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  • How Funding Black Businesses Can Help Bridge the Racial Wealth Gap

    An Oakland nonprofit incubator, The Runway Project, addresses racial and economic injustices in entrepreneurship by offering flexible loans for people of color and low-income individuals looking to start a business. Borrowers benefit from flexible loan terms and qualifications, both of which are usually barriers to entry for people of color in the business world.

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  • What Burkina Faso can teach us about scaling up early childhood programs

    A pilot of a cash transfer program in rural Burkina Faso not only produced valuable research but, by involving government officials from the get-go, developed local expertise that was invaluable for the later launch of a national program. "The major challenge for scaling in early childhood is implementing a scheme nationally with the same attention to detail it enjoyed as a small, closely supervised pilot," a member of the World Bank team noted. This experiment offers a possible solution.

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  • After grassroots victories, Vancouver, B.C. Chinatown turns toward revitalization

    Grassroots organizations, like the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, seek to preserve Chinatown’s heritage and fight the displacement of old-time residents by gentrification. The organizations bought an historic hotel to prevent displacement of 100 low-income residents, revitalized commercial spaces such as restaurants to preserve the neighborhood’s heritage and history, and funded programs to support social connections with events such as Majhong socials that bring together over 100 people. While the organizations agree on the goal to preserve Vancouver’s Chinatown, they sometimes disagree on how to get there

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  • Taking Steps Toward a Community-Controlled Economy in Boston

    The Boston Ujima Project is on “a mission to create an alternative economy,” one that is inclusive on all measures. The main initiative is a community capital fund, which is considering foregoing collateral on loans in exchange for other creative metrics, in the hopes of extending loans to those often excluding from traditional banking and investment. They are also creating a timebanking initiative, where labor that benefits the community can be used as a form of currency. An accessible Boston workshop cemented the group’s commitment to being community-driven.

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  • Here's What Investing in Economic Justice Looks Like

    Hope Credit Union has a mission: serving mostly black, marginalized communities in the South whose capital was historically displaced through slavery. In 2017, the credit union gave out $100 million in loans. ‘That total includes 61 business loans, 2,825 consumer loans, and 287 home mortgages, of which 87 percent went to first-time homebuyers.”

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  • Low-cost housing project begins next month

    Kenya is launching a program to build more affordable housing by providing infrastructure like water and roads, as well as funding from the World Bank and lower levies on the cost of doing business in order to attract private investors. The government will also provide land to investors on the condition they provide 20,000 low-income units for every 100,000 they build. But the plan faces major challenges including clear title and rising construction costs.

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  • Switching to LPG for habitat recovery and wildlife conservation

    In rural communities, firewood extraction hurts both human health and wildlife habitat. In India, a group of conservationists are helping villages switch from wood-burning to liquified petroleum gas. While logistics around refills are still being ironed out, the program has already produced noticeable results.

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  • Federal program to aid low-income areas ready for local investors

    Since the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed, investors, community leaders, and local governments have been talking about Opportunity Zones. These are low-income areas in each state--Alabama has 150--that will incentivize investor spending by providing tax breaks for longer-term investment in areas typically not on the highest priority list for traditional investors. Montgomery, Alabama is seeking input from local groups on where funding can best be spent. Though the opportunity zones legislation is in its early days, many are excited about the potential to stimulate economic growth.

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  • A New Deal for Refugees

    After hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees fled to Europe in 2015, wealthy European countries became more invested in fixing a broken immigration system, something which had traditionally fallen on poorer countries. Now, more countries are trying to integrate refugees into society, rather than keeping them separated from society in camps. Can countries like Uganda and Jordan who’ve attempted refugee resettlement provide an example for the rest of the world?

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  • A Divided Neighborhood Comes Together under an Elevated Expressway

    Community organizing may be the key to a comeback along New Orleans’ Claiborne Avenue. Once home to a booming block of African American-owned businesses, many left once a new expressway demolished the street in the 1960s. Now, community input is essential in rebuilding. A new master plan included 11 meetings with residents to share their priorities. The painted murals, live jazz performances, and local gatherings still happening show that the Claiborne Corridor will remain home to its long-time residents, even in a new format.

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