Minnesota | Pop. 42,389 | 5 counties

In 2019, the Commission cited childcare access as a growing challenge and as an economic driver. To better understand solutions and approaches within their region, they conducted six case studies and curated local, regional, state, and national resources. Each case study included an analysis of enrollment, fees, staffing structure, staff wages, and financing, which was supplemented by interviews to understand the background, challenges, and successes.

Explore the City of Milwaukee's Climate & Equity Plan which combines city efforts to reduce greenhouse emissions and improve racial and economic equity across the city.

Wisconsin | Pop. 145,994 | 5 counties

In their 2021 CEDS, the commission included a racial and ethnic disparities section within their summary background. This focus included the geographic distribution of race, poverty, household income, and employment disparities. Still, it recognized the history of segregation and resulting inequities that must be addressed.

Wisconsin | Pop. 174,999 | 10 counties

Through participation in the EDA-funded Equitable Lending Leaders program, the commission staff sought to more deeply engage five Native American nations and two major universities to strengthen their region’s small business ecosystem. Viewing their Revolving Loan Fund as a public resource that needed to serve all areas and communities in the region, the loan fund team incorporated a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) section of their loan policies. This statement was tied to greater outreach efforts to reach different communities to diversify the applicant profile of their lending portfolio.

In northeast Ohio, the Fund for Our Economic Future brings together philanthropic, civic, and community leaders to develop long-term, equitable economic solutions. In 2019, the Paradox Prize catalyzed a public competition to identify efficient, affordable, and accessible transportation solutions for the region. Winning ideas included workforce development partnerships, non-profit electric car-sharing services, and ondemand car-pooling options in rural areas.

Ohio | Pop. 164,317 | 8 counties

Through a detailed Diversity and Inclusion Work Plan and Diversity Statement, the council has emphasized its equity focus publicly. Building on this, the council partnered with YWCA Columbus for social and racial justice classes for employees, member organizations, and community partners. Learn more here.

Created by the Center for Economic Inclusion for the Minneapolis-St. Paul region, this guide draws connections between regional indicators and cultural communities represented in the region to understand economic inclusion and exclusion better.

The City of Minneapolis has created a city-wide Cimate Action Plan. This plan has been informed by recommendation's from the City's Environmental Justice Working Group.

Minnesota | Pop. 166,566 | 5 counties

Explore how Region 5 Development Commission used the WealthWorks's capital framework to take an asset-based approach to their S.W.O.T. Analysis.

Minnesota | Pop. 116,862 | 4 counties

The commission crafted an economic opportunity program that focused specifically on expanding access to affordable childcare with a focus on rural communities in their region. In collaboration with First Children’s Finance, staff provides childcare businesses with marketing, consultation, and other services. Additionally, the partnership has begun planning strategies to open more childcare locations in rural communities.

Massachusetts | Pop. 4,432,617 | 5 counties

Focusing on the local cities of Revere and Chelsea, the council crafted a digital access and equity plan to address accessibility, availability, and affordability of fast, reliable internet. The development of this plan included a working group with broad community stakeholder representation, a survey available in both English and Spanish, the creation of updated internet service maps, and a community needs assessment focused on both digital literacy and device access.

Minnesota | Pop. 86,764 | 5 counties

In 2019, the commission launched the 100 Cups of Coffee project, where interviewers had 100 one-on-one conversations with community members. As part of the creation of the Beltrami Area Resiliency Team, these conversations resulted in the identification of challenges around substance use, mental healthcare, childcare, education, and housing.

Minnesota | Pop. 86,764 | 5 counties

In their 2022 CEDS, the commission includes “affordable and quality housing” as the region’s most significant priority. This aligns with existing strategies, including the “Home Stretch” Homebuyer Education curricula, housing rehabilitation partnerships, and supportive housing facilities. These efforts are aligned with the commission’s Racial Equity Accountability Project (REAP). This project looks at housing outcomes and homelessness response through the lens of structural and systematic barriers and seeks to identify solutions to reduce racial disparities in housing.

From Detriot Future City, this guide presents new ways of considering who in the community isvovled and brings expertise to the community engagement process and expands the definition of an expert to include those closed to the problem and have lived experience.

Michigan | Pop. 260,010 | 5 counties

The commission crafted an equity statement and stated equity goals to ensure future work is aligned with the existing equity and inclusion focus.

Indiana | Pop. 2,013,784 | 8 counties

In their 2022 CEDS, the MPO included equitable growth as a guiding principle for their overarching strategy. Their CEDS included a significant economic resilience framework focused on talent, business, and connectivity. Within this framework, staff outlined the creation of an occupational risk tool that incorporated COVID-19 risk and looked at digital access and broadband infrastructure gaps during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CEDS also clearly outlined the qualitative input that led to their strategies, including working group sessions, community newsletters, and roundtable participants.

Illinois | Pop. 391,418 | 5 counties

The Big Table: Greater Peoria is the outreach and engagement process that led to the creation of their CEDS. Resulting from this process, diversity, equity, and inclusion were infused throughout the goal areas to address systemic barriers to wealth creation and quality of life in the region.