The Governance Project (TGP), Accelerator for America and Drexel University’s Nowak Metro Finance Lab announce today, the release of “Opportunity Zones and Urban Revitalization: a place-based approach to the emerging market.” The first-of-its-kind analysis reveals new insights and tools to best foster inclusive local development in communities across the country.
Read MoreThe Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 contained a bipartisan amendment with a new economic development incentive to spur private investment in 8,762 low-income census tracts designated by states as Opportunity Zones. We analyze the top five percent of job-dense zones. These zones are important because they act as employment centers, giving them some degree of market traction. Yet, ninety-seven percent of these zones are in federally designated Low Income Communities, meaning at least 20% of their residents are living in poverty. We believe this combination of social need and market traction gives these job-dense Opportunity Zones some of the highest potential for inclusive growth in line with the legislation’s intent.
Read MoreAccelerator for America, in coordination with Bruce Katz, Accelerator partner and Director of Drexel University’s Nowak Metro Finance Lab, and Ross Baird Founder of Blue Print Local, released the groundbreaking new policy paper “Towards a New System of Community Wealth” at the City Lab Conference in Washington, DC this week.
Read MoreThe United States is witnessing a radical shift—a quiet revolution—in its approach to the revitalization of distressed urban communities.
Read MoreAccelerator for America, as part of the new Start Us Up coalition of more than a dozen organizations organized by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, is launching America’s New Business Plan to provide policymakers at the local, state, and federal level a bipartisan roadmap for reducing barriers to entrepreneurship and spurring more new businesses across the country to create new jobs as a potential recession looms large.
Read MoreAccelerator for America helped launch the first cohort of FUSE Corps Executive Fellows focused on Opportunity Zones – Gil Keinan, San Bernardino, CA; Stacy Cumberbatch, Riverside, CA; Clair Whitmer, Fresno; and Angeline Johnson, Wichita, KS – who begin their year-long fellowships this month.
Read MoreAccelerator for America announced the following six new members of its Advisory Council: Mayor Quentin Hart, Waterloo, IA; Mayor David Holt, Oklahoma City, OK; Mayor Andy Schor, Lansing, MI; Council Member (at-large) Amanda Edwards, Houston, TX; Larry Jacob, Vice President of Public Affairs, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; and Shamina Singh, President and Founder, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth.
Read MoreAccelerator for America Director of Economic Development and Opportunity Zones Aaron Thomas, and Accelerator Partner and policy expert Bruce Katz will attend the Kansas City Opportunity Zone Investor Summit in Kansas City, Missouri on June 26 and 27. The summit which was developed in collaboration with Accelerator partner Bruce Katz and led by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, will bring investors and entrepreneurs together with local policymakers, experts, and community leaders to ensure that investments in Opportunity Zones benefit their local residents.
Read MoreThe Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and Accelerator for America (AFA), a non-profit consortium of mayors, labor and business leaders, and urban and economic development experts, today announced a unique partnership to combine their expertise to drive inclusive investment in distressed communities across the United States. The announcement was made at the first Forbes Opportunity Zones Summit in Newark, NJ.
Read MoreThe Treasury Department today issued long-awaited regulations to guide Opportunity Zone investments. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Advisory Council Chair of the non-profit Accelerator for America, responded by announcing an effort led by the Accelerator to organize cities across the nation to ensure the benefits of Opportunity Zones benefit underserved communities instead of profiteers.
Read MoreLos Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Advisory Council Chair of the nonprofit Accelerator for America, was joined by California Treasurer John Chiang, San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Malia Cohen, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo today to launch the California Opportunity Zone Partnership.
Read MoreAccelerator for America announced today a $250,000 grant from The Rockefeller Foundation to support inclusionary job creation efforts in local communities.
Read MoreThe third meeting of Accelerator for America’s Advisory Council will take place in Las Vegas, NV on Monday, June 25 and Tuesday, June 26. It will be hosted by Doug McCarron, who is an Accelerator Advisory Council Member and the General President of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. The Chair of the Accelerator Advisory Council is Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Read MoreThe second meeting of Accelerator for America's Advisory Council will take place in Columbia, SC on Tuesday, Feb. 20 and Wednesday, Feb. 21. It will be hosted by Columbia's Mayor, Steve Benjamin, who is an Accelerator Advisory Council Member and the incoming President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The Chair of the Accelerator Advisory Council is Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Interviews are available and a press conference and photo opportunity of the meeting in progress will be available on the afternoon of Wednesday, Feb. 21.
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