In 2020, ICIC served more than 2,500 businesses from 49 states. Well over half of these companies are BIPOC- (58%) and woman-owned (57%), and the vast majority of these businesses are located in underserved communities with concentrated poverty and higher levels of unemployment. Many of these companies faced tremendous challenges this year, and we couldn’t be more proud of the grit, determination and resilience they displayed in rising up to these challenges. We look forward to following the future success of these companies as we recover from the pandemic and they continue to bring good-paying jobs and economic revitalization to their communities.

We offer leading programs designed to serve inner city CEOs in the urban core. These initiatives deliver education, training, and capacity building, as well as providing critical resources, tools, visibility and content year-round through our digital platforms.

Inner City 100

Each year we recognize, celebrate and support the fastest-growing inner city companies in America whose success illuminates the competitive business advantages of locating in the inner city. Since 1999, we’ve placed more than 1,000 companies on the Inner City 100 list, which is published annually by FORTUNE. The award winners are chosen based on their growth in revenue and job creation over a four-year period.

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses

ICIC is the proud national outreach and selection partner of Goldman Sachs on their innovative and influential 10,000 Small Businesses initiative. To date, the program has served over 10,000 small business owners, reaching entrepreneurs across all 50 states, Washington D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.   

Inner City Capital Connections

Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) is a tuition-free executive leadership training program that increases the flow of capital to urban firms and communities while helping firms achieve sustained growth. The program, currently offered in 17 US markets, is designed for busy executives of all expertise levels and helps bridge the gap for businesses that are in need of capital but cite lack of knowledge and relationships as key barriers to obtaining it.

Cultivate Small Business

Santander Bank’s Cultivate Small Business is designed to help early-stage entrepreneurs in low-income neighborhoods build and sustain their businesses, with a focus on woman-, minority- and immigrant-owned businesses in food-related industries. The program connects early-stage entrepreneurs with some of the key ingredients needed to succeed in the food business, including food-service-related business management skills, technical assistance, access to a local network of established food-industry experts as well as small capital grants for business owners. 

ICIC’s Research

Urban economic development initiatives are at the forefront of the national policy agenda: How can we create equitable urban revitalization and foster economic opportunity for inner city residents? ICIC’s research helps public, private, nonprofit, and community leaders understand and respond to the economic development challenges facing under-resourced communities. Our unique knowledge of inner city competitive advantages and inner city companies is developed from specialized urban networks and path-breaking research and practice.