |
Black Worker Initiative
To develop a new, cutting-edge regional economic development approach for Greater Birmingham, with strong input from diverse local partners and national experts. |
Closed | $150,000 | 24 months |
| 2022 |
Transform Finance, Inc.
The purpose of this grant is general operating support for Transform Finance which seeks to build wealth and power for communities by challenging legacy investment approaches, seeding transformative investment models, and centering non-investor voices. |
Closed | $570,000 | 36 months |
| 2022 |
Financial Services Stakeholder Project NFP
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $250,000 | 24 months |
| 2022 |
Common Future
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $850,000 | 36 months |
| 2022 |
Next River Institute
The purpose of this grant is to support Next River’s work to move conversation, culture, and resources to nourish the people and communities whose ways of being, doing, and relating point us toward the audacious change this moment demands. |
Closed | $75,000 | 12 months |
| 2022 |
TREND Community Development Corporation
The purpose of this general operating support grant is to strengthen communities and foster wealth creation for BIPOC residents, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders through inclusive ownership of commercial real estate projects. |
Closed | $150,000 | 12 months |
| 2022 |
Center for Cultural Innovation
This general operating grant supports strengthening elements of the nascent alternative economic ecosystem in order to address a gap in critical infrastructure needed to enact an economic system that shifts capital and ownership to those who have been historically excluded. |
Closed | $50,000 | 12 months |
| 2022 |
Texas Organizing Project Education Fund
The purpose of this grant is to support the furthering of TOPEF’s Board and Commission Leadership Institute (BCLI) and to expand training opportunities more broadly across progressive partners and TOPEF grassroots community leaders. |
Closed | $400,000 | 24 months |
| 2022 |
Family Values at Work: A Multi-State Consortium
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Active | $1,200,000 | 72 months |
| 2022 |
Coworker.org
The purpose of this grant is to support Coworker.org to build systems that workers can use to develop leadership, new forms of collective power, and productive engagement with employers. |
Closed | $300,000 | 24 months |
| 2022 |
Jobs to Move America
General operating support grant to empower communities to leverage their tax dollars to generate good, equitable jobs, career pipelines, sustainability, and more government accountability. |
Closed | $750,000 | 36 months |