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
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 |
Urban Manufacturing Alliance
General operating support. |
Active | $225,000 | 36 months |
| 2020 |
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 | 29 months |
| 2020 |
PowerSwitch Action
The purpose of this grant is general operating support |
Closed | $50,000 | 6 months |
| 2020 |
Urban Manufacturing Alliance
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $20,000 | 6 months |
| 2020 |
Next City
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $50,000 | 6 months |
| 2020 |
Amalgamated Charitable Foundation
The purpose of this grant is to fund the equitable economic recovery grantmaking efforts of the Families and Workers Fund. |
Closed | $50,000 | 6 months |
| 2020 |
NDN Collective
The purpose of the grant is for general operating support. |
Closed | $225,000 | 12 months |
| 2020 |
One Fair Wage, Inc.
The purpose of this grant is to support the One Fair Wage relational voter program which aims to engage hundreds of thousands of low-wage workers who have been heretofore excluded both from the minimum wage and from voter engagement efforts. |
Closed | $175,000 | 12 months |
| 2020 |
Local Solutions Support Center
The purpose of this grant is to support the Local Solutions Support Center to provide local officials and national and local advocates with tools and resources to define, defend, and where needed, expand local power in response to Covid-19 crisis. |
Active | $525,000 | 36 months |
| 2020 |
Center for Innovation in Worker Organization
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $30,000 | 6 months |
| 2020 |
Texas Organizing Project Education Fund
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $31,000 | 6 months |
| 2020 |
YES! Media
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. This emergency funding is being provided in response to the COVID-19 crisis. |
Closed | $50,000 | 3 months |
| 2020 |
Jobs with Justice Education Fund
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. This emergency funding is being provided in response to the COVID-19 crisis.” |
Closed | $50,000 | 6 months |
| 2020 |
Family Values at Work: A Multi-State Consortium
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. This emergency funding is being provided in response to the COVID-19 crisis. |
Closed | $50,000 | 3 months |
| 2020 |
Good Jobs First
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Active | $600,000 | 36 months |
| 2020 |
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 |
| 2020 |
Economic Security Project
The purpose of this grant is to support the Anti-Monopoly Fund to build a grassroots, sustained, and cross-sector anti-monopoly effort to rein in the power of corporations in the U.S. to the benefit of low- and middle-income people. |
Active | $250,000 | 29 months |
| 2020 |
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 |
| 2020 |
Transform Finance, Inc.
The purpose of this grant is to enable Transform Finance to support social justice actors to develop place-based and topic-based strategies to influence financial actors and capital flows in advancement of social and economic justice. |
Active | $570,000 | 36 months |
| 2019 |
Rutgers University Foundation
The purpose of this grant is to advance three CIWO projects: Strengthening Labor Standards Enforcement, Build the Bench, and WILL Empower, that are working to shift the balance of power towards greater economic and social equality. |
Closed | $200,000 | 24 months |
| 2019 |
Activest
The purpose of this grant is to reduce municipal government’s usage of tax breaks for economic development through developing alternative economic development financial products to attract investment and mobilizing municipal investors to push for accountability and transparency. |
Closed | $250,000 | 24 months |
| 2019 |
Common Future
The purpose of the grant is general operating support. |
Active | $850,000 | 36 months |
| 2019 |
New Growth Innovation Network
The purpose of this grant is to strengthen NGIN’s network and deepen its practice innovation work to enable practitioners across the country to do disciplined practice and product innovation together: systematically inventing, testing, and scaling practices that enable more Americans to own and drive growth in the next economy. |
Closed | $280,000 | 24 months |
| 2019 |
Financial Services Stakeholder Project NFP
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $125,000 | 12 months |
| 2019 |
Georgetown University
The purpose of this grant is to support Georgetown University’s Beeck Center in conducting field work to advance the growth and success of minority-led and women-led financial services firms, including a survey of current initiatives, a stakeholder convening, and Opportunity Zone case studies. |
Closed | $175,000 | 12 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
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 |
Urban Manufacturing Alliance
General operating support. |
Active | $225,000 | 36 months |
| 2020 |
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 | 29 months |
| 2020 |
PowerSwitch Action
The purpose of this grant is general operating support |
Closed | $50,000 | 6 months |
| 2020 |
Urban Manufacturing Alliance
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $20,000 | 6 months |
| 2020 |
Next City
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $50,000 | 6 months |
| 2020 |
Amalgamated Charitable Foundation
The purpose of this grant is to fund the equitable economic recovery grantmaking efforts of the Families and Workers Fund. |
Closed | $50,000 | 6 months |
| 2020 |
NDN Collective
The purpose of the grant is for general operating support. |
Closed | $225,000 | 12 months |
| 2020 |
One Fair Wage, Inc.
The purpose of this grant is to support the One Fair Wage relational voter program which aims to engage hundreds of thousands of low-wage workers who have been heretofore excluded both from the minimum wage and from voter engagement efforts. |
Closed | $175,000 | 12 months |
| 2020 |
Local Solutions Support Center
The purpose of this grant is to support the Local Solutions Support Center to provide local officials and national and local advocates with tools and resources to define, defend, and where needed, expand local power in response to Covid-19 crisis. |
Active | $525,000 | 36 months |
| 2020 |
Center for Innovation in Worker Organization
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $30,000 | 6 months |
| 2020 |
Texas Organizing Project Education Fund
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $31,000 | 6 months |
| 2020 |
YES! Media
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. This emergency funding is being provided in response to the COVID-19 crisis. |
Closed | $50,000 | 3 months |
| 2020 |
Jobs with Justice Education Fund
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. This emergency funding is being provided in response to the COVID-19 crisis.” |
Closed | $50,000 | 6 months |
| 2020 |
Family Values at Work: A Multi-State Consortium
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. This emergency funding is being provided in response to the COVID-19 crisis. |
Closed | $50,000 | 3 months |
| 2020 |
Good Jobs First
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Active | $600,000 | 36 months |
| 2020 |
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 |
| 2020 |
Economic Security Project
The purpose of this grant is to support the Anti-Monopoly Fund to build a grassroots, sustained, and cross-sector anti-monopoly effort to rein in the power of corporations in the U.S. to the benefit of low- and middle-income people. |
Active | $250,000 | 29 months |
| 2020 |
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 |
| 2020 |
Transform Finance, Inc.
The purpose of this grant is to enable Transform Finance to support social justice actors to develop place-based and topic-based strategies to influence financial actors and capital flows in advancement of social and economic justice. |
Active | $570,000 | 36 months |
| 2019 |
Rutgers University Foundation
The purpose of this grant is to advance three CIWO projects: Strengthening Labor Standards Enforcement, Build the Bench, and WILL Empower, that are working to shift the balance of power towards greater economic and social equality. |
Closed | $200,000 | 24 months |
| 2019 |
Activest
The purpose of this grant is to reduce municipal government’s usage of tax breaks for economic development through developing alternative economic development financial products to attract investment and mobilizing municipal investors to push for accountability and transparency. |
Closed | $250,000 | 24 months |
| 2019 |
Common Future
The purpose of the grant is general operating support. |
Active | $850,000 | 36 months |
| 2019 |
New Growth Innovation Network
The purpose of this grant is to strengthen NGIN’s network and deepen its practice innovation work to enable practitioners across the country to do disciplined practice and product innovation together: systematically inventing, testing, and scaling practices that enable more Americans to own and drive growth in the next economy. |
Closed | $280,000 | 24 months |
| 2019 |
Financial Services Stakeholder Project NFP
The purpose of this grant is general operating support. |
Closed | $125,000 | 12 months |
| 2019 |
Georgetown University
The purpose of this grant is to support Georgetown University’s Beeck Center in conducting field work to advance the growth and success of minority-led and women-led financial services firms, including a survey of current initiatives, a stakeholder convening, and Opportunity Zone case studies. |
Closed | $175,000 | 12 months |