What's New at ICIC
ICIC's 2022 Annual Conference
This year's Annual Conference brings together our dynamic network of program participants, alumni, and collaborators to celebrate the strength of the extraordinary entrepreneurs in our community who continue to persevere through the economic uncertainty brought on by the pandemic – and are still “Open for Business”. The conference marks the culmination of our Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) program as well as the reveal of our annual Inner City 100 (IC100) awards, celebrating the 100 fastest-growing businesses in under-resourced communities across the country.
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ICIC 2022 Holiday Gift Guide
The 2022 Holiday Gift Guide features more than 240 small businesses and ICIC alumni from across each of our programs. It's the perfect place to find exactly what you are looking for while shopping small and shopping local.
View Guide
LISC and ICIC Launch Digital Curriculum
LISC and ICIC have partnered to launch the Bridging the Capital Access Gap digital training, a free, publicly accessible curriculum and video series to help business support organizations navigate the capital landscape with and for their clients. Join us for our upcoming watch parties and office hours.
Watch Parties Access Course Summary
Santander's Cultivate Small Business 7th Cohort
Santander’s Cultivate Small Business was created to help early-stage entrepreneurs build and sustain businesses in the food industry, with a focus on women-, immigrant-, and BIPOC-owned businesses. The program is a completely FREE 12 week mini-MBA for eligible entrepreneurs. Along with a food-focused curriculum, the program provides mentorship, coaching, and small capital grants. We are thrilled that this fully virtual program is available to entrepreneurs in the Massachusetts area for the first time and are accepting applications now through January 27th, 2023. The program will run from April to June of this 2023.
Info Session Apply Now
Final Research Report Analyzing COVID 19 Recession & Recovery
The fourth and final in its series, How the Coronavirus Recession and Recovery Have Affected Businesses and Jobs in the 100 Largest Metropolitan Areas, this report summarizes the key findings of Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (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.
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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
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 Inclusive Economic Prosperity
Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (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. under-resourced economies and the businesses that thrive there.
Learn More About ICIC
Work with ICIC
Underserved communities 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
ICIC's 2022 Annual Conference
This year’s virtual conference will be hosted over two days, December 6 and 8, and will feature educational content relevant to recovering in a post-pandemic economy, high-profile keynote addresses, and multiple networking opportunities with more than 1,000 business owners from throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Blog
New Capital Access Training Targets Diverse Small Businesses Support Networks to Improve Opportunity
Small businesses rely on financing to launch, expand in periods of opportunity, and persevere during moments of difficulty. It’s not surprising that access to capital is one of the most frequent issues raised by entrepreneurs across LISC’s national small business support network and ICIC’s programs to support small businesses in ... 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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