Helping practitioners elevate equity within their comprehensive economic development strategy

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What is the Inclusive Recovery Toolkit?

This toolkit is intended to support regional economic development leaders in elevating equity within their organization, planning and CEDS development, and strategy and implementation as they approach recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Economic Development Districts (EDDs) and similar regional entities have a unique role to play in planning for and achieving inclusive economic development for their regions. This toolkit is based on insights from the Inclusive Recovery Initiative. 

What is the Inclusive Economic Recovery Initiative?

The Inclusive Recovery Initiative was a national program supporting Economic Development Organizations (EDOs) and Districts (EDDs) in embedding inclusive and equitable growth strategies into their COVID-19 recovery strategies and in the development of regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS). This program included a partnership with and research by the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Research Foundation. Between March 2021 and June 2023, EDDs and EDOs engaged with the Initiative through:

Community of Practice

A national network of EDOs to engage on topics that build equity and inclusion as a practice in their strategies. Over the course of the initiative, this community engaged in an online community, virtually convened six times, and hosted two peer conversations. These engagements resulted in learnings and insights from 102 EDDs and EDOs.

Technical Assistance

To engage deeply with regions, six EDOs received technical assistance, including in-depth data analysis and best practice strategy development, to incorporate equity within their strategic planning process.

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Explore 100+ Inclusive Recovery Ideas

This guide includes examples from more than 35 Economic Development Districts and Organizations in more than 20 states across the country. Explore them all →

Idea Bank
Ecosystem Barriers
Chicago Region
Upper Minnesota Valley Regional Development Commission
Ecosystem Barriers
Chicago Region

Minnesota | Pop. 42,389 | 5 counties

In 2019, the Commission cited childcare access as a growing challenge and as an economic driver. To better understand solutions and approaches within their region, they conducted six case studies and curated local, regional, state, and national resources. Each case study included an analysis of enrollment, fees, staffing structure, staff wages, and financing, which was supplemented by interviews to understand the background, challenges, and successes.

Ecosystem Barriers
Chicago Region
Regional Analysis
Seattle Region
North Olympic Peninsula Resource Conservation & Development Council
Regional Analysis
Seattle Region

Washington | Pop. 109,552 | 2 counties

Aligned with an asset-based approach, several analyses focus on defining different types of community capital from a regional lens. The Community Capitals Framework (CCF), commonly used in rural economic development, identifies seven types of capital: built, cultural, financial, human, natural, political, and social. The WealthWorks’ capital framework identifies eight forms of capital: intellectual, financial, natural, cultural, built, political, individual, and social. See how the North Olympic Peninsula Resource and Conservation and Development Council community capital analysis in their recent CEDS.

Regional Analysis
Seattle Region
Economic Resilience
National
Community Resilience Estimates
Economic Resilience
National

This interactive tool from the Census Bureau calculates the percentage of residents facing various risk factors in natural disasters and emergencies, such as lack of health insurance, lack of internet access, and lack of vehicle access. Within the set of online maps, the data is available at the state or county level and for download at the county or census tract level.

Economic Resilience
National