Looking to engage with NGIN beyond our open calls and resources?
We offer tailored partnership and engagement opportunities for organizations seeking deeper collaboration, strategic support, and year-round access to shared learning and network-building experiences.
Find the Right Support for Your Community
Supporting Leaders Building Stronger Communities
We partner with local governments, economic development organizations, community-based organizations, and coalitions to strengthen local economies through strategy, technical assistance, peer learning, and implementation support.
What Sets NGIN Apart
In 2024, NGIN collaborated with more than 1,200 community and economic development leaders from 780 organizations, with hands-on projects in 38 cities focused on strengthening cross-sector collaboration, community wealth-building, economic mobility, and locally led economic development strategies. In 2025, 14 cities received deeper engagement through NGIN’s LEAP initiative and SCALE technical assistance program, advancing community-led commercial development, investment readiness, and long-term wealth-building strategies.
01 / National Perspective, Local Action
We connect national insight with strategies tailored to your community’s realities and goals.
02 / Built for Cross-Sector Collaboration
We help governments, nonprofits, and economic leaders align around shared outcomes and action.
03 / From Strategy to Implementation
Our work goes beyond planning to support practical next steps, partnerships, and execution.
Open Engagement Opportunity Develop Your Community Wealth Building Strategy | LEAP St. Paul
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.
Grounded in the growing recognition that traditional economic development has concentrated wealth and extracted resources from communities, LEAP centers a Community Wealth Building approach that shifts ownership and control of assets back into the hands of residents. As defined by Urban Institute, this model of shared ownership transforms local economies by promoting direct ownership and democratic control of land, businesses, and capital to address disparities and build shared prosperity.
LEAP St. Paul | September 14-18, 2026
Cost: $7,500
This all-inclusive program fee covers three 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. Official dates will be provided June 2026.
-
St. Paul and the broader Twin Cities region have become a nationally recognized hub for shared ownership innovation. This cohort will travel there in September 2026 for a hands-on, place-based experience focused on employee ownership and community owned real estate models. This is intended to support participants in seeing firsthand how CWB strategies can work together prior to engaging in a virtual ecosystem accelerator covering the foundations of Community Wealth Building ecosystem building.
LEAP host cities are selected for their leadership in community wealth-building, expanding economic opportunity, and advancing locally rooted economic growth. Past host cities have included Tacoma, Washington; Richmond, Virginia; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Cleveland, Ohio; Cincinnati; and now St. Paul, Minnesota. To explore past LEAP experiences, visit here. -
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.
A national peer cohort — Connect with a vetted group of community and economic development leaders from across the country who are working on the same challenges you are.
-
The St. Paul LEAP is designed for economic development professionals, workforce leaders, nonprofit executives, local government staff, philanthropy representatives, chambers of commerce, higher education leaders, and community-based organizations working to strengthen economic opportunity in their regions.
-
NGIN will work with each participant before, during, and after the trip to develop a customized set of strategic outputs for your community. Each participant will leave with an Implementation Roadmap — a concrete action plan for what your team will do next to develop their CWB ecosystem.
Want More Specific Service Tailored to Your City’s Needs?
Complete the form below to learn more about NGIN’s programs, services, and engagement opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
LEAP St. Paul is tentatively scheduled for the week of September 14, 2026. Confirmed program dates will be shared in early June.
-
We offer a range of solutions designed to meet your needs including:
Rapid Community Scan — Quickly assess strengths, gaps, and high-impact opportunities.
Facilitated Stakeholder Workshops — Bring partners together to align around shared goals and next steps.
Action-Oriented Strategic Planning — Develop clear, actionable plans with defined owners and timelines.
Data & Decision-Making Tools — Equip your team with practical tools to guide strategy and track progress.
Asset Mapping & Opportunity Identification — Identify and activate underutilized assets across your community.
City Positioning & Narrative Development — Clarify and communicate what makes your city competitive and investment ready.
Implementation Roadmap — Build a step-by-step path from strategy to execution.
Hands-On Technical Assistance — Receive ongoing, tailored support to sustain momentum.
Funding Strategy & Proposal Development — Identify funding opportunities and craft compelling proposals.
On-Demand Strategic Advisory — Flexible, high-impact support for emerging priorities, special projects, or complex challenges.
-
To join LEAP St.Paul, the program fee is $7,500 per person.
This program fee covers three 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.
For direct services, we offer flexible pricing based on project type and complexity. After an initial conversation, we’ll provide a transparent quote with no hidden costs.
-
Getting started is simple. Reach out through our contact form and we’ll walk you through the next steps and answer any questions along the way.