Research Director Steve Dubb and Research Associate Sarah McKinley will moderate a panel on community wealth building in Native American communities.Read more about The Asset Learning Conference...
Five projects seek to launch social enterprises and employee-owned business in Native American communities
Indian Country is the site of some exciting new work taking shape in social enterprise and employee ownership. Five Native American projects are being developed as part of an initiative managed by The Democracy Collaborative and funded by the Northwest Area Foundation, known as the Learning/Action Lab for Community Wealth Building.
This new toolkit from the German Marshall Fund offers policies and practices to empower communities to preserve civic assets such as public parks, libraries, and recreation centers in the face of public and private resource constraints. Based on research conducted in Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Baltimore, the guide offers a range of strategies to raise money, awareness, and community involvement for the preservation of community assets.
Academies for Social Entrepreneurship’s programs focus on equipping not-for-profit executives with the resources they need to build high performing earned income ventures. In the past five years, ASE has produced twenty regional social enterprise “Academies” and three social innovation “fast pitches”.Read more about Academies for Social Entrepreneurship...
Headquartered in Cleveland, Vocational Guidance Services (VGS) is a nonprofit that provides a comprehensive range of free vocational rehabilitation services to nearly 5,000 individuals with barriers to employment on an annual basis. Social enterprises, through which clients gain on-the-job experience, are a key part of its approach. Operating in a variety of industries including custodial, sewing, packing/assembly, machining/inspection, and food services, VGS’ social enterprises are credited with employing more than 1,500 people and paying more than $9 million in wages a year.
Launched in 2012 by Burten, Bell, Carr Development (BBC) in an effort to create a healthy alternative to traditional fast-food establishments that are overly prevalent in the neighborhood, Bridgeport Café serves a variety of healthy foods and sells fresh, locally-grown produce directly to area residents.The Café is located in CornUcopia Place, a community facility also developed by BBC that offers nutrition education, cooking demonstrations, a harvest preparation station for local market gardeners, and space to the community on a rental basis.In 2013, the Café began a food truck program, known as the Mobile Market, which circulates through the community to ensure as many residents as possible can access fresh produce.
In this new book, Rockefeller Foundation president Judith Rodin and Nathans Cummings Fellow Margot Brandenburg make the case for impact investing as an alternative to traditional investing and philanthropy. Intended as a primer for retail investors, high-net-worth individuals, foundations, and others wishing to broaden the social and environmental impact of their investments, the book highlights opportunities to invest for social good around the world.
Sam Magavern, Tina Meyers, Jen Kaminsky and Sarah Maurer
This report from PUSH Buffalo and The Partnership for the Public Good identifies sources of funding and advocacy strategies to advance green infrastructure social enterprises. Intended for community-based organizations, policy makers, and funders interested in the intersection of sustainability, neighborhood redevelopment, and job creation, the guide offers ten case studies of green infrastructure social enterprises, including an in depth overview of PUSH Blue’s stormwater management projects.
People with Disabilities take ten times longer to get a job than their non-disabled counterparts. They are also more than three times as likely to be unemployed. To offset these trends, Richmond Entrepreneur's Assistance Program (REAP) was created. The program prepares disabled persons to be successfully employed in above entry-level positions. Participants learn inventory management and timekeeping, and get on the job experience through the program’s businesses, Heart to Heart Gift Baskets & Packaging, RVA Shops, Personal Chef Catering, and New 2 U Sports.
In 2006, Boaz & Ruth renovated a historic fire station for use as a retail/business incubator in Highland Park, which they named Fire House 15 Shops & Restaurant. As Highland Park has some of the highest concentrations of ex-offenders in Richmond, the renovation provided a critical opportunity for Boaz & Ruth to train and employ formerly incarcerated men. Boaz & Ruth has established several social enterprises, including Sunny Days Clothing Thrift, Job Connection, Harvest Furniture Thrift Store, Mountain Movers, B&R Estate Sale Services, Fire House 15 Restaurant, and Fire House 15 Catering. One of its most successful businesses, Cathedral Construction, has given men and women learning and work opportunities in specialized restoration.
Our research director Steve Dubb is joined by REDF's Carla Javits for a conversation around "Big Ideas for Job Creation" at the Aspen Institute, focusing on transforming anchor institution procurement to strengthen local economies and using social enterprise to create employment opportunities.
