What's New at ICIC
Helping Entrepreneurs of Color Grow their Business
Our newest report highlights promising new interventions to scale minority-owned businesses in order to maximize wealth creation.
Read more.
The 2018 Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) Impact Report is here!
We are tremendously proud of what ICCC alumni have accomplished. This report is a testament to their hard work, grit, and determination. They are helping create a thriving small business ecosystem in their home cities, as they go from strength to strength. We can’t wait to see what successes this coming year will bring! Learn more.
The Authority on Inner Cities
Our mission at the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City is to drive economic prosperity in America’s inner cities through private sector investment to create jobs, income and wealth for local residents.
Founded in 1994 by Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter, the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City is a national nonprofit research and advisory organization and the leading authority on U.S. inner city economies and the businesses that thrive there.
Learn More About ICIC
Work with ICIC
Inner cities are rich with opportunity. We help business, government and philanthropic leaders leverage local assets to transform communities. Our research and advisory team has helped to shape economic development strategies in more than twenty inner cities.
ICIC delivers the knowledge and the know-how to achieve sustainable economic and job growth.
Support ICIC
Whether supporting one of our high-impact urban business programs or the entire organization, our partners know they are choosing to support an organization dedicated to transforming inner cities across the country. Our partners include Bank of America, Chevron, Kaiser Permanente, various foundations and individual donors.
Learn how you can support ICIC’s work
What is an Inner City?
Read Our Latest Research
They are distressed urban areas of concentrated poverty and unemployment. Take a peek at our rigorous definition of inner cities.
Inner city residents represent 10% of the population—that’s 32 million people. Nearly a quarter of the population living in poverty live in the inner city. Inner cities represent 16% of U.S. unemployment, 22% of U.S. poverty, and 32% of U.S. minority poverty.
Events
Inner City 100: Applications Now Open!
Blog
Celebrating Women’s History Month
March is Women’s History Month, a time to commemorate and encourage the study, observance, and celebration of the achievements of women throughout history. These achievements span disciplines; they are social, cultural, political, and of course, economic. Read More