Center for Economic Inclusion

What Center for Economic Inclusion does

The Center for Economic Inclusion is a Saint Paul, Minnesota-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2017 by Tawanna A. Black. It is the nation's first Black woman-founded and led organization dedicated exclusively to strengthening public- and private-sector civic infrastructures for racially inclusive economies. The organization develops proprietary racial equity measurement frameworks and consulting methodologies rather than a traditional technology product.

Its core offerings include the Racial Equity Dividends Index (REDI) — available in private-sector and public-sector editions — which scores participating organizations on 43 to 60+ racial equity standards across dimensions such as leadership, hiring, culture and retention, procurement, products and services, philanthropy, and public policy. In 2022, 40 companies employing more than 200,000 Minnesotans participated in the private-sector Index, with an average score of 38 out of 100. Supporting products include the Indicators for an Inclusive Regional Economy digital lab (interactive race- and income-segmented economic data), the Racial Equity Impact Notes (REIN) policy assessment methodology, the Vanguard Accelerator & Fund (capital, coaching, and procurement support for Black and Latina women-owned businesses, anchored by a $25 million fund), consulting services, peer learning cohorts, and experiential Reckoning Tours to Montgomery and Selma.

Revenue is generated primarily through institutional grants and philanthropic funding (notably $5 million from JPMorgan Chase in 2022 and $1.6 million from Google.org and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2023), supplemented by consulting engagements with private and public sector clients, a $1,000 administrative fee per company for Index participation, and accelerator program operations. The Center operates from a single headquarters at 370 Wabasha Street North in Saint Paul, serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul seven-county metro area with national expansion into nine markets across seven states. Following its 2022 strategic alliance with Growth & Justice, the organization now holds an inherited research portfolio including the Minnesota Equity Blueprint and Equity Map. Headcount stands at approximately 25-30 staff, including directors in Analytics, Research, and Public Policy.

Name

Center for Economic Inclusion

Legal name

Center for Economic Inclusion

Website

https://centerforeconomicinclusion.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Center for Economic Inclusion is a Saint Paul, Minnesota-based nonprofit founded in 2017 that develops proprietary racial equity measurement frameworks — most notably the Racial Equity Dividends Index — and consulting services to help employers, governments, and entrepreneurs of color close racial employment, income, and wealth gaps.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Racial Equity Consulting and Workplace Inclusion Assessment

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Racial & Ethnic Justice Organizations (BPAGAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Workforce Development & Inclusive Employment (Job Training, Placement) (BPAGALAB), Education Equity, Access & Inclusion Policy Research (EDADADAF), Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment) (BPADAHAI), Financial Inclusion & Consumer Empowerment (Banking Access, Credit Building) (BPAGALAJ)

Keywords

• Racial equity consulting
• Workplace diversity assessment
• Inclusive economic policy
• Minority business accelerator
• Equity measurement index

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Employer Consulting Services: The Center offers racial equity consulting services to public- and private-sector employers, providing advisory engagements, training, and implementation support for anti-racist workplace practices.
2. Grants and Philanthropic Funding: The Center receives substantial grant funding from foundations and corporations. Notable grants include $1.6 million from Google.org and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for national expansion, and $5 million from JPMorgan Chase for Project Vanguard and the Vanguard Fund over three years.
3. Racial Equity Dividends Index Program Fees: Companies registering for the Racial Equity Dividends Index pay a $1,000 administrative fee to participate and receive customized score reports and peer benchmarking.
4. Vanguard Accelerator Program: The Center runs the Vanguard Accelerator providing forgivable loans, grant funding, coaching, and business development support to Black and Latina women-owned businesses. Awarded $2 million in forgivable loans in 2024 and $700,000 in forgivable loans plus $50,000 in unrestricted grants in the 3rd annual program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Center for Economic Inclusion sells racial equity consulting and measurement services to private- and public-sector employers, anchored by the proprietary Racial Equity Dividends Index (REDI) — an annual benchmarking assessment scored against dozens of validated racial equity standards. It also operates the Vanguard Accelerator & Fund (multi-sector accelerator plus a $25 million fund deploying forgivable loans, grants, and equity investments to Black and Latina women-owned businesses), publishes the Indicators for an Inclusive Regional Economy digital data lab, and advocates for Racial Equity Impact Notes and related state policy reforms. Customers include Fortune 500 employers, mid-market companies, city/county governments, and underrepresented entrepreneurs in Minnesota and expanding U.S. regions.

Product overview

The Center for Economic Inclusion offers a portfolio of interconnected products and services focused on closing racial employment, income, and wealth gaps. The core offerings include the Racial Equity Dividends Index (REDI) - both Private Sector and Public Sector versions - which are comprehensive analytical assessment tools that score organizations on racial equity standards; the Indicators for an Inclusive Regional Economy digital lab providing data on economic inclusivity by race and income; and the Vanguard Accelerator & Fund providing capital, training, and procurement support to Black, Indigenous, and Latina-owned businesses. Supporting services include Racial Equity Impact Notes (REIN) for policy analysis, consulting services, experiential learning tours (Reckoning for Truth), peer learning cohorts, and annual summit events. These products work together to provide a complete ecosystem for measuring, benchmarking, and advancing racial equity in workplaces and regional economies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Project Vanguard: Multi-sector accelerator committed to maximizing wealth-building and job creation with Black and Latina women business owners in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region
• Vanguard Fund
• Racial Equity Dividends Index (REDI)
• Indicators for an Inclusive Regional Economy

Products and services

• Racial Equity Dividends Index (REDI) - Private Sector Annual analytical assessment tool that private-sector employers opt into to measure progress on 43 racial equity standards across seven dimensions (leadership, hiring, culture/retention/advancement, procurement, products and services, philanthropy and investment, and public policy). Participating companies receive customized score reports with peer comparisons and recommendations. In 2022, 40 companies employing over 200,000 Minnesotans participated, with an average score of 38 out of 100.
• Racial Equity Dividends Index for the Public Sector Annual analytical assessment tool for local governments evaluating internal and external-facing racial equity practices across ten dimensions including Procurement, Community and Economic Development, and Budgets. Identifies 60+ racial equity standards. Participating organizations receive customized score reports with peer benchmarks.
• Vanguard Accelerator & Fund Multi-sector accelerator program and $25 million fund providing forgivable loans, grants, coaching, mentorship, certification, and procurement access to Black, Indigenous, and Latina-owned businesses in the Minneapolis–St. Paul region. Awarded $2M in forgivable loans in 2024 and $700K in forgivable loans plus $50K in unrestricted grants in the 3rd annual program.
• Consulting Services Racial equity consulting services for private- and public-sector employers, including tools for employers, client partnerships, and employer services that help organizations build anti-racist and equitable workplaces. Engagements cover advisory support, training, and implementation assistance.
• Inclusive Workplaces Cohort 10-month facilitated peer learning cohort program supporting businesses in becoming more inclusive workplaces. Delivered in partnership with Ramsey County / Workforce Innovation Board, with up to 20 businesses per cohort using a comprehensive racial equity lens and systems change frameworks.
• Reckoning for Truth, Trust, and Racial Justice Tours Experiential multi-day peer learning tours to Montgomery and Selma, Alabama designed to help executives and leaders reckon with the history of racial exclusion, slavery, and the Civil Rights movement. Participants traverse historic routes and engage in reflective activities to build accountability for creating equitable workplaces.
• Indicators for an Inclusive Regional Economy Interactive digital lab evaluating key measures of inclusive economic growth and competitiveness segmented by race and income. Provides profiles, tools, and case studies for closing racial wealth gaps and addressing workplace racial equity opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40 companies participating in 2022 Index employ more than 200,000 workers in Minnesota — approximately 1 in every 12 non-government employees in the state
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Growth & JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2022Growth & Justice transferred its resources, assets, and 20 years of research (including the Minnesota Equity Blueprint and Minnesota Equity Map) to the Center for Economic Inclusion. This strategic alliance combined two leading organizations advocating for racial and economic justice in Minnesota.
• Founders First CDCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2022Founders First CDC partnered with the Center for the Vanguard Accelerator, providing the Business Accelerator Program curriculum, scholarships, and coaching supports for Black and Latina women entrepreneurs in the Twin Cities.
• Activate Network / Certified Access / Fearless CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2022A coalition of organizations led by Black women business owners — Activate Network, Certified Access Initiative, and Fearless Commerce — partnered to deliver the Vanguard Accelerator's Certified Access 8-week Academy, connecting Women of Color to contract and capital opportunities through certification and training.
• NEOO Partners Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2022NEOO Partners Inc., led by D'Angelos Svenkeson, provides real estate, project management, and finance services to Vanguard Accelerator participants, including guidance on land/property acquisition, site selection, and access to the Mustard Seed Fund capital.
• Ramsey County / Workforce Innovation BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 2021Ramsey County partnered with the Workforce Innovation Board to launch the Inclusive Workplaces Cohort, a 10-month peer learning program for 20 businesses. The Center leads facilitation, creating a learning environment using a comprehensive racial equity lens and systems change frameworks.
• Voices for Racial JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with the Center and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota to form the Racial Equity & Joy Coalition, advocating for Racial Equity Impact Notes legislation at the Minnesota State Legislature.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• PolicyLink: National racial equity and economic inclusion research and advocacy nonprofit. Direct peer on racial equity policy, employer accountability frameworks, and inclusive economy research — overlapping mission and methodology with the Center.
• Living Cities: Collaborative of major foundations and financial institutions focused on racial and economic inclusion in U.S. cities. Comparable funder model, urban employer focus, and inclusive-economy program design.
• Race Forward: National nonprofit operating the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), which produces racial equity toolkits and training for public agencies. Overlaps with the Center's Public Sector Index and REIN methodology.
• Just Capital: Nonprofit that ranks America's most just companies using a corporate-equity scoring methodology and engages Fortune 500 employers on stakeholder capitalism. Closest analog to the Center's Racial Equity Dividends Index from a measurement and corporate-engagement perspective.
• Founders First CDC: Nonprofit accelerator and capital provider focused on under-represented small businesses, including Latina and Black founders. Co-delivers the Vanguard Accelerator curriculum and is a direct peer in inclusive entrepreneurship.
• National Equity Atlas (by PolicyLink and USC Equity Research Institute): Data and research platform providing race-disaggregated economic indicators across U.S. regions — direct analog to the Center's Indicators for an Inclusive Regional Economy digital lab.

Broad incumbents

• National Urban League: Long-established civil rights and economic empowerment organization with employment, entrepreneurship, and racial equity programs. Broader national scale and political footprint than the Center, with overlapping focus on Black economic inclusion.
• UnidosUS: National Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization with economic inclusion and small-business support programs. Comparable to the Center's Latina-focused components of the Vanguard Accelerator.
• NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund: Premier national civil rights legal organization advancing racial justice through litigation, advocacy, and policy. Broader mandate but overlapping racial equity and economic inclusion focus.
• Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program: Program of the Aspen Institute focused on workforce development, employer practices, and economic inclusion research. Comparable policy research output and employer-engagement approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EconInclusion
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-economic-inclusion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

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M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Economic Inclusion