What's New at ICIC
Meet the 100 Fastest-Growing Inner City Businesses of 2021
Every year, the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City identifies, ranks, and spotlights the 100 fastest growing businesses located in America’s inner cities. These companies are experiencing rapid growth—and making a meaningful impact on their cities and communities.
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Our 2021 Impact Report is Here!
This year, across our four urban business initiatives, we have served more than 3,000 businesses and entrepreneurs across 48 states, Puerto Rico, and five Canadian provinces. Their stories and the impacts of their participation have helped our organization remain inspired by our mission and emerge stronger.
Impact Report
New Research Analyzes How the Pandemic Has Affected Business & Jobs
The second of four installments of our Research Recovery Tracker report summarizes the key findings of ICIC’s analysis of the most detailed and comprehensive information about what has happened to businesses and jobs in these metros from the onset of the pandemic. To download the full report and access the accompanying data dashboard visit the link below.
THE REPORT
How For-Profit Companies Can Act as Anchor Institutions
Anchor institutions are large or otherwise influential organizations that participate in community engagement activities and have relatively deep roots in (are unlikely to move from) their communities. This report, made possible by funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, explores the motivations and strategies of for-profit corporations’ engagement as anchor institutions with lower-income communities.
READ MOREThe Authority on Inner Cities
ICIC drives inclusive economic prosperity in under-resourced communities through innovative research and programs 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 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?
Inner cities are distressed urban and suburban areas of concentrated poverty and low income. Inner city residents represent 14% of the population—that’s 45 million people. Of U.S. residents living in poverty, 31 percent live in inner cities.
Events
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Blog
How Resilient Were Small Businesses during the First Year of the Coronavirus Pandemic?
A look at what happened to established business owners and lessons for the next crisis by Howard Wial, Senior Vice President and Director of Research, Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, and Devon Yee, Senior Research Analyst, Initiative for a Competitive Inner City December 2021 During the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, ... Read More
ICIC drives inclusive economic prosperity in under-resourced communities through innovative research and programs to create jobs, income, and wealth for local residents.
Contact
PO Box 191297
Roxbury MA 02119
Phone: 617-238-1740
Fax: 617-238-3001
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