Watch the video to see how ICIC’s partnership with Kaiser Permanente has helped Uncle Darrow’s Catering, a full-service authentic caterer of Cajun, New Orleans, and southern cuisines, bring positive change to their community. Read More

Today, young and talented professionals are moving to urban areas to take advantage of the job opportunities that exist. They’re investing in urban real estate and neighborhood commercial corridors are coming back to life. Yet, the opportunity available in cities today looks dramatically different than it did in the 1960s and 70s, when inner city crime was rampant, racial tensions were high and poverty was on the rise. Read More

Discussion of small business lending often focuses on large amounts of money that enable a business to start or grow. However, there is an alternative funding model that has been gaining steam: microloans. Read More

A study by the Economic Policy Institute released in July 2012 highlighted what St. Paul policymakers already knew too well: the region faced a massive racial disparity in unemployment rates. Approximately five percent of white residents in the metropolitan region were unemployed, versus a staggering 18 percent of black residents. In order for St. Paul and all of its residents to truly thrive in the years to come, a radical intervention was required. Read More

Linking inner city businesses to strong regional clusters. Engaging anchor institutions to create shared value. Connecting inner city companies to appropriate growth capital and contracting opportunities. Supporting management education and strengthening business networks. At ICIC, we talk at length about these drivers of inner city economic development as strategies crucial for ... Read More