In 2016, 12 of the nation’s most innovative incubators and accelerators were awarded funding from JPMorgan Chase’s Small Business Forward initiative to support their growth and the growth of the small businesses they support. In sectors ranging from food to clean energy to water technology, the grant recipients are moving the needle in terms of job and wealth creation in over 10 cities in 8 states. Read More

Food hubs are a vehicle used to strengthen local agriculture while making healthy and affordable food available to more communities. Several cities have seen that food hubs can also mobilize multiple aspects of the food industry, and in turn help get the wheels of local economies moving. Read More

In April the MacArthur Foundation, Chicago Community Trust (CCT), and the Calvert Foundation announced Benefit Chicago, an innovative collaboration that aims to mobilize $100 million in impact investments for nonprofits and social enterprises in Chicago. Read More

Last month Northeastern University announced it was committing $2.5 million in seed funding for a newly created “Impact Lending” program, offered in conjunction with LISC Boston. The seed money will capitalize a $6.5 million revolving loan fund (RLF), and the RLF will enable LISC to provide $1,000 to $1 million loans to women- and minority-owned small businesses located in or around Northeastern University. Read More

The U.S. Census Bureau has released its first-ever Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs (ASE). Approximately 290,000 employer businesses across all U.S. geographies and demographics participated in the survey during 2014. The results reveal that significant gaps in access to capital still remain. Read More