What's New

Residents of NE Portland are taking an "eco-district" approach to community rebuilding that centers on creating environmental wealth through social enterprise, outreach and advocacy. The most recent project is Let Us Build Cully Park! Working with 15 community based organizations, Verde, a Surdna grantee supported by all three program areas, established the Let Us Build Cully Park! Coalition. This compelling video shows how this low-income community is building assets of all kinds through a model that we hope can be replicated in communities throughout the country.

Let Us Build Cully Park! Community Garden from PrettyGoodProductions on Vimeo.

Business Development and Acceleration

Many businesses owned by people of color, women, and immigrants face hurdles in securing access to start-up and growth capital, contracting opportunities, and business networks.  These barriers limit a business’ ability to thrive and grow.  Alternative business models like employee-owned cooperatives, benefit corporations, and social enterprises offer a promising alternative that can counter this trend. In the right policy and business environment, sustainable businesses, employee owned cooperatives and social enterprises can create positive economic, environmental and social benefit.  Anchor institutions like hospitals, universities, sports franchises, and state and local governments have tremendous purchasing power.  If leveraged correctly, through procurement policy reforms that make contracts more accessible, anchors can significantly benefit local and alternative businesses.

The Strong Local Economies Program supports local job creation by spreading these alternative business models, increasing the growth of businesses owned by people of color, women, and immigrants, and promoting other strategies benefitting communities that have been most impacted by inequitable economic policy.

• Accelerate the growth of local businesses poised to create new quality jobs, and increase the number of those businesses owned by people of color, women, and immigrants. Specifically, we seek grantees that will enhance the conditions necessary for local businesses to thrive.  This may include accelerator programs, policy solutions, access to growth capital, business planning and support services, and networking opportunities between business owners and other experts.
• Support the development and expansion of social enterprises, employee-owned cooperatives, and other alternative business models. We are seeking grantees that can help replicate and build successful models, shape best practices, and expand these models through incubators, technical assistance, networks, and capacity building.
• Reform public and private procurement systems so that local businesses gain increased access to contracts. These activities might include supply chain reforms, public and private procurement policy changes, and advocacy that increases the number of private sector entities committed to supplier diversity and fair procurement policies.
• Develop ways to jumpstart a local or regional economy and thereby increase its competiveness. Activities might include regional economic development planning and technical assistance that helps cities and metropolitan areas to rethink their economic futures.

We give preference to the following types of efforts:

• Business incubator and accelerator programs that emphasize minority businesses growth with a goal of tangible job creation;
• Organizations that advocate for policy reforms that make new contracting opportunities available to local businesses and alternative business models;
• Cooperative business development programs and strategies that seed or replicate the creation of viable enterprises with growth potential;
• Local or regional Chambers of Commerce or business affinity groups that create inclusive policies and programs that support business growth, and promote equity and sustainability;
• Nonprofit organizations that connect businesses owned by people of color, women, and immigrants to midsize and large firm subcontracting opportunities;
• Community Development Financial Institutions and organizations that provide access to start-up and growth capital for businesses owned by people of color, women, and immigrants;
• Intermediary organizations that develop regional and national networks connecting local businesses to industry specific supply chains.
• Private sector partnerships that increase contracting opportunities for local and/or minority businesses;
• Organizations that help develop and social enterprises or work on policy conditions for these businesses to thrive;
• Research and data collection efforts that document innovative business development strategies that create economic opportunities for people of color, women and immigrants.

How to apply:

If you are interested in applying for a Surdna Foundation grant, please submit a letter of inquiry by clicking here. Please note: We can only support organizations that meet our guidelines listed under "What we fund."

Allison Brooks, Chief of Staff for Reconnecting America, was interviewed by Haya El-Nasser of USA Today regarding their recent report: Are We There Yet? Creating Complete Communities for 21st Century America. Here is her section of the story and the entire story link is at the bottom:

Grocery stores, child care and other services near transit.

The young have been flocking to cities partly because they can walk to work or take mass transit. They still want that, but it can be daunting when they have kids in tow and need to take a bus to the grocery store and a subway to the day care center.

"The first thing to know is where the gaps are," says Allison Brooks, chief of staff for Reconnecting America, a national organization that works to link transportation and community development. She's co-author of the group's recent report, Are We There Yet? Creating Complete Communities for 21st Century America.

Brooks has worked with the city of Denver to map where day care centers, preschools, grocery stores and jobs are in relation to public transit stops. She has found more willingness among local leaders to cooperate in the face of this demographic transformation.

The availability of city data that are easily accessible to citizens has given residents everywhere more input in governing.

"There is more accountability and expectation of immediacy and responsiveness," says Ben Hecht is CEO of Living Cities, a philanthropic collaborative of 22 of the world's largest foundations and financial institutions that invests in cities.

"We have to help people live easier lifestyles, healthier lifestyles and more affordable lifestyles," Brooks says. "There is real interest in creating these environments. Cities want to keep these people. They spend money."

The Fruitvale Transit Village in Oakland opened in 2004 with a library, a charter school, a senior center and housing near the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station and has become a national model for integrating transit and services.

Brooks, who lives in Oakland and has a 3-year-old, has no intention of leaving the city where 20% of schools are charter, she says. "I can walk to a BART station. I can ride my bike to downtown Oakland," she says. "Even if we decide to send her to private school, we're not going to move out."

You can read the entire story at this link:

Dozens of elected officials launch Local Progress, the first national municipal policy network dedicated to advancing innovative legislative strategies in America's cities and towns

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Building on their recent electoral victories, 37 progressive elected officials from 32 municipalities around the country united last weekend to launch Local Progress, a network of leaders dedicated to promoting "broadly-shared prosperity, equal justice under law, sustainable and livable cities, and good government that serves the public interest effectively."

The gathering kicked off with a rousing address from Mary Kay Henry, President of the Service Employees International Union, who said that SEIU is committed to building robust progressive infrastructure at the state and local level because it is crucial to improving the lives of working families. "We're building a movement for a more fair and just society," said Nick Licata, the Seattle City Councilmember who is chairing the network. "And we're off to an amazing start."

Local Progress will facilitate sharing and development of policy innovations, local legislation, organizing strategies, and communication tools. It will also help progressive advocacy organizations and elected officials collaborate on policy work in cities around the country and elevate issues into the national dialogue.

"After decades of rising inequality, rebuilding America requires smart and sustained communication and coordination between progressive advocacy groups and elected leaders," said Nisha Agarwal, deputy director of the Center for Popular Democracy, which is a founding partner of Local Progress. "It's crucial that we share innovative municipal policies and collaborate to realize our goals of equity, opportunity, and inclusion." Cities are the driving force of America's economic engine: the top 100 metropolitan areas account for about 75 percent of the nation's gross domestic product; the top ten cities have an economic output that is about equal to that of 35 states.

On Saturday morning, participants and outside experts discussed ways to rejuvenate the economy through the creation of good, middle class jobs. "We had lively presentations about how cities can foster smart economic growth," said Wilson Goode Jr., the Philadelphia City Councilman who led the conversation.  "Everyone agreed that we have to build an economy where workers are paid a living wage with adequate benefits, sick leave, and the security they need to support their families."

The legislators spoke optimistically about their vision for the coming decades. "A broad coalition of voters sent a powerful message on election day," said Faith Winter, Mayor Pro Tem of Westminster, CO. "Voters want government that works in the public interest - not just the interest of multinational corporations - and that treats everyone with the respect and dignity they deserve."

The attendees said they planned to continue push forward aggressively on coordinated legislative campaigns in the months and years ahead. Priorities include making government services more accessible for immigrants, creating middle-class green jobs and vibrant livable neighborhoods, empowering community residents to participate in democratic budgeting decisions, and supporting parents by strengthening schools and making work rules more flexible.

The Founding Board of Local Progress is

Wilson Goode Jr., Philadelphia (PA) City Council: (215) 686-3414

Brad Lander, New York (NY) City Council: (718) 499-1090

Chuck Lesnick, Yonkers (NY) City Council: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; (914) 377-6060

Nick Licata, Seattle (WA) City Council: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; (206) 684-8803

Joe Moore, Chicago (IL) City Council: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; (773) 338-5796

Julia Ross, St. Louis Park (MN) City Council: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Faith Winter, Westminster (CO) City Council: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; (303) 594-5594

and includes two core partner non-profit advocacy organizations: the Public Leadership Institute and the Center for Popular Democracy (www.populardemocracy.org).