Analysis and points of view on research, trends, issues, ideas and opportunities.
Experiencing poverty in an affluent community like Howard County, Maryland can seem like a strange oxymoron due to the area’s high median income and low poverty rates. In 2022, the area was ranked as the sixth-richest in the nation with a median income of over $124,000 and one of the lowest poverty rates in the […]
As one of the largest Black-led affordable housing nonprofits in the state of Oregon, Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives (PCRI) continues to expand pathways to homeownership for Black communities systemically disenfranchised by discriminatory housing practices. Founded in 1992 after taking over properties from a discriminatory mortgage company, PCRI’s holdings have grown to over 700 properties, including
Ceiba, a coalition of Latine community organizations in Philadelphia, is named after the ceiba trees that grow in the Caribbean. These trees, known for their hardiness and far-reaching foliage, are complete ecosystems that provide shade and meet the needs of humans, animals and plants alike. The Ceiba coalition reflects its namesake by acting as a
As economic uncertainty deepens due to workforce reductions, shrinking federal budgets and mounting local challenges, community-based organizations are responding with creativity and determination. In collaboration with its member network, NCRC continues to maximize existing grant resources to empower these organizations to make a meaningful difference in low-income communities nationwide. Last November, the National Community Reinvestment
Early Success Stories From NCRC’s 2024 FEF Grantees Read More »
With the federal government shutdown that began on October 1st ongoing, economic data releases from a plethora of federal agencies have ground to a halt. This also includes the jobs report issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Despite the lack of official government data, several private sources that collect labor market data have produced
Equitable workforce development isn’t just about job placement or vocational credentials. At its core, it’s about ensuring a person’s race, gender or zip code does not determine their financial stability by helping people access high-quality employment that provides long-term economic security. While funding streams and sector strategies matter, we have to stay focused on
Partnerships That Work: Building Equitable Workforce Systems from the Ground Up Read More »
Twenty-five years ago, the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development (i.e., the Coalition) was born from a simple realization that local advocacy organizations were weakening their impact by not working collaboratively. Two groups of local advocacy organizations focused on affordable housing and economic development respectively were constantly competing with each other for the same
Seven years after its creation, the federal Opportunity Zones program has manifested a troubling pattern: creating massive taxpayer-funded benefits for wealthy investors while failing to meaningfully help the communities they were designed to serve. With the wealthiest Americans receiving substantial tax benefits on over $100 billion in capital gains through this program, Opportunity Zones represent
Opportunity Zones: A Taxpayer-Funded Program That Primarily Benefits Wealthy Investors Read More »
Investing in underserved communities takes more than a promise – it also takes a plan to keep that promise. The National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) has developed multiple techniques to ensure that bank commitments translate into meaningful change for historically disadvantaged neighborhoods and that the people who live there, and organizations that service them, have
It feels especially difficult to secure a job nowadays. The economy added only 22,000 jobs in August as job growth in nearly all industries has decreased or remained stagnant. The effects of what Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, calls a “jobs recession” can be seen everywhere, from the rising length of time
The Jobs Recession Is Affecting the Entire Black Community Read More »
A debate is boiling in South Memphis over whether the potential economic benefits of an artificial intelligence facility outweigh the pollution-related health impacts to residents. Many low-income communities elsewhere may soon find themselves grappling with the same question. Residents of Boxtown, a predominantly Black community bordering the facility, are fighting to protect their health after
BIPOC-led affordable housing organizations in California have few options to turn to for help with capacity building and grant funding, but one organization is trying to change that. Rise Economy was founded in 1986 by a group of legal aid attorneys and other advocates who wanted to improve affordable housing access in California. The organization
No one is hiring. That is the key finding from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) latest jobs report showing only 22,000 jobs were added in August with nearly all industries remaining stagnant or in decline. The goods-producing industries, including the construction and manufacturing sectors, lost 25,000 jobs. There were steep losses in the professional/business
The Labor Market is Frozen: September 2025 Race, Jobs and the Economy Update Read More »
The idea for the LOVE Building in Detroit began with a question asked while its founders were in line for a bathroom at a community party in 2016: What if we did more than plan events together? What if we built something together for ourselves and our community? The people asking were the longtime leaders
Detroit’s LOVE Building: A Communal Space for Joy, Belonging and Connection Read More »
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) recently announced plans to alter how banks are evaluated under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), one of the longest-standing laws to prevent redlining. The CRA directs the OCC to regularly analyze the number and quality of a bank’s loans, investments and services to historically underserved borrowers
The OCC’s Debanking Pivot Is Another Veiled Attack on CRA Read More »
