1.
NADO
Annual Training Conference
Learning Lab: Equity, Inclusion, and Regional
Development Organizations
October 16, 2022
This presentation was prepared by New Growth
Innovation Network (NGIN) using Federal funds under
award ED21HDQ3070009 from the U.S. Economic
Development Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and
recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Economic
Development Administration or the U.S. Department of
Commerce.

2.
New Growth Innovation
Network (NGIN)
knowledge, insight and
innovation hub, supporting
practitioners to advance
inclusive economic growth in
their regions by creating
greater prosperity for people of
color, women and neglected
geographies.

3.
Funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration
Research and National Technical Assistance Program
Supported by the National Association of Development
Organizations Research Foundation

4.
Design justice is a framework for
analysis of how design of the built
environment, programs, services, and/or
systems influences the distribution of
benefits and burdens between various
groups of people.
Inclusive economic development
leverages design justice principles to
activate people-centered approaches
which balance the distribution of power
and acknowledge individual agency
when applying equitable community
engagement practices.

5.
What is the economic history of
your region?

6.
Build a Story
Exercise
Scenario
You have received $1M to invest in small businesses in your
region. Design a plan to deploy the fund that aims to result in
an inclusive outcome.
Exercise
• Break into groups of 2
• One person in the group begins with sharing their idea
• Second person answers with “yes, but”, and explain why that idea may not work and proposes a new
idea
• The first person answers the same way and designers proceed to block ideas for 3-4 minutes
• Now, transition with “yes, and” and build upon an idea with your collective ideas

7.
Small Business Impacts Key Data Points
PPP Loans to Accommodation
and Food Services Industry
96%
Businesses with Less
than 50 Employees
60%
Businesses with Less
than 5 Employees
32%
Workers in the Region that Work at Business
with Less than 20 Employees
1 in 3
Businesses with Under 50 Employees are in
either Construction or Retail Industries
17.7%
PPP Loans to Agriculture
Industry
15.5%
12%
Businesses Owned by
People of Color
9.8%
Loss of Hispanic/Latino-owned
Firms Between 2012 and 2017
PPP Loans to
Construction Industry
14.9%

8.
Build a Story
Exercise
Scenario
You have received $1M to invest in small businesses in your
region. Design a plan to deploy the fund that aims to result in
an inclusive outcome.
Exercise
• Organize to the left and right equally, then break into groups of 2
• One person in the group begins with sharing their idea
• Second person answers with “yes, but”, and explain why that idea may not work and proposes a new
idea
• The first person answers the same way and designers proceed to block ideas for 3-4 minutes
• Now, transition with “yes, and” and build upon an idea with your collective ideas

9.
Build a Story
Exercise
Scenario – Part 2
You have learned that your $1M must be shared across the
region and pooled collectively across fund investments made
in surrounding counties; the fund is now $8M across 8
counties.
Exercise
• Each group must choose a spoke person to represent your idea (2 spokespeople)
• The delegates will convene with 1-min to pitch ideas to the group
• The non-delegates will listen and decide on best idea (5-min)
• The chosen idea will be brought to the delegates and proceed with a final round of “yes, and” to build a
final deployment strategy for the 8-county region

10.
Funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration
Research and National Technical Assistance Program
Supported by the National Association of Development
Organizations Research Foundation

11.
Designing with collaboration at the
center of the table

12.
Transparency +
Accessibility Strong Partnerships Innovative Data
Leading with transparency allows
for mending previous historical
perceptions of distrust and builds
opportunities with communities
who search for a process that
openly shares shortfalls,
opportunity gaps, and areas for
growth
Actionable CEDS are developed
and strengthened by strong
partnerships built by robust
community engagement
strategies; this goes beyond
making leadership tables bigger
and more diverse and leads
towards inclusive buy-in and
greater collaboration
Most CEDS use data to describe
their economies and population
in broad strokes, without diving
deeper into regional disparities,
leaving a missed opportunity for
inclusive growth and
development
Process to Increase Equity in the CEDS

13.
Communication Guide
Learning Library
The Communication Resource Guide for Inclusive
Economic Development contains a glossary of terms to
help economic developers build a shared language around
equity. It also contains links to a variety of inclusive
resources.
NGIN Community Network Resources
A library of resources connects practitioners with
learnings released on inclusive economic
development and tools to use to help activate
towards equitable growth.
Upcoming and
Recorded Convenings
Community of Practice Convenings are recorded and shared
in the network. Convening topics include Normalizing Race
Equity, Organizing Anti-bias Data and Research, and
Centering BIPOC Communities During Strategic Planning.
To access the Community of Practice: Email Jessica@newgrowth.org
Directory of CoP
Membership
A directory of Community of Practice membership provides
members with a forum for connecting to other regional
leaders in order to share challenges, insights, and best
practices.

14.
Technical
Final Convening in November

15.
Building Towards Equity in the CEDS: A Best Practice
Guide for Inclusive Economic Development
A full guide that outlines best practices, critical steps, and strategies for embedding equity in CEDS. This
will be built based on insights from engaging with EDDs around the country and the Technical Assistance
work.
Still to come…
Equity in CEDS Virtual Training
Virtual training to support EDDs in embedding equity in their CEDS to drive inclusive growth in their
region.

16.
Questions?
Jessica L. Gonzalez Martinez
jessica@newgrowth.org
Deirdre Shaw
deirdre@newgrowth.org