Neighborhood Economics

What Neighborhood Economics does

Neighborhood Economics is a US-based nonprofit convening organization founded in 2016 that brings together local community economic developers, impact investors, catalytic foundations, minority entrepreneurs, and faith leaders to accelerate the repair of local economies. Its core offering is a rotating series of multi-day in-person conferences (Indianapolis 2022, Portland 2023, Jackson MS 2023, San Antonio 2024, Asheville 2025, Chicago 2025, with Galveston 2026 upcoming), supplemented by invitation-only working meetings, design labs, and neighborhood tours. These events are curated to connect participants who typically do not interact, producing follow-on initiatives such as New Chapter Ventures (formed after the Asheville conference) and downstream funding outcomes (New Majority Capital's Chicago bETA cohort). The organization is led by a small team including Rosa Lee Harden (Executive Producer), Kevin Jones (Curator/Innovator), Tim Soerens, Tim Freundlich, and Jeremiah Robinson.

Beyond conferences, Neighborhood Economics operates an intellectual and financial product suite including the Field Guide to Transformation (a forensic ecosystem framework defining roles such as System Entrepreneur, Finance Wizard, Relational Infrastructure Builder, and Anchor Institution), the Racial Wealth Gap Toolkit resource library, the Catalytic Capital (CataCap) Fund for community-directed philanthropic investment, and Innovation Stacks/Playbooks cataloguing replicable economic-justice solutions such as DCIF structures, Buy Back the Block, and guarantee pool models. There is no proprietary technology stack, app, or API; the website runs on WordPress.

The business model combines low per-attendee conference registration fees (e.g., $75 for the Portland one-day summit), scholarship-supported access for early-stage entrepreneurs, and a diversified sponsor/funder base that includes MacArthur Foundation, Trinity Church Wall Street, H.E. Butt Foundation, Texas Methodist Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, Moody Foundation, Mitchell Foundation, and corporate partners such as Spurs Sports & Entertainment. Additional revenue flows through donations to the CataCap Fund. Management has indicated that the conference series has helped raise over $3 million cumulatively. The organization does not disclose annual revenue, headcount, or funding rounds.

Name

Neighborhood Economics

Legal name

Neighborhood Economics

Website

https://neighborhoodeconomics.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Neighborhood Economics is a US nonprofit convening organization that hosts multi-city conferences connecting impact investors, foundations, minority entrepreneurs, faith leaders, and community developers to accelerate economic-justice initiatives across US cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Economic Development Convening Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Development & Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG, Place-Based Initiatives) (BPAIANAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Racial & Ethnic Justice Organizations (BPAGAFAC)

Keywords

• Economic justice convening
• Community development
• Catalytic capital
• Impact investing
• Racial wealth gap

Headquarters

HQ city

Jackson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Conference Registration Fees: The organization generates revenue through ticket sales for its conferences and events. Registration fees vary by event, with early-stage entrepreneur scholarships available. Events are invitation-only working meetings combined with public conference components.
2. Catalytic Capital Fund Donations: The organization facilitates donations to their CataCap (Catalytic Capital) Fund, a recycling fund for community-directed economic justice initiatives that remains in host cities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Neighborhood Economics convenes, recruits, and connects people working to repair local economies through multi-day in-person conferences and invitation-only working meetings held across US cities. The organization supplements its convenings with knowledge products including the Racial Wealth Gap Toolkit, Catalytic Capital (CataCap) Fund, and the Field Guide to Transformation methodology that frames economic justice solutions.

Product overview

Neighborhood Economics is a conference and convening organization (not a technology product company) that operates a suite of event-based and knowledge products focused on accelerating local economic repair and economic justice. The core offering is the Neighborhood Economics Conference series, supplemented by the Racial Wealth Gap Toolkit resource library, the Catalytic Capital (CataCap) Fund for community-directed philanthropy, and the Field Guide to Transformation intellectual framework. These products work together to convene, recruit, and connect people repairing local economies through events, resources, and funding mechanisms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Racial Wealth Gap Toolkit: A resource compilation covering topics like money-sharing communities, combating gentrification, anti-redlining strategies, and inclusionary zoning.

Products and services

• Neighborhood Economics Conferences Multi-day in-person convenings held across US cities that connect local leaders, impact investors, catalytic foundations, minority entrepreneurs, and people of faith to accelerate local economic repair. Events feature working groups, design labs, neighborhood tours, and curated cross-pollination sessions.
• Catalytic Capital (CataCap) Fund

Quantifiable outcome

• New Majority Capital secured funding for Chicago-based bETA cohort in 2027 as a direct result of Chicago 2025 conference engagement
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Galveston Economic Development PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2026Local partner for Galveston 2026 event, supporting economic development in the host city.
• Vision GalvestonminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2026Local partner organization for the Galveston conference.
• New Chapter VenturescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2026Founded by Luke Lingle and Clark Harris after meeting at Asheville conference. Venture to reimagine underutilized assets like churches as community resources, now taking shape in Western North Carolina.
• Winrock InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2024Partner organization at Jackson conference with expertise in community development.
• Spurs Sports & EntertainmentminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 February 2024Partner in San Antonio helping host public meeting and community engagement.
• Brookings InstitutioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2024Scholarly partner; Tracy Hadden Loh from Brookings studies community capital and has written about DCIF structures featured at conferences.
• Federal Reserve Bank of New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2024Partner organization; David Erickson from NY Fed spoke at Chicago 2025 about seeing local models as part of larger living systems.
• National Coalition for Community Capital (NC3)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2024Chris Miller, CEO of NC3, developed the DCIF structure featured at conferences. NC3 board coming to Galveston 2026.
• ImpactAssetscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2024Tim Freundlich from ImpactAssets leads sessions on catalytic capital at conferences. Developed ImpactAssets Donor Advised Fund and Community Investment Note.
• JumpstartcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2024Jumpstart trains and connects small developers; Jumpstart Rhode Island used the toolkit for community development. Associated with DCIF ecosystem building.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Opportunity Finance Network: National membership network of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) that convenes members, shares capital deployment practices, and advocates for place-based finance. Comparable network-of-practitioners model with similar catalytic capital and community development focus.
• SOCAP: Convenes impact investors, entrepreneurs, and funders at flagship events and curated gatherings focused on capital for social good. Directly comparable event-and-community model targeting the impact investing and catalytic capital ecosystem.
• Ashoka: Global nonprofit that builds networks of social entrepreneurs and changemakers through curated convenings and fellowship programs. Highly comparable as a membership-style organization that identifies, connects, and resources field-building leaders in social innovation.
• Mission Investors Exchange: Membership organization for foundations deploying impact-investing capital, providing peer learning, convenings, and catalytic capital resources. Closely aligned with Neighborhood Economics' foundation and catalytic-capital constituency and convening approach.
• Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE): National network of local business and community leaders building equitable local economies through peer learning, convenings, and place-based strategies. Strong overlap on local economic repair, equitable ownership, and curated cohort convenings.
• National Coalition for Community Capital (NC3): Coalition advancing the Diversified Community Investment Fund (DCIF) structure — the exact financial innovation profiled and championed at Neighborhood Economics events — through research, advocacy, and practitioner convenings. Direct overlap on DCIF ecosystem building.

Broad incumbents

• Urban Institute: Major policy research organization producing evidence and convenings on neighborhood economic opportunity, community development finance, and racial equity. Adjacent research and convening capability intersecting with Neighborhood Economics' DCIF and community capital work.
• The Aspen Institute: Large nonprofit that convenes leaders across multiple sectors and runs targeted programs on economic opportunity, racial equity, and inclusive entrepreneurship. Broader incumbent that overlaps with Neighborhood Economics' policy, foundation, and place-based programming.

Others

• Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO): Membership association of foundations focused on grantmaking effectiveness and field-building. Comparable as a funder-side membership and convening organization that supports the same philanthropic partners underwriting Neighborhood Economics' events.

Emerging players

• Democracy at Work Institute: Supports the cooperative economy through education, convenings, and ecosystem-building for worker-owned and community-owned businesses. Comparable niche focus on cooperative and shared ownership models featured at Neighborhood Economics conferences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/neighborecon
• Facebookfacebook.com/neighborhoodeconomics
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/neighborhoodeconomics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Neighborhood Economics