Strategic Synergy:
Transforming Communities through
Partnerships for CBOs
Module 1: Economic Development Ecosystems
Prepared By:
Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC)
With Additional Support from:
New Growth Innovation Network (NGIN)
U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA)
This course equips community development practitioners with essential knowledge
and tools to effectively collaborate with economic development organizations,
covering topics such as economic ecosystems, asset identification, evaluation
strategies, and inclusive partnership practices, empowering participants to drive
equitable economic growth within their communities.
Module 1: Economic Development Ecosystems
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................... 2
About Equity Impact Investments ............................................................................................ 4
About Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC) ...................................................................................................4
Introduction............................................................................................................................. 5
About this course ............................................................................................................................. 5
Guiding principles ............................................................................................................................ 5
Why this course is important ........................................................................................................... 6
What you will learn .......................................................................................................................... 7
Module 1: Economic Development Ecosystems ....................................................................... 9
Definitions ....................................................................................................................................... 9
Pause for Reflection ................................................................................................................................11
How Economic Development Functions ......................................................................................... 11
Who makes economic development decisions? ................................................................................................11
How do economic development resources flow? ..............................................................................................12
How does one direct economic development investment?...............................................................................13
Pause for Reflection ................................................................................................................................13
Inclusion, Equity, and Ecosystems .................................................................................................. 13
Ecosystem framing .............................................................................................................................................14
Confronting the past ..........................................................................................................................................14
New approaches ................................................................................................................................................15
Pause for Reflection ......................................................................................................................................16
Case Study: NYC’s Industrial and Manufacturing Ecosystem ........................................................... 16
Part 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................................................16
Stakeholders .......................................................................................................................................................16
Strategic Synergy: Transforming Communities through Partnerships for CBOs | Equity Impact Investments 2
Module 1: Economic Development Ecosystems
Strategic Synergy: Transforming Communities through Partnerships for CBOs | Equity Impact Investments 3
Module 1: Economic Development Ecosystems
About Equity Impact Investments
Led by New Growth Innovation Network, Equity Impact Investments is a transformative, three-year
capacity-building program specifically designed to empower 120 organizations across the United
States, spearheading innovative projects that foster inclusive economic development.
Through tailor-made training and localized partnership support, Equity Impact Investments aims to
equip organizations with cross-sector knowledge and unlock specialized resources, guidance, and
valuable connections for their communities.
Funded by the CARES Act, this initiative underscores the U.S. Economic Development
Administration's commitment to promoting equitable opportunities, ensuring fair treatment, and
empowering all individuals in underserved communities.
About Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC)
The Local Initiatives Support Corporation is a US non-profit community development financial
institution that supports community development initiatives across the country. It has offices in nearly
40 cities and works across 2,100 rural counties in 44 states.
Together with residents and partners, LISC helps forge resilient and inclusive communities of
opportunity across America–great places to live, work, visit, do business and raise families.
Strategic Synergy: Transforming Communities through Partnerships for CBOs | Equity Impact Investments 4
Module 1: Economic Development Ecosystems
Introduction
About this course
This course is intended to build the capacity of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to collaborate
with Economic Development Organizations (EDOs) to advance inclusive economies and foster lasting
change. The five-module course will help CBOs better understand the fundamentals of economic
development, the role EDOs play, and the ways EDOs and CBOs can work together to accomplish
their goals. A companion course for EDOs is also available.
Course content was created in collaboration between LISC, International Economic Development
Council, and New Growth Innovation Network as part of the Equity Impact Investments program
supported by the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
Guiding principles
We developed the material guided by the following core principles:
Economic development should prioritize inclusion and equity
There are power differences between stakeholders in an economic development ecosystem.
Development organizations must make sincere efforts to ensure that individuals and organizations
historically left out of decision-making processes, particularly those from disinvested and under-
invested communities, have opportunities to influence economic development decisions that will
impact their homes, businesses, and communities.
Partnerships are critical
No single organization, no matter its credibility or level of influence, can accomplish equitable and
inclusive economic outcomes or maximize the potential of a local economy alone. Building intentional
partnerships at the speed of trust between Economic Development Organizations (EDOs) and
Community Based Organizations (CBOs) is beneficial for both parties and crucial to advancing
equitable and inclusive economic development.
Place drives decisions
Strategic Synergy: Transforming Communities through Partnerships for CBOs | Equity Impact Investments 5
Module 1: Economic Development Ecosystems
Economic development decisions do not happen in a vacuum. They impact and influence people,
families, businesses, organizations, and the social fabric of communities. Every place offers unique
assets and opportunities, some of which have been historically underdeveloped. Development
organizations must consider underlying conditions and the ramifications on diverse stakeholders in a
given place when they make decisions.
Language is relative
Language is a reflection of people, place, and culture. Depending on their local environments and
circumstances, people may use different terms to mean the same thing, or they may use the same
term to mean different things. It is important however, that we all understand the same concepts. We
therefore define the terms used in this curriculum to create a shared understanding among
participants, but we know that the exact terms and phrases you use with your peers and fellow
ecosystem stakeholders will reflect your local set of economic development conditions.
Why this course is important
Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) play a crucial role in the vitality of a community. They
actively mobilize capacity to resolve issues, either through advocacy or direct services. Because they
are often trusted community members, CBOs are uniquely positioned to reach the most marginalized
and disinvested places and populations. To empower these communities in an equitable and inclusive
way, CBOs need to understand how broader economic development forces function. CBOs
themselves will benefit from understanding how economic development works on a broader scale, but
this course will be especially valuable for three reasons.
Federal investment
There is a concerted effort across the U. S. government to develop our nation’s economy and
communities more equitably and inclusively. As we will explore in Module 4, the scope and scale of
these investments are significant. While CBOs themselves may not be the primary applicants for
funds, there are several benefits to working alongside those who are, such as Economic Development
Organizations (EDOs), and helping direct federal resources to key communities. A central hypothesis
in this course is that EDOs are well-positioned to secure and administer these resources, while CBOs
are well-positioned to provide the resources directly to those in need. The level of federal investment
across several agencies presents an opportunity to fundamentally transform communities for the
better. It is an opportunity CBOs should not let pass.
Broadening Definition of Economic Development
As we will discuss in Module 2, the methods through which we accomplish economic development
have always been evolving. In the past two decades alone, technological development, population
shifts, and political re-alignment have created a landscape where community and economic
development increasingly overlap and blend. As older, siloed approaches have proven insufficient,
Strategic Synergy: Transforming Communities through Partnerships for CBOs | Equity Impact Investments 6
Module 1: Economic Development Ecosystems
more holistic approaches have gained traction. This expansion creates opportunities for CBOs to
elevate the voices historically excluded from decision-making processes, develop structural solutions
from the perspective of under-invested and disinvested communities, and advance a vision of place in
which economic growth benefits everyone.
Economic Development at a Crossroads
CBOs on their own cannot fully leverage the unique opportunities this moment presents. In Module 1,
we will examine how EDOs and CBOs have not always worked in collaboration. Indeed, they have
sometimes been in opposition. The reality is that neither will be successful without the other,
particularly given the scale of federal investment and the broadening definition of economic
development. What’s more, the success or failure of current economic development initiatives will
influence the kinds of resources that are available in the future. If CBOs desire a more equitable and
inclusive economic future, they must be willing to build the partnerships to prove such economic
development is not only possible, it is preferable.
What you will learn
Over five modules, Community-Based Organizations will expand their knowledge of economic
development, the role of Economic Development Organizations, and how lasting partnerships
between CBOs and EDOs can benefit communities now and in the future.
Module 1: Economic Development Ecosystems
This module will establish the shared framework and vocabulary we will use throughout the course. It
will provide a general overview of how economic development resources flow, discuss the
disadvantages of conventional economic development, and explain how CBO-EDO collaboration
helps achieve equitable economic development.
Module 2: Economic Development Methods
This module explores the four major economic development methods and how EDOs and CBOs operate
within them. It highlights how different organizations, depending on their organizational partnerships,
may intersect with these methods and the leverage they have in influencing outcomes.
Module 3: Inclusive Ecosystem Building
This module provides options for CBO-EDO collaboration, from general principles for collective
impact to specific processes led by an EDO or CBO. We will discuss two processes, Comprehensive
Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) and Community-Centered Economic Inclusion (CCEI), that
explicitly focus on equity and inclusion as part of their process and outcomes.
Strategic Synergy: Transforming Communities through Partnerships for CBOs | Equity Impact Investments 7
Module 1: Economic Development Ecosystems
Module 4: Leveraging Community Assets
This module highlights the unique opportunity for CBO-EDO partnerships to pursue federal resources
in service of equitable economic development. It discusses some of the injustices perpetrated against
marginalized communities to illustrate the potentially transformative potential of the current political
moment. The module closes with a self and partner assessment for CBOs to complete when
considering an CBO-EDO partnership.
Module 5: Strategy, Measurement, and Evaluation
This module focuses on how to incorporate equity and inclusion metrics into CBO-EDO partnerships.
We will discuss the difference between outputs and outcomes and revisit the CEDS and CCEI
examples from Module 3 to illustrate different metrics practitioners can apply throughout those
processes. Participants will complete this module and the course with a better understanding of how
economic development functions, how EDOs function within it, and how CBOs can partner with
EDOs to achieve more equitable and inclusive economic outcomes.
Strategic Synergy: Transforming Communities through Partnerships for CBOs | Equity Impact Investments 8
Module 1: Economic Development Ecosystems
Module 1:
Economic Development
Ecosystems
This module will establish the shared framework and vocabulary we will use throughout the course. It
will provide a general overview of how economic development resources flow, discuss the
disadvantages of conventional economic development, and explain how CBO-EDO collaboration
helps achieve equitable economic development.
Learning objectives
1. Identify and understand shared language and experiences between CBOs and
EDOs
2. Recognize the value and best practices of partnering with EDOs to achieve
lasting equitable and inclusive economic development
Definitions
We will start by defining some of the common terms we will use throughout the course. For CBOs to
build and sustain successful partnerships with EDOs, both parties must have a clear understanding of
the current economic and community development landscapes they are operating in, and what the
partners mean when they talk about those landscapes.
EDOs and CBOs exist within the same economic Our focus in this
development ecosystems, but they may use terms like
“community development,” “economic development,” and curriculum is to lay the
even “ecosystems” quite differently. This can lead to foundation for
miscommunications, misunderstandings, and missed
opportunities to pursue shared objectives.
partnerships between
EDOs and CBOs.
It is therefore important to ground these terms in a
common language so that EDOs and CBOs can understand themselves, each other, and the
ecosystems they occupy. While we know that language constantly evolves as events occur and
perspectives shift, for purposes of this curriculum we will define these common terms as follows.
Community development is the process of promoting social, economic, and environmental
well-being within a specific community.
Economic development is the process of influencing the growth of a community’s economy
to enhance its well-being, traditionally through job creation, retention, and supporting
businesses to locate and expand in the community.
Strategic Synergy: Transforming Communities through Partnerships for CBOs | Equity Impact Investments 9
Module 1: Economic Development Ecosystems
Clearly, there is considerable overlap between community development and economic development.
The economic well-being of a community is directly connected its overall well-being. However, one
type of organization primarily approaches community well-being from an overall lens (often housing-
focused) and the other from an economic lens. The “gap” between CBOs and EDOs is in many ways a
difference in perspective. For the purposes of this curriculum, we will use the following definitions to
understand the distinction between CBOs and EDOs.
Community Based Organizations (CBOs) operate at the local level and are dedicated to
addressing the needs and aspirations of a specific community. These organizations primarily
approach their work through the lens of building or strengthening the quality of life of their
given constituency, locale, or membership. They may do so by several means, including:
• Engaging community members, local government, and other stakeholders in planning
and advocacy,
• Providing social services,
• Delivering capacity building opportunities, and
• Developing housing or making other physical improvements to the landscape.
Examples of CBOs include community development corporations (CDCs), tenant associations,
and non-profit service organizations. CBOs’ work often includes elements of economic
development.
Economic Development Organizations (EDOs) specifically work to enhance the economic
prosperity of the communities they serve. Their efforts may include:
• Job creation and retention,
• Increasing incomes for both businesses and workers
• Tax base enhancements, and
• Business incentives.
Examples include city, county, state, and regional economic development agencies, planning
boards, chambers of commerce, and economic development districts (EDDs).
People often use these terms interchangeably in community development spaces, but we will make a
meaningful distinction between CBOs and EDOs throughout this course. Our focus in this curriculum
is to lay the foundation for partnerships between EDOs and CBOs that leverage their different areas
of focus and the different stakeholders they can reach. There is enormous potential for alignment
that can enhance the goals of both types of organizations and lead to better outcomes for individuals
and communities.
Interactions between CBOs and EDOs do not occur in a vacuum, but in the context of local
ecosystems.
Ecosystems can be defined as the ongoing interactions between agencies, institutions, and
organized bodies that directly impact the vitality of a given location and its residents.
Economic Development Ecosystems, therefore, are the ongoing interactions between
agencies, institutions, and organized bodies that directly impact the economic vitality of a
given location and its residents. An economic development ecosystem can be as small as a
corridor or as large as a country, but the phrase often refers to the ecosystem that exists in a
city, county, or multi-county region. Traditional measures of an economic development
ecosystem's vitality include jobs generated, goods produced, and local spending via
construction and retail sales within that ecosystem. However, it is now increasingly evident
Strategic Synergy: Transforming Communities through Partnerships for CBOs | Equity Impact Investments 10
Module 1: Economic Development Ecosystems
that these measures do not adequately reflect the well-being of all members of a given
community.
This broad definition of ecosystems is important because it reinforces the fact that alignment or
conflict between organizations has implications for everyone in the ecosystem. While it is unrealistic
to expect CBOs and EDOs to be in complete alignment, the goal for this curriculum is to help CBOs
gain sufficient understanding of EDOs and economic development to develop and manage
collaborative relationships with EDOs on inclusive and equitable economic development projects.1
Pause for Reflection
1. Given the above definitions, does your organization align more with community or
economic development? What kinds of partnerships are you best positioned to
pursue?
2. On what scale of economic development ecosystem does your organization operate
(e.g., local, regional, statewide)? Who are your partners?
How Economic Development Functions
To understand the field of economic development, it’s important to consider who makes the major
economic development decisions that impact ecosystems, how economic development resources
flow, and how stakeholders can influence economic development investments.
Who makes economic development decisions?
Economic development decision-makers are those who establish policies and programs intended to
generate and circulate economic activity in the community (traditionally, this has meant job creation
through business attraction, retention, and expansion).
Regardless of an ecosystem’s size and scale, government and elected officials play a vital role.
They are the creators or enforcers of policy, the assessors of property values, the approvers
of tax benefits, or the funders of economic development programs. Collectively, their
decisions set the context within which other ecosystem stakeholders operate.
Property owners, developers, and lenders make decisions that determine whether sites get
invested in, developed, or renovated. These decisions affect the economic opportunities and
activities that occur within a given area.
Businesses, whether operating independently or alongside like-minded partners, make
economic development decisions when growing, expanding, or relocating within their
ecosystems or across ecosystems.
1
A similar outcome will occur with EDOs in their curriculum: The goal is for EDOs to develop sufficient
understanding of CBOs and community development to develop and manage collaborative relationships
with CBOs on inclusive and equitable economic development projects.
Strategic Synergy: Transforming Communities through Partnerships for CBOs | Equity Impact Investments 11
Module 1: Economic Development Ecosystems
Economic Development Organizations (EDOs) directly engage with all of these stakeholders
as a matter of their organizational mission. They work to influence decisions in ways that will
benefit business owners, including small businesses and microentrepreneurs.
Community Based Organizations (CBOs), which may or may not directly work on economic
development issues, may similarly engage these stakeholders. With their place-based focus,
they often work to influence decisions about where and how economic development
resources are invested, and who benefits from them.
Nationally, the Economic Development Administration (US EDA) and federal agencies that
fund economic development influence the economic development priorities of many
localities, both through federal investment priorities (further explored in Module 4) and by
driving how state and regional actors, including EDOs, can leverage EDA funding.
How do economic development resources flow?
Municipalities, regions, and states typically have their own economic development priorities and
funding sources to influence their respective ecosystems. These dollars can have a much greater
impact when they are supplemented with matching funds from private investment. The same
principle applies on a significantly larger scale with federal economic development funds. As EDA’s
FY2022 report indicates, the $3 billion invested as a result of the American Rescue Plan is anticipated
to generate $20 billion in private investment.i
Because federal investments can attract so much private investment, municipal, regional, and state
economic development agencies may also look to build upon EDA investments. EDA’s recent grants
demonstrate that these funds support physical infrastructure, technical assistance, comprehensive
planning, and sectoral retooling to ensure economic [Link] EDOs, particularly those operating on
a broad geographic scale through approaches like a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
(to be covered in Module 3), are well-positioned to apply for these kinds of resources. They can do
the necessary matchmaking of public, private, and philanthropic funding at the national, state,
regional, and municipal scale.
CBOs can complement this capacity, particularly those operating on local or hyper-local scales. These
organizations are uniquely positioned to ensure that resources are directed to historically uninvested
or under-invested communities.
Strategic Synergy: Transforming Communities through Partnerships for CBOs | Equity Impact Investments 12
Module 1: Economic Development Ecosystems
How does one direct economic development investment?
Directing economic development investment is a two-fold challenge. First, you must know what
resources are available and understand how they are intended to be used. Second, you must be able
to identify projects or programs that both need and
qualify for those resources.
The scale of investments—and matching private
Systemic inequities create
funds—that can come from federal funding is challenges for both EDOs
significant. CBOs should understand how to direct and CBOs: the most
these funds to benefit the communities they serve.
Federal agencies, including but not limited to EDA, rely adversely impacted by
on community partnerships to ensure their economic development
investments reach those most in need. While EDOs
can address this on the citywide or regional scale, decisions are not adequately
CBOs generally have deeper relationships with considered, the capacities of
neighborhoods and are better positioned to deploy
resources where they will be most effective and
local areas remain
responsive to needs identified by community members underutilized, and the
themselves. Therefore, partnerships between EDOs— decisions made to spur
well-positioned to access funds—and CBOs—well-
positioned to deploy funds appropriately on a local economic activity are limited
level—are crucial to ensuring that sizeable financial in their efficacy.
resources are made available to the communities that
need it the most.
While many CBOs do engage in economic development work on a local level, the largest pools of
economic development resources have historically not been well connected to these local efforts.
The lack of resources leads to gaps between stated priorities and actual outcomes. These challenges
are often exacerbated by historical distrust between local and regional stakeholders or difficulty
navigating the decision-making process. As a result, local governments and development
professionals regularly make economic development decisions that impact communities without
meaningful or consistent engagement from the communities themselves. Systemic inequities
therefore create challenges for both EDOs and CBOs: the most adversely impacted by economic
development decisions are not adequately considered, the capacities of local areas remain
underutilized, and the decisions made to spur economic activity are limited in their efficacy.
Pause for Reflection
1. How involved is your organization in accessing economic development resources?
2. What outcomes have resulted from that involvement (or lack of involvement)?
Inclusion, Equity, and Ecosystems
The gaps described above and resulting failure of top-down economic development policies to
effectively reach and benefit underserved populations create disconnects in the economic
development sector. There is a portion of the sector that has considerable resources, but lacks
intentional methods for reaching those most in need of the resources. Another part of the sector,
typically including CBOs, has proven strategies for benefiting historically underserved populations,
but lacks the resources to sustainably support those strategies. Fortunately, the economic
Strategic Synergy: Transforming Communities through Partnerships for CBOs | Equity Impact Investments 13
Module 1: Economic Development Ecosystems
development sector as a whole has recognized these disconnects and begun the multigenerational
work of implementing more inclusive and equitable processes.
Ecosystem framing
An important part of this approach has been the adoption of ecosystem framing. Rather than looking
at economic decision-making solely through the lens of individual stakeholders, ecosystem framing
demands that we examine the impacts of decisions on a broader scale. This includes considering
impacts on those who are several steps removed from the decision-making process, as well as
impacts on a community as a whole. Proponents of this broader perspective are known as ecosystem
builders.
Ecosystem Builders are individuals or institutions who focus their work on building a system
of support and resources in their communities or industries.
Ecosystem framing encourages more representation and consideration of communities impacted by
economic development decisions. To fully leverage ecosystem framing as an inclusion and equity tool,
however, it is not enough simply to consider impacted communities. They must be recognized as
decision-makers themselves. This requires those in power to go beyond engagement and form
partnerships between those with the resources and those with the connections. Engagement is a
critical precursor to partnership. It brings different parties to the table, including those who might
have been marginalized in the past. But true partnership requires that all stakeholders have a voice in
investment decisions and plans for the future, rather than simply being told what will happen. This is
part of the shift that is now taking place in the economic development sector.
Confronting the past
Of course, this shift toward a more equitable approach was not immediate and did not occur in a
vacuum. The tensions and distrust resulting from past policies and decisions need to be recognized
and addressed before the various stakeholders can reasonably and meaningfully engage with one
another. Economic development decision makers, influencers, and aspiring ecosystem builders,
regardless of their organization or role in the ecosystem, need to reckon with their area’s history of
economic marginalization and displacement of communities through policies and programs such as
redlining, eminent domain, and gentrification. Discriminatory policies, practices, and actions, rooted in
race, geography, sex, gender, language, or national origin may have been (or continue to be) the
foundational experiences for stakeholders who are skeptical of building new partnerships with
historically oppositional entities.2 CBOs, with their deep community connections, and EDOs, with
their ties to business and governmental power structures, can work together to foster community
healing and build a foundation for trust between different ecosystem stakeholders. Vital steps
include:
2
Some of these policies were advanced at a local level, but the role of the federal government in these impacts is
also noteworthy and will be covered in Module 4
Strategic Synergy: Transforming Communities through Partnerships for CBOs | Equity Impact Investments 14
Module 1: Economic Development Ecosystems
• acknowledging the impact of discriminatory
policies, Economic development
decision makers, influences,
• taking ownership of these past decisions, and
and aspiring ecosystem
• committing to a more equitable and inclusive builders, regardless of their
actions in the future. organization or role in the
By collectively processing the impacts of past ecosystem, need to reckon
economic development decisions, stakeholders can with their area’s history of
have more robust and honest conversations about
the kind of economic development they wish to see
economic marginalization and
in an ecosystem. These conversations can ground a displacement of communities
new approach for economic development within the through policies and programs
ecosystem, one that inherently values equity and
inclusion. Within this frame, the economic such as redlining, eminent
development decision-makers are more varied and domain, and gentrification.
better informed, the processes are more inclusive of
the perspectives of historically marginalized
populations, and the values that dictate and inform decision-making are data-driven, equitable, and
inclusive.
New approaches
Some practitioners, funders, and policy makers are already adopting elements of more inclusive and
equitable economic development strategies.
Workforce development is shifting from a strategy that prioritizes placement in jobs to a skill
development strategy that trains individuals for careers, encourages entrepreneurship, and
examines collective ownership as a community wealth-building strategy.
Planning is shifting from a top-down approach of zoning and land use to a bottom-up
approach in which neighborhood residents and businesses can advocate for, and benefit
from, development and investment without displacement.
Sustainability & resilience strategies are shifting from an economic development approach
that ignores or fails to consider changing climate to a strategy that makes disaster mitigation,
adaptation, and resilience core components of a business development [Link]
It is crucial to understand that the transition to a new way of doing economic development is gradual,
uneven, and difficult. Shifting from the conventional model of economic development to an inclusive
and equitable model is more complicated than simply replacing one approach entirely with the other.
Some programs, practices, or strategies are worth preserving or emulating. Others may need time to
wind down. Stakeholders within the ecosystem are best positioned to make these determinations,
but they may lack the resources and time to perform those assessments. In those circumstances,
outside partners, such as foundations or government agencies, should provide support for this vital
work. This curriculum, and the support of the EDA for building partnerships between EDOs and
CBOs, is an example of how such partners can support the important work of improving ecosystems
from the bottom-up.
Strategic Synergy: Transforming Communities through Partnerships for CBOs | Equity Impact Investments 15
Module 1: Economic Development Ecosystems
Pause for Reflection
1. How closely is your organization’s definition of economic development aligned with
the definition in this curriculum? What conversations need to happen to get them
better aligned?
2. Based on the definitions in this module, what are organizations in your ecosystem that
you have engaged with but not truly partnered with?
3. How could partnering with an Economic Development Organization benefit your
community?
4. How has your organization helped bridge gaps between EDOs and CBOs and build
trust between community stakeholders?
Case Study: NYC’s Industrial and Manufacturing
Ecosystem
Throughout this course, we will share elements of the story of the industrial and manufacturing
ecosystem in New York City. The City’s attempts to revitalize the manufacturing sector provide a
strong example of CBO and EDO collaboration.
Part 1: Introduction
New York City’s manufacturing sector steadily declined alongside the broader deindustrialization of
the 1960s and 70s. However, many manufacturing firms and companies stayed in the five boroughs
throughout the periods of urban disinvestment and remained a source of good-paying jobs for
communities of color and immigrants. Recognition of this fact, alongside continued advocacy from
manufacturers and economic developers, gradually formed the basis for policy reforms into the 21st
[Link] These reforms included the formation of the Mayor’s Office of Industrial and Manufacturing
Businesses, the creation of the Industrial Business Zones, and the 2015 Industrial Action Plan.
Though manufacturing remained an engine of opportunity, the city landscape in the 21st century was
very different from the era of deindustrialization. Land originally zoned for manufacturing was a
lucrative resource, made abundantly clear by the 2005 rezoning that transformed historically
industrial Williamsburg into an area synonymous with high-rise residential, commercial uses, and
gentrification. Stakeholders across the manufacturing ecosystem recognized the need for better tools,
but a lack of political appetite made such changes seem herculean.
When the 2015 Industrial Action Plan was presented, elected officials, community organizations,
business service providers, and agency leadership stood committed to preserving and strengthening
the remaining industrial sector. While each goal was unique, the planks of the 10-point plan were
interconnected and set the stage for the policy and programmatic debates of the subsequent years.
Stakeholders
Economic Development Ecosystem: New York City’s industrial & manufacturing sector
Strategic Synergy: Transforming Communities through Partnerships for CBOs | Equity Impact Investments 16
Module 1: Economic Development Ecosystems
Economic Development Organizations: NYC Deputy Mayor for Housing & Economic Development,
NYC Department of Small Business Services, NYC Department of City Planning, NYC Economic
Development Corporation, NYC City Council Committee on Small Business, NYC Council Committee
on Economic Development, NYC City Council Committee on Land Use, NYC City Council
Subcommittee on Zoning
Community Based Organizations: Business Outreach Center Network (BOCNet), Evergreen
Exchange, Fifth Avenue Committee, Greenpoint Manufacturing & Design Center, Greater Jamaica
Development Corporation, Neighbors Helping Neighbors, Ridgewood Local Development
Corporation, Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation
i
US Economic Development Administration. Development Organizations. Climate Change
Annual Report Fiscal Year 2022. FY2022- Preparedness Toolkit for Business Development
[Link] Organizations | Local Initiatives Support
ii
US Economic Development Administration. Corporation ([Link])
EDA Grant History List. EDA Grant History List | iv
Engines of Opportunity: Reinvigorating New
U.S. Economic Development Administration York City’s Manufacturing Zones for the 21st
iii
Local Initiatives Support Corporation. Climate Century. New York City Council. Engines-of-
Change Preparedness Toolkit for Business [Link] ([Link])
Strategic Synergy: Transforming Communities through Partnerships for CBOs | Equity Impact Investments 17