E-Newsletter | June 2006
Dear Colleague,
Welcome to our latest www.Community-Wealth.org
e-newsletter. Once again, we have added dozens of new links, articles,
reports, and other materials to the site. Look for this symbol *NEW*
to find the most recent additions. We also have added two new categories
to the “Strategies
and Models” section.
- State
Asset Building Initiatives - These programs represent attempts
by state policymakers to combine different models and approaches
into comprehensive community wealth building initiatives. Initial
efforts are now underway in a number of states, including California,
Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
- Socially
Responsible Investment - In 2005, investments by socially
screened mutual funds and socially screened separate accounts
managed for individual and institutional clients totaled $1.68
trillion, a ten-fold increase over the past decade.
This month, our updated
home page features the fourth in a continuing series of profiles
of Community
Wealth-Building Cities. The citizens of Chicago,
Illinois have implemented a wide variety of methods
to build community wealth, including some of the nation's
leading community development corporations and financial institutions,
and a broad range of co-ops, social enterprises, employee-owned
companies, and university-community partnerships.
Once again, many thanks to all of you who send us material to post.
Your contributions enable us to keep expanding the site and to better
link community wealth-builders around the nation.
 Ted
Howard
Executive Director, The Democracy Collaborative
New
Study Finds Growing Income Gap Across the Nation
In 38 states, the incomes of the bottom fifth of families grew
more slowly than the incomes of the top fifth of households over
the past two decades, according to this study by two Washington
D.C. policy groups. In only one state, Alaska, did incomes of low-income
families grow faster than the incomes of the top fifth of households.
Find out where your state stands. report-bernstein.pdf
(628KB)
 Health
Care Co-ops Provide Community Care
Founded in 1997, the Ithaca (NY) Health Care Alliance has grown
to more than 1,000 members. This past January it opened a Free Clinic
to provide preventive and immediate primary care. Similar efforts
are now under way in Philadelphia, PA; Cape Cod, MA; and Olympia,
WA. In Health Democracy Paul Glover outlines how the Ithaca model
can be developed in other communities. For more information, see
www.healthdemocracy.org.
 The
Road to a “Common Sense” Economy
In All Together Now: Common Sense for a Fair Economy,
economist Jared Bernstein explores the economic challenges facing
the US and suggests ways to address those problems. Topics covered
include globalization, the state of public education, wage stagnation,
health insurance, and the gap between rich and poor. For more information,
see www.bkconnection.com.
 Is
America Building an Opportunity Society?
This report by the Opportunity Agenda assesses the degree to which
the United States succeeds at providing opportunity for all. The
report notes areas of substantial progress, but cautions that in
“many very important respects, American opportunity is in
trouble."
report-jenkins-et-al.pdf
(4.5MB)
 Study
Highlights Innovative Transit Projects
In this March 2006 report, Good Jobs First highlights 25 model transit
oriented development projects from across the country. TOD provides
increased transit access, good jobs, and affordable housing to low
and moderate-income people. In many cases, community development
corporations or labor-community coalitions have played a central
role. report-grady.pdf
(632KB)
Irvine,
California Aims To Develop Nation's Largest Community Land
Trust
Irvine, a rapidly growing city of 180,000 located 40 miles southeast
of Los Angeles, is creating a land trust with the ambitious goal
to make 10% of the city's housing permanently low-cost. By 2025,
the nonprofit Irvine Community Land Trust plans to own 9,700 homes,
condos, and apartments, more than any other community land trust
in the country. article-clark.pdf
(76KB)
Former
World Trade Center Restaurant Workers Open Worker Co-op
When the World Trade Center Twin Towers were destroyed, 71 workers
at the Windows on the World restaurant perished. Surviving employees,
however, came together and at the end of 2005 opened Colors, one
of the city's first worker-owned restaurants. Each of the roughly
50 employees will be part-owners of Colors and share in any profits.
article-depalma.pdf
(80KB)
Michigan
Begins Children's Savings Account Pilot Program
In Oakland County, Michigan (near Detroit), 500 children identified
by the local Head Start agency will participate in a matched-savings
program that aims to improve their economic life chances by helping
them save for college and eventual home ownership. The Michigan
initiative, one of 12 demonstration sites nationally, is based on
the same concept as the America Saving for Personal Investment,
Retirement, and Education (ASPIRE) Act, which is currently pending
in Congress. article-murray.pdf
(64KB)
“Time
Dollar” Barter System Builds Community
The elderly often need services for which they cannot afford to
pay. But what if they could donate their time in exchange for the
services they need? With “time dollars,” participants
receive credit for each hour they contribute, which can be pent
on services such as baby-sitting, car rides, or computer repair.
Today, over 25,000 participate in time dollar efforts nationwide
– and more than 60,000 internationally. This Chronicle of
Philanthropy article surveys one effort involving over 1,000 people
in St. Louis. See: http://philanthropy.com/free/articles/v18/i07/07002001.htm.
Hundreds
Gather to Promote Community Reinvestment
 About
600 people gathered at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition
(NCRC) annual conference held March 22-25, 2006, in Washington,
D.C. Community reinvestment coalition advocates discussed how to
strengthen fair lending and community reinvestment in the United
States, as well as lend support to create an International Community
Reinvestment Coalition. article-dubb-ncrc.pdf
(140KB)
Forum
Identifies Community Development Policy Priorities
The National Congress for Community Economic Development (NCCED)
held its 11th annual public policy forum on March 20-21, 2006, in
Washington, D.C. Community development corporation (CDC) leaders
gathered to discuss policy issues, funding cuts, and the need to
raise the movement's public profile. But there was also optimism
regarding new opportunities at the state and local level.
article-dubb-ncced.pdf (108KB)
Nonprofit
Leaders Gather to Discuss Social Enterprise Strategies
The Social Enterprise Alliance held its seventh annual gathering
on March 8-10, 2006, in Atlanta, Georgia. Keynote speakers included
Kenneth Gladish, the recently departed president of the YMCA of
the USA, and Katherine Freund, founder of the Independent Transportation
Network of Portland, Maine. More than 500 attended the conference,
which, as this Chronicle of Philanthropy article details, explored
ways nonprofits can diversify their sources of revenue by charging
fees for the services they provide and starting related companies.
http://philanthropy.com/free/articles/v18/i11/11003302.htm
Too Much
 A
project of the New York-based Council on International and Public
Affairs, the Too Much website tracks the growing concentration of
wealth and income in the United States. Too Much highlights the
latest statistics and analyses on America's wealth divide -- from
government, academic, and advocacy sources -- and explores the social,
political, and economic consequences that follow from top-heavy
distributions of assets and income.
www.toomuchonline.org
 Local
First
Local First is an initiative of Business Alliance for Local Living
Economies (BALLE) that seeks to encourage local spending to support
local economies. To date, “Local First” campaigns have
been organized in a number of communities, including Salt Lake City,
UT; Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA; Ann Arbor, MI; and Philadelphia,
PA. Regional campaigns are also underway in northwest Washington
state and western Michigan.
www.livingeconomies.org
PRI Makers
 PRI
Makers Network is a new association of foundations who use program-related
and other investments to accomplish their philanthropic goals. A
project of the Neighborhood Funders Group, the PRI Makers Network
aims to strengthen the capacity of funders to affect change across
diverse program areas.
www.primakers.net
Nonprofit
Congress
 The
Nonprofit Congress is an unprecedented initiative to unite America's
diverse nonprofit organizations. On October 16 – 17, 2006
approximately 500 nonprofit delegates will gather in Washington,
DC to identify the key issues for nonprofits, and create a policy
platform for the sector. If you are interested in participating,
you can register on-line.
www.nonprofitcongress.org
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