NEW Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government (White House memo, 2021):

Discusses changes in federal policy in order to advance equity, assessments of federal agencies to ensure that underserved communities and their members do not face systemic barriers in accessing benefits and opportunities available pursuant to those policies and programs, engagement with members of underserved communities, and other commitments to ensure that equity is embedded in government policies, practices, programs and funding.

NEW Building Equity Into Your BBBRC Plans: Equity Frameworks (Justice & Sustainability Associates, 2022):

This tool describes four equity frameworks that aid BBBRC finalists in framing their work with equity from design through implementation. The frameworks focus on equity in sustainability (through a procedural, distributional, structural and generational lens), equity as a process, equity as an outcome, and creating equitable partnerships.

NEW Including Equity Throughout: A tool to support the implementation of your Equity goals (Justice & Sustainability Associates, 2022):

Equity is the number one EDA Investment Priority. This tool provides 5 key equity-related questions to consider when BBBRC finalists are completing Phase 2 applications. Each question has a subset of helpful steps to check off in clarifying answers to the questions.

Prototyping Equity: Local strategies for a more inclusive innovation economy (Pratt Center for Community Development, 2016):

Discusses four cities and how to put equity at the core of economic development and growth, specifically for  innovation and manufacturing sectors. 

National Equity Atlas (PolicyLink and USC Equity Research Institute):

Provides metrics and indicators that can support communities in measuring inclusive prosperity. The indicators are designed to track change over time, are comparable across geographies, and are disaggregated by race and other demographics as much as possible.

Creating Equity Through Data-Driving Systems Thinking (MITRE, 2020):

MITRE’s social Justice Platform provides a foundation to explore solutions to change the course of disparities due to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, education, or ability. 

Race and the Work of the Future: Advancing Workforce Equity in the United States (PolicyLink):

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of long-standing racial gaps in labor market outcomes, the economic impacts of Covid-19, and the racial equity implications of automation. It provides an in-depth analysis of disaggregated equity indicators and labor market dynamics, finding that White workers are 50 percent more likely than workers of color to hold good jobs and that eliminating racial inequities in income could boost the US economy by $2.3 trillion a year. In addition to detailed data analysis on the state of racial inequities in jobs and opportunity, the report offers a bold framework for action to advance workforce equity, where racial income gaps have been eliminated, all jobs are good jobs, and everyone who wants to work has access to family-supporting employment.

NEW Building Entrepreneurship Ecosystems in Communities of Color (Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Dell Gines and Rodney Sampson, 2019):

This guide gives ecosystem builders and local developers an overview of key concepts, and general recommendations on how to use entrepreneurship ecosystem building to develop high-growth entrepreneurship in communities of color. The information in this guide was compiled through conversations with industry leaders, prior research and current ecosystem builders who have designed and led successful inclusive ecosystem building strategies in communities of color.

NEW Building Entrepreneurship Ecosystems in Communities of Color (Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Dell Gines and Rodney Sampson, 2019):

This guide gives ecosystem builders and local developers an overview of key concepts, and general recommendations on how to use entrepreneurship ecosystem building to develop high-growth entrepreneurship in communities of color. The information in this guide was compiled through conversations with industry leaders, prior research and current ecosystem builders who have designed and led successful inclusive ecosystem building strategies in communities of color.

The State of Equity Measurement: A Review for Energy-Efficiency Programs (The Urban Institute, 2019):

This review finds that the state of equity definitions and subsequent measurement—qualitative and quantitative—varies across sectors but has advanced considerably. Equity’s analytical and practical uses continue to evolve, but this report identifies six dimensions that emerge from the contemporary literature that are relevant to energy efficiency programming.

Racial Equity Toolkit (RaceForward/Government Alliance on Race and Equity):

Local and regional jurisdictions that are part of GARE use GARE’s racial equity tool to explicitly integrate racial equity into governmental operations. This tool is also designed explicitly in context to GARE’s definition of Racial Equity.

Building a Cross-Sector Regional Coalition to Strengthen Ecosystem Collaboration (Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation):

This brief outlines an example of the practice of building a cross-sector regional coalition to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystem collaboration. It traces the first six years of a grassroots effort to create and sustain a regional cross-sector coalition. This brief tells the story of how this coalition with the common goal of supporting the entrepreneurial community worked together to build trust, increase collaboration between public and private sector institutions, and focus on equity and inclusion to help accelerate equitable economic development in the Twin Cities.

Collaborating for Equity and Justice: Moving Beyond Collective Impact (Nonprofit Quarterly):

Identifies six principles under the name “Collaborating for Equity and Justice.” Drawn from decades of research, organizing, and experience in a wide range of fields, these principles facilitate successful cross-sector collaboration for social change in a way that explicitly lifts up equity and justice for all and creates measurable change.

NEW Meeting a Milestone of President Biden’s Whole-of-Government Equity Agenda, Acting OMB Director Shalanda Young (Office of Management & Budget, 2021):

An Office of Management of Budget (OMB) blog post about its report (below) to the President on a study of methods for assessing how government practices create or exacerbate barriers to full and equal participation by all eligible individuals. 

NEW Study to Identify Methods to Assess Equity: Report to the President (Office of Management & Budget, 2021):

This 2021 OMB report is based on the agency’s study of methods for assessing how government practices create or exacerbate barriers to full and equal participation by all eligible individuals. A key finding is the requirement of long-term change management, attention to culture, and a dedicated strategy for sustainability in order to advance equity. The report also has a section reviewing assessment frameworks and tools developed to assess equity.

NEW Methods and Leading Practices for Advancing Equity and Support for Underserved Communities through Government (Office of Management & Budget, 2021):

Includes responses to and outcomes of OMB Request for Information on Executive Order 13985.

NEW Comment Letter on OMB’s Request for Information on Methods and Leading Practices for Advancing Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through Government (Urban Institute, 2021)

Answering the Question of How: Out-Of- Region University Engagement with an Economically Distressed, Rural Region (Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 2010):

Describes how Virginia Tech led an innovative coalition to revitalize the economically distressed region of Southside Virginia. Discusses in detail the engagement model as well as initial results for funding and job creation. 

What it may take to harness solar energy on Native lands (Stanford Earth Matters Magazine, 2021):

Examines the potential for expanding renewable energy on Native territory in the West, exploring critical factors such as transmission and historical grazing rights and power considerations. 

Key Factors and Strategies for Urban and Rural Communities (National League of Cities):

This article evaluates strategies that create economic connectivity between rural and urban areas, which are often disconnected or operate separately from each other. Robust connectivity, demonstrated through markets for goods and services, entrepreneurship, workforce and supply chains helps align the diverse strengths and assets present within regions. 

Small Business Administration and Job Creation (Congressional Research Service, 2022):

Assessment of the impact of startups and small businesses with respect to net job creation. CRS’s research indicates that small businesses tend to create more jobs than large businesses during economic expansions and lose more jobs during and immediately following recessions. 

NLC & Nowak Inclusive Entrepreneurship roadmap:

Published by two coalition partners, this paper documents some emerging best practices local leaders have taken to cultivate inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems. 

A historic opportunity: building wealth for historically underutilized businesses (Nowak Lab):

This paper from documents some best practices on supplier diversity across infrastructure agencies. 

Want to drive inclusive economic growth? Start with manufacturing (McKinsey & Company, January 2022):

Argues that a main engine of growth is manufacturing, a segment of the US economy that has lagged and consequently contributed to greater inequality.

NEW Equity Data Tools:

  • The Opportunity Atlas (Census Bureau, Harvard & Brown Universities): This geospatial tool allows users to analyze a variety of social and economic indicators across a variety of demographic cross-sections, such as income, race, and gender. Users can analyze down to the neighborhood level to understand which geographies provide the most opportunities to their residents. 
  • Spatial Equity Data Tool (Urban Institute): This tool allows users to measure disparities across states, cities, counties, and nationally. The tool currently allows users to evaluate trends through uploading data as a .csv file and provides several sample datasets. Sample datasets include: national trends of access to libraries and electric vehicle charging stations; state-level trends of substance abuse and mental health facilities, and low-income housing projects; county-level data on playgrounds and polling places; and city-level data on public Wi-Fi, 311 requests, and bike share stations.  
  • Spatial Mapping Data Tools and Datasets (ESRI): This evolving library of equity resources provides a wide variety of health, racial, economic and economic equity spatial maps that can be used to measure disparities across the United States. Examples of explorable mapped data are Black children in poverty by the county-level, median earnings by employed adult, immigration statistics and others.