Travel to St. Paul to Advance Your Community's Economic Development Strategy—and Return Home with a Plan for Action
Join NGIN for LEAP in St. Paul, Minnesota, September 14–18, 2026, to explore how one of the nation's most innovative community wealth-building ecosystems is creating new pathways to ownership, investment, and economic opportunity. Hotel accommodations, meals, ground transportation, programming and materials included in program fee.
What is LEAP?
LEAP (Learn. Explore. Activate in Place.) is a leadership development and strategic learning initiative that connects community and economic development leaders with innovations across the country. Through immersive site visits to exemplary cities, participants explore innovative economic and community wealth-building strategies they can adapt and apply in their own communities.
The LEAP Process
From pre-trip learning to post-trip strategy development, NGIN helps participants navigate every step of the LEAP journey.
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In Preparation for Your LEAP
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Build a common understanding of the ownership economy
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Explore employee ownership, community land trusts, and shared-equity models
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Learn from practitioners advancing these models across the country
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Begin mapping your local ecosystem, stakeholders, and opportunities
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During Your LEAP
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Visit projects and organizations advancing community wealth building
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Engage directly with practitioners, partners, and community leaders
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Connect lessons from St. Paul to your local context
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Refine your strategy, stakeholder map, and implementation priorities
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After Your LEAP
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Debrief key takeaways and identify local opportunities
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Determine which models are most adaptable to your community
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Draft first steps, timelines, partners, and early wins
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Finalize an Implementation Roadmap and next steps for action
What You'll Explore in St. Paul
St. Paul has become one of the country's leading examples of community wealth building in practice. Across the city, community organizations, lenders, local government, and residents have worked together to create an ecosystem that supports shared ownership, community investment, and long-term local wealth creation.
Participants will explore how strategies such as community land trusts, worker ownership, cooperative development, community-owned real estate, and innovative financing models are being used to address displacement, expand ownership opportunities, and strengthen local economies.
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A community land trust (CLT) is a structure that allows land to be held “in trust” for community needs, outside of the influence of market pressures. A classic CLT is an independent community-controlled entity that owns land and takes care of (or “stewards”) that land, making sure it is being used in ways that support the community it is accountable to. (Credit: ShelterForce)
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A worker cooperative is an employee-owned business where each member (worker) has one equal share of the business. (Credit: Cooperative Development Institute)
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Community-Owned Real Estate (CORE) is a collective model of property ownership and management where land and buildings are held by local organizations, residents, or tenants rather than private landlords or corporate investors. (Credit: Transform Finance)
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Financing for Community Wealth Building (CWB) involves deploying capital to support local, democratic, and shared-ownership businesses rather than extracting wealth out of a neighborhood. It redirects financial resources into the "real economy" using public banks, credit unions, and community investment vehicles. (Credit: University of Maryland)
Who You’ll Learn From
LEAP St. Paul brings participants into conversation with local organizations and practitioners advancing shared ownership, cooperative development, community wealth building, philanthropy, and local government strategies. More speakers and partners will be announced soon.
Local Government
Mayor Kaohly Her
Guest Speaker
Mayor of Saint Paul
Opening conversation on Saint Paul's economic development strategy, the city's history of shared ownership, and its vision for advancing community wealth building.
National Nonprofit
NEXUS Community Partners
Featured Faculty
Nkuli Tabata
Director of Community Wealth Building, NEXUS Community Partners
Lead, North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship
Explore the history of cooperatives, why they matter, and the role shared ownership plays in building community wealth.
Philanthropy
McKnight Foundation
Featured Faculty
Katie Wehr
Senior Program Officer, Vibrant & Equitable Communities
Learn how philanthropy can support community wealth building and shared ownership through strategic investment and partnership.
Cooperative Business
Terra Firma Cooperative
Featured Faculty
Marty Ruddy
Founder
Practical guidance on launching, financing, and sustaining cooperative enterprises, with lessons learned from supporting community-owned businesses.
A Day-by-Day Walkthrough of the 5-Day LEAP Experience
Day 1
September 14
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Day 1
September 14
Arrival & Hotel Check-In
Hyatt Place St. Paul Downtown
Welcome Reception & Gallery Walk
Union Depot East Plaza
Meet your cohort, explore the goals of LEAP, and hear from Nkuli Tabata, Director of Community Wealth Building at NEXUS Community Partners and Lead of the North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship, as she introduces the history of cooperatives and the shared ownership ecosystem participants will experience throughout the week.
Day 2
September 15
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Day 2
September 15
Opening Session
Landmark Center
Hear from Mayor Kaohly Her on Saint Paul's economic development strategy, the city's history of shared ownership, and its vision for advancing community wealth building.
Networking Lunch
Le Venere
Community Wealth Building in Practice
Visit organizations and neighborhood projects throughout Saint Paul to experience how shared ownership strategies are being implemented across the community.
Dinner on Your Own
Enjoy an evening exploring Saint Paul or connecting with fellow participants.
Day 3
September 16
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Day 3
September 16
Project Development & Capital Masterclasses
Learn from NEXUS Community Partners about moving shared ownership projects from concept to implementation, followed by a capital masterclass with Katie Wehr, Senior Program Officer at the McKnight Foundation, exploring philanthropy's role in supporting community wealth building.
Site Visit & Reflection
Continue exploring community wealth-building models through local site visits before gathering to reflect on key lessons from the day.
Conversation Dinners
Continue the conversation over small-group dinners with fellow participants, local leaders, and practitioners.
Day 4
September 17
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Day 4
September 17
Partnership Masterclass
Landmark Center
Hear from Marcus Owens, Director of the Office of Financial Empowerment for the City of Saint Paul, on how local governments can advance shared ownership through policy, partnerships, and public investment.
Networking Lunch
Implementation Planning
Work alongside your cohort to identify opportunities, map local ecosystems, and develop implementation strategies tailored to your community.
Closing Dinner & Celebration
Abulae
Day 5
September 18
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Day 5
September 18
Reflection & Implementation Planning
The full cohort will gather to reflect on lessons learned throughout the week, discuss remaining questions, and finalize implementation strategies to bring back to their organizations and communities.
Closing Lunch & Departures
Hyatt Place St. Paul Downtown
Sign Up Today to Join the Next LEAP
The all-inclusive program fee covers four nights of hotel accommodation in St. Paul, all meals during the program, curated site visits, facilitated sessions, and all LEAP-related activities and materials. Not included: Airfare to and from St. Paul.
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On-the-ground access in St. Paul and the Twin Cities — Curated site visits to employee-owned businesses, community land trusts, and cooperatively owned real estate projects, with facilitated reflection time.
Facilitated strategy sessions — Structured time to translate what you’re seeing into actionable thinking for your own community.
Guided Learning Before and After the Host City Visit — Virtual sessions covering the core pillars of CWB ecosystem design: ownership models, stakeholder alignment, financing strategies, policy levers, and ecosystem mapping. Sessions are facilitated by NGIN and include peer discussion and pre-work materials.
Networking Opportunities — Connect with a vetted group of community and economic development leaders from across the country who are committed to community-centered economic development .
Lodging and Meals: Four nights of hotel accommodation in St. Paul and all meals during the program. Not included: Airfare to and from St. Paul. -
NGIN will work with each participant before, during, and after the trip to develop an Implementation Roadmap — a concrete action plan for what your team will do next to develop their Community Wealth Building strategy.
About LEAP
LEAP (Learn. Explore. Activate in Place.) is a leadership and strategy initiative that brings community and economic development leaders to exemplary host cities to explore innovative models of economic development through peer exchange and on-the-ground engagement with local practitioners, projects, and community wealth-building strategies.
LEAP St. Paul | September 2026
St. Paul and the broader Twin Cities region have become a nationally recognized hub for shared ownership innovation. The 2026 LEAP cohort will travel to St. Paul for a hands-on, place-based experience focused on employee ownership and community owned real estate models.
Need funding approval? We've created a template you can customize and share with your supervisor or funding partner.
Frequently Asked Questions
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This LEAP is designed for leaders interested in community wealth building and shared ownership strategies. Ideal participants include community development professionals, economic development practitioners, local government leaders, nonprofit organizations, philanthropic partners, and leaders from anchor institutions.
While the program focuses on community wealth building, participants do not need prior experience with shared ownership models. We welcome individuals from a variety of sectors who are eager to learn, explore new approaches, and bring ideas back to their communities.
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You are welcome to attend on your own or bring colleagues from your organization or community. In fact, many participants find value in attending alongside teammates so they can explore ideas together and build momentum for implementation back home. As long as space is available, multiple participants from the same organization or community are welcome.
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The program fee is $7,500 and includes hotel accommodations, meals, local transportation, site visits, learning sessions, program materials, and all LEAP-related activities. Airfare is not included.
If you would like to reserve your spot and split your registration into multiple payments, please contact Director of Operations, Sean Thompson (innovate@newgrowth.org) to discuss available payment options, including a non-refundable deposit to secure your seat.
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We strongly encourage participants to engage in the full LEAP experience, including the pre-trip learning sessions, the St. Paul immersion, and the post-trip implementation support. Each component is designed to build on the others and maximize the value of the experience.
We understand that schedules can be complicated, and travel arrangements can be adjusted if needed. If you anticipate arriving late or departing early, please contact our team to discuss your situation.