Advancing Economic Mobility (AEM)
NGIN INITIATIVES
What is economic mobility?
Economic mobility is a combination of economic success, power and autonomy, and being valued within the community, as defined by the U.S. Partnership on Mobility from Poverty.
Program Overview
NGIN’s Advancing Economic Mobility (AEM) program helps local leaders use data, tools, and knowledge resources to improve economic opportunities for low and middle-income workers and residents.
2023
NGIN supported five locations by providing each community up to $30,000 through technical assistance. This technical assistance supported local organizations in advancing economic mobility through initiatives such as Commercial Corridor Revitalization, Sector-Specific Job Training, Heirship Properties, and Character & Revenue-Based loan funds.
In addition, NGIN hosted practitioner roundtables for peer-to-peer exchange and to showcase economic mobility strategies from the Results for America Economic Mobility Catalog. The extensive catalog features over 50 high-level strategies and nearly 200 specific practices and programs developed to assist local leaders in enhancing economic mobility in communities.
2024
This year, the Advancing Economic Mobility (AEM) program aims to boost collaboration between community organizations and local governments to create effective economic mobility strategies. Each selected community will receive between $10,000 - $30,000 in grants towards their economic mobility strategy and technical assistance to strengthen their relationship with local government.
11 Cities
Across the United States
10k-30k
Technical Assistance
50+
Practical Strategies
Selected Sites
Cohort 1
Clayton County, GA
Clayton County Office of Economic Development: This entity serves as the leading office for Business Attraction, Expansion, Retention, Project Management, Site Selector Engagement, Prospect Interest and Small Business inquiries for Clayton County.
Rock Hill, South Carolina
The Black Economic Leadership League of Rock Hill (B.E.L.L.): This organization exists to grow diverse and equitable business practices that promote the value of inclusive, innovative, progressive policies in economic growth and development, by fostering entrepreneurship, creating jobs, equitable distribution of city resources and leadership opportunities to help the City of Rock Hill achieve its goals.
Renton, WA
Denkyem Co-op: This organization serves as a Social Purpose Corporation that provides access to affordable loans for locally owned businesses centered in lmi communities within the Seattle region.
Chicago, IL
Grow Greater Englewood: This organization is a social enterprise that works with residents and developers to create sustainable local food economies, green businesses, and land sovereignty to empower residents to create wellness and wealth.
Cohort 2
Metro Atlanta, Georgia
Mini City: Mini City enables cities, clinics, shelters, homeless care providers in their efforts to more efficiently assist, track and innovate for those they serve.
Sacramento, California
CLTRE: Pronounced “culture”, CLTRE is a community development corporation designed to center culture as a way of life and showcase the locals and small-scale real estate projects that make neighborhoods unique.
Jacksonville, Florida
LISC Jacksonville: LISC Jacksonville is dedicated to transforming local neighborhoods into healthy and sustainable communities of choice and opportunity through funding initiatives and projects that promote neighborhood revitalization, family wealth creation, and community advocacy.
York, Pennsylvania
Confronting Racism Coalition: The Confronting Racism Coalition is a group of volunteer residents in York, Pennsylvania, committed to creating a stronger York by promoting unity, inclusion, and opportunity.
Topeka, Kansas
Greater Topeka Partnership : The Greater Topeka Partnership serves as an umbrella agency comprised of the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Topeka, Inc., GO Topeka and Visit Topeka. This organization supports the enhancement of economic development and quality of life in Topeka & Shawnee County.
Baltimore, Maryland
The Black Founders Table: This organization aims to address the challenges and gaps that Black founders in Baltimore face within the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Read the 2024 Report
Written by NGIN Advisor, Cuevas Peacock, this report outlines the activities and key findings of the AEM initiative over the duration of its three phases: the Identification and Prioritization of Public Goods, Dissemination of Public Goods and the Measurement and Evaluation of the comprehensive AEM.
Blog | Economic Mobility: The Gift That Keeps on Giving
The promise of upward economic mobility encapsulates the American Dream, offering increased prosperity for future generations. However, realizing this dream requires inclusive policies and a deliberate shift by economic development practitioners to emphasize strategies that support upward mobility. So, what is upward economic mobility and how is it relevant to economic development?
Explore 50+ Economic Mobility Strategies
The Results for America Economic Mobility Catalog features over 50 high-level strategies and nearly 200 specific practices and programs developed to assist local leaders in enhancing economic mobility in communities.
The Team Leading This Initiative
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Swati Ghosh
VICE PRESIDENT, INSIGHTS AND INNOVATION
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Bernita Johnson-Gabriel
SENIOR ADVISOR
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Sean Thompson
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
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Cuevas Peacock
ADVISOR
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Taylor Dudley
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Advancing Economic Mobility (AEM) is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and plays a crucial role in assisting local economic leaders in fostering economic mobility for lower-to-middle-income (LMI) workers and residents through the utilization of data, tools, and resources.
