GROW JOBS.
INCREASE WEALTH.
IMPROVE NEIGHBORHOODS.
ADVANCE EQUITY.

Advancing Economic Opportunity

The New Economy Initiative (NEI), is a philanthropic collaboration and special project of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan working to build a regional network of support for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Our mission is to grow an inclusive culture of entrepreneurship in southeast Michigan that benefits all residents and strengthens the regional economy.

View the NEI 2022 Annual Report

2022 Annual Report

2022 Annual Report

NEI’s mission is to grow an inclusive community of entrepreneurship in southeast Michigan that benefits all residents and strengthens the regional economy.

For Business Support Organizations

NEI supports an Inclusive Small Business Support Fund at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.
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Inclusion Works

NEI champions a network of inclusive small business support. Small businesses are a driving force of job creation and economic growth.

Investing in underserved small businesses can change the trajectory for struggling neighborhoods, build wealth among entrepreneurs of color and women, and improve the economy, overall.

Follow NEI’s journey in creating an inclusive small business support network. Then, take your own.

Learn from our journey. Beginning in 2007 with a $100 million commitment, NEI has invested more than $120 million in more than 14,000 companies, representing more than 35,000 employees. NEInsights documents NEI’s journey and history and serves as a learning platform for other communities wanting to activate equitable strategies for small business growth.

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