This new report from the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey quantifies the impact that community development corporations have had in New Jersey. Over the past 25 years, CDCs have added 82,000 jobs, contributed $12 billion to the state economy, and added $320 million to state tax rolls. The Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) program, a 100 percent state tax credit that encourages private investment in low- to moderate-income communities, enabled New Jersey CDCs to leverage each dollar more than seven times over.
Jennifer Brooks, Kasey Wiedrich, Lebaron Sims, Jr. and Solana Rice
Findings from the 2015 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard
One in five households regularly rely on fringe financial services to meet their needs. Nationally, 55.6 percent of consumers have subprime credit scores, meaning they cannot qualify for credit or financing at prime rates. In its 2015 Asset and Opportunity Scorecard, the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) describes these and other difficulties faced by many Americans and breaks down disparities by race and state. The report also outlines how a combination of state policies such as protections against predatory lending and the establishment of housing trust funds can help families achieve economic security.
Presentation given by Research Director Steve Dubb for a panel entitled "Deal Makers and Game Changers: Being Responsive to a Market for Equitable Development" at the 14th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference.
The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment released its tenth biannual report on what it labels the “sustainable, responsible and impact investing sector.” The report identified place-based investing, largely by public funds directing investment into their city or state, “as a new trend, accounting for nearly $90 billion in assets.” Additionally, the use of environmental, social and governance criteria by institutional investors, once a small market niche, now covers over $4 trillion in market assets, representing a four-fold increase from 2012 to 2014 alone.
This new report from the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) identifies an opportunity for Newark anchor institutions to shift over $425 million of procurement toward local purchasing. In addition to targeting local procurement strategies in high expenditure areas, authors Kim Zeuli, Lena Ferguson, and Austin Nijhuis also suggest that anchors target local procurement contract opportunities so as to build the capacity of small firms to scale up for future contracts, as demonstrated by the Chicago Anchors for a Strong Economy (CASE) initiative
