May Newsletter
A New Path Forward
America’s current system of training and job placement has failed to evolve with the changing nature of work. Large segments of the population are low-skilled and increasingly likely to be chronically unemployed, yet nearly half of graduates of 4-year programs are overqualified for their jobs. It's time for a demand-driven approach led by local leaders, with employers at the center of decision making.
We are excited to release our new Playbook “A New Path Forward: Place-Based Solutions for a Stronger Workforce Ecosystem" to provide local leaders with recommendations for and examples of successful workforce development programs from across the country. The Playbook — sponsored by the The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and created alongside our incredible partners at FAME USA, The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, Careerwise Colorado, Upskill Houston, Per Scholas, Fund for our Economic Future, Skilled KC, CESA6, Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Apprenti, General Assembly, Heartland Alliance, Opportunity@Work, and Markle — is designed to help local leaders accelerate inclusive recoveries. Read more and check out our launch video below!
https://www.acceleratorforamerica.org/workforce-development
Helping Cities Close Long-standing Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Wealth Gaps
Gaps
Earlier this month, we announced the release of our Small Business Equity Toolkit (SBET), developed with our partners at the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and the Drexel University Nowak Metro Finance Lab, designed to provide mayors and economic development leaders in the nation’s largest 100 metropolitan areas with unique insights and innovative strategies for growing Black-, Hispanic-, Asian- and Women-owned businesses. In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month kicking off on May 1, we are encouraging our partners to use the SBET to better understand the state of Asian-owned businesses in their cities.
Thanks to the SBET, we're able to better understand the acute economic disparities experienced by Asian-owned small businesses in America, which are highly concentrated in low-wage industries. Our partner cities across the country are using data from the SBET to inform their local recovery plans, because an inclusive recovery must uplift minority-owned businesses.
https://www.smallbusinessequitytoolkit.com/
10 Communities, $20M in Direct Financial Assistance
Building on the success of our Angeleno Card initiative, which rapidly distributed more than $36M in direct financial assistance to help more than 100,000 Los Angeles residents last summer, the Open Society Foundations partnered with us to adapt and replicate this model nationwide. Through their support, we created the Accelerator Relief Card Program (ARC) to help eight cities and two states — Atlanta, GA; the State of Connecticut; the State of Rhode Island; Chattanooga, TN; Dayton, OH; Birmingham, AL; Oklahoma City, OK; Salt Lake City, UT; Louisville, KY; and Austin, TX — create their own direct financial assistance programs.
While a number of these programs are ongoing, they have collectively — as of March 2021 — distributed more than $20M in assistance to help 30,000+ people in need. Read more here, and let us know if you're interested in establishing a similar program in your city!
Welcome, Andi!
We are thrilled to share that Andi Crawford has joined the Accelerator team as our new Director of Economic Development! Andi is a longtime partner of the Accelerator — she comes to the team from her most recent role as Chief Innovation Officer for the City of Lansing, MI's Department of Neighborhoods + Citizen Engagement. In this role, she led the Data and Evidence team for the city, directed the U.S. Census Complete Count Committee, and led AFA Advisory Council member Mayor Andy Schor's Community Response Cabinet through the COVID-19 crisis.
Read more about Andi's experience here, and feel free to connect with her at andi@acceleratorforamerica.org!
In the News
Route Fifty: The Wide Gaps Between Minority and White Business Ownership in America’s Cities
The Philadelphia Citizen: A Tool for Equitable Recovery
The Lane Report: Louisville mayor presents bullish $986 million FY21-22 budget focused on beating COVID-19 and accelerating city’s economic recovery
Courier-Journal: Mayor Fischer — 'Help is here': With COVID relief money, Louisville can create opportunity for all
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
And keep following us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram as we create national change from the ground up, from coast to coast.
Aaron Thomas
President and CEO | Accelerator for America