Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI), a CDFI located in Maine, launched a Childcare Business Lab following a state-wide listening tour. The lab sought to bring together small business start-up education with guidance on delivering high-quality childcare programming, including support through the licensing process. CEI looks at how this cohort-based model can be scaled across the state, in other languages for key immigrant audiences, and potentially for other regions.

Louisiana | Pop. 604,726 | 7 counties

To better understand the impacts of local broadband gaps, the commission conducted a baseline assessment of broadband services throughout the region and developed an action plan for improvements. Ultimately, the commission secured more than $33 million in public and private investment to expand highspeed broadband access to rural communities in the region. Once constructed, these projects will halve the number of parishes in the region without reliable broadband.

Kentucky | Pop. 1,008,204 | 7 counties

In their 2023 CEDS, the agency developed specific goals and metrics related to workforce development wraparound services, including expanding childcare. The CEDS specifically discusses and provides data on targeted outreach groups for services, including individuals with disabilities, immigrants and refugees, veterans, justice-involved residents, foster youth, and those experiencing homelessness.

Iowa | Pop. 198,817 | 5 counties

The association sought to address the lack of affordable starter homes in their region through a collaborative project that formed a pocket neighborhood, the Bear River Cottages, in Maquoketa, Iowa. While leveraging local partnerships and grant funding, each of the ten 1,000-square-foot homes in this cluster-style development centered around a common landscaped area was sold to eligible households (buyers making 80% or less of the Area Median Income) for $150,000.

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.

From the City of Boise, theses reosurces look at how you can identify and capture the wide range of community assets in your region, including networks, relationships, organizations, and skills.

Georgia | Pop. 369,115 | 16 counties

During COVID-19 school closures, the commission supported study connectivity by building on a previous geospatial analysis of the Georgia Broadband Deployment Initiative’s broadband availability data and identified areas with students most at risk from a lack of broadband access. The Macon County School System used this data and funding from the Georgia Department of Education to install 14 wireless routers that enabled over 700 students to access the internet at the speeds necessary to support online attendance.

Florida | Pop. 4,743,946 | 3 counties

Given their coastal location, the council identified climate change and sea level rise as the region’s greatest challenge in their 2022 CEDS. Climate change and several significant hurricanes in recent history have prioritized resilience planning for the council. Critical outcomes identified in the economic resilience plan include creating a new emergency operations center, supporting low wealth communities in launching sustainable businesses, and developing a coral restoration economy. The council also cited diversifying business and workforce opportunities beyond the hospitality and leisure industries.

California | Pop. 581,085 | 2 counties

In their 2022 CEDS, SoMo Strong, the staff outlined the range of public engagement methods, activities, and participation rates for each activity, which included expert interviews, expert focus groups, jurisdiction and agency interviews, community meetings, and a survey available in English and Spanish.

California | Pop.3,398,634 | 1 county

In their 2022 CEDS, the county presented several workforce development strategies, including legal structures like Community Benefits Agreements and “Learn and Earn” programs. To connect workforce development and climate resilience, the county explored policies that can increase the accessibility to clean energy jobs equitably.

California | Pop. 2,397,382 | 6 counties

In their 2020 CEDS, the four organizational CEDS partners identified impact metrics across four areas, including regional inclusive economic indicators, innovation, and business growth indicators, workforce indicators, and transportation infrastructure. Several of these metrics focus on equity, including metrics by race, gender, and the use of the Brookings Institution’s Metro Monitor inclusion and prosperity metrics.

California | Pop. 230,189 | 3 counties

In their 2022 CEDS, 3Core provided a detailed list of Stakeholders and Contributors, including local tribes, housing stakeholders, and environmental stakeholders. In the Appendix, each stakeholder had a profile that outlined their priority projects, challenges, and opportunities.

Alaska | Pop. 9,196 | 20 native villages

In their 2019 CEDS for the Bering Straits region, a robust resiliency framework shared housing, energy, unemployment, skill development, and geography and distance needs. Given their sizable geographic footprint, work with 20 jurisdictions, and the historic disinvestment of Alaska Native communities, these considerations are crucial. They aligned these needs with strategies within the larger CEDS and outlined key disruptions and early warning tools. These resilience efforts are also tied to larger efforts to invest

North Dakota | Pop. 98,360 | 7 counties

The council developed a mission and inclusivity statement to align new programs with organizational goals. Learn more here.

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. Learn more here.

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.