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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83772209338
This session will examine the promising strategy of leveraging HBCU’s and other minority serving academic anchor institutions (MSIs) to connect OZ capital with high impact economic and community development projects that have meaningful local participation and benefit residents in underserved rural and urban OZ communities.
“Economic justice is the idea that the economy will be more successful if it is fairer. The goal is to create opportunities for all to thrive and that prosperity and justice go hand-in-hand rather than in opposition to one another.”
The Opportunity Zone incentive has shown glimmers of achieving its Congressional intent to usher in real lasting economic and community development in low-income communities across America. However, there is also concerning evidence that this policy goal will not be fully realized without further concerted action to connect OZ capital with high impact economic and community development projects that have meaningful local participation and benefit residents in underserved rural and urban OZ communities.
Building on the success of our IAEOZ Summit, the What Works for Tomorrow Series (“Series”) will examine the promising strategy of leveraging HBCU’s and other minority serving academic anchor institutions (MSIs) to be that bridge and local anchor partner. MSIs located in federally designated opportunity zones already play a vital role in helping their communities with neighborhood revitalization, housing, and economic development and are uniquely positioned to serve in this bridging capacity. The Series consists of monthly action-oriented discussions with leading policymakers, administration officials, social impact investors, developers, and OZ incentive experts on how MSI’s can be positioned to facilitate public private partnerships with the investors and the public, private and community stakeholders needed to identify, structure, and facilitate high impact investments that truly have local participation and benefit residents. We are confident that the Series will be both informative and instructive to those committed to ensuring that the OZ incentive realizes its Congressional intent, including policymakers, government officials, MSI leaders, the social impact investment community, and civic and community development organizations.
Kick Off Discussion: Facilitating Public-Private-Partnerships to Catalyze High Impact OZ Projects
The OZ incentive is a positive development with the potential to create a source of funding for investments in LIC, both urban and rural, that will have lasting community and economic impact. However, elected officials and community development advocates are pushing to establish public private partnerships and for modifications to the OZ incentive to facilitate more investments in neglected areas and projects that will have greater community development impact and increased involvement of local community stakeholders. Our panel of OZ stakeholders will discuss (1) what’s working (2) challenges and shortcomings that need to be addressed, (3) potential modifications, and (4) begin to explore how public private partnerships can help to increase program efficacy and bring the promise of the OZ incentive to fruition.
