What's New at ICIC
Leverage Innovation for Growth This April in Atlanta!
ICIC’s Annual Conference brings together bold entrepreneurs, influential sponsors, and visionary leaders who are shaping the future of small business. Whether you are an ICIC program alum, a partner driving impact, or a business owner discovering ICIC for the first time, this is your moment to connect, learn, and grow.
Register
Unlock Your Business Potential
From executive education to capital readiness, ICIC gives entrepreneurs the tools to scale profitably and sustainably. Discover the program designed for your journey.
Start Here
Fuel the Future of Small Business
As part of our Year of Innovation, this campaign invites you to become co-architects of a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem by investing in proven programs that break barriers and spark lasting impact.
invest today
AI in Business Report
ICIC’s latest research report, “AI in Business: How Small Business Owners Are Learning, Using, and Navigating Challenges with AI Tools,” explores the opportunities and challenges that artificial intelligence (AI) presents for small businesses across the United States. The report delivers data-driven recommendations to help businesses, educators, and policymakers address the barriers to AI use by small businesses and ensure that AI adoption is both effective and inclusive.
View Report Webinar Replay
Structural Barriers to Small Business Success
Explore our interactive tool, created in partnership with Small Business Majority, that illustrates how structural racism affects the small business landscape in the U.S.
View the tool webinar replay
Racial Equity in America's New Industrial Transformation
ICIC recently published "Racial Equity in America's New Industrial Transformation," a first-of-its-kind report that details the impact of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act on Black- and Hispanic-owned manufacturers. This pivotal study maps out the current landscape and charts a course for significant change to ensure that the benefits of America's industrial renewal are equitably shared.
read the report webinar replayThe 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 under-resourced communities.
ICIC delivers the knowledge and the know-how to achieve sustainable economic and job growth.
Support ICIC
Whether supporting one of our high-impact small business programs or the entire organization, our partners know they are choosing to support an organization dedicated to transforming under-resourced communities 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.
Blog
Inside ICCC New Jersey 2025
ICCC New Jersey 2025 brings together established small business owners who are focused on scaling their companies and strengthening their communities. Through Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC), entrepreneurs receive hands-on technical assistance, executive education, one-on-one coaching, and access to capital expertise designed to help them grow with structure and intention. Sarabjit Sawhney, founder of South Amboy Kitchen, and Lydia Barron, founder of Lydia Barron Consulting Group, share how ICCC supports business owners as they apply strategic thinking, financial discipline, and practical tools to real-world growth challenges—translating ambition into sustainable, long-term success. 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
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