learning resources

Need help making the case for place-based impact investing? For investing for justice? For strengthening the solidarity economy? These links may provide the stories and data you need.

Alleconomic justicenext economytransforming financeother tools & guides

Social Movement Investing

The Center for Economic Democracy's guide to capital strategies for community power (2022)

Grassroots Community Engaged Investment

Transform Finance's report features BII as an example of Grassroots Community Engaged Investment. (2021)

Back to the Frontier: Investing that Puts Impact First

Bridgespan’s new report features BII in a case study about Impact-First Options for Donor-Advised Funds. (2021)

The Color of the Capital Gap

By Boston Indicators, The Boston Foundation and the Coalition for an Equitable Economy. (2021)

Lioness Changemaker

In this interview, Deborah Frieze is recognized as a Lioness Changemaker and speaks about impact investing and BII's work. (2021)

Decolonizing Wealth

By Edgar Villanueva
This book applies indigenous wisdom to heal racial wealth divides and restore balance disrupted by colonization and exploitative economics. (2021)

Forging a Post-Covid Economy with Nature as our Guide

by Deborah Frieze and Sallie Calhoun
This article describes how to use biomimicry to build a more just and sustainable economy. (2020)

Community Investment Funds

By Brian Beckon, Amy Cortese, Janice Shade and Michael Shuman
BII Fund is featured in this handbook on local investment funds. (2020)

System Change: A Basic Primer to the Solidarity Economy

by Emily Kawano and Julie Matthaei
This article explores the possibilities of a post-capitalist system. (2020)

Why do we need solidarity economics?

USC Sociologist Manuel Pastor's research shows that rebuilding the bonds between people universally leads to better outcomes for health, society, and the environment. (2020)

Restorative Economics

Nwamaka Agbo provides an overview of the Restorative Economics framework, and how she has applied it as an equitable development strategy in her consulting work. (2019)

Impact Management Project

The IMP provides a forum for building global consensus on measuring, assessing and reporting impacts on people and the natural environment.

The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap

by Mehrsa Baradaran.
Baradaran challenges the long-standing notion that black banking and community self-help is the solution to the racial wealth gap. (2019)

Investing for Justice

What does investing to close the racial wealth divide really require from us? Jessica Norwood and Konda Mason of the Runway Project interview Deborah Frieze and Mark Watson of BII. (2018)

Impact Terms Project

The ITP aims to be a library of real-world knowledge and expertise on structuring impact investments and enterprises.

Solidarity Philanthropy: Reparations, Democracy and Power

by Aaron Tanaka
This article discusses philanthropy’s role in building true alternatives to our dominant economic regime. (2018)

Impact Investing Can Fight Racism and Wealth Gaps–if Conducted in New Ways

by Rodney Foxworth
(2018)

What is a Direct Public Offering?

by Jenny Kassan.
This article provides a primer on DPO’s and the possibilities in democratic financing.

Capital Compass Tool

Capital Compass Tool from the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund helps entrepreneurs figure out what kind of capital they need.

Just Transition for Philanthropy

by Ed Whitfield
The Fund for Democratic Communities was a foundation that helped communities create their own solutions and it sunset in 2020. (2018)

Why I Want Community Organizers to Tell Me Where to Invest

by Deborah Frieze
If we wish to transform our economic system from one that extracts value from communities of color to one that operates in solidarity, we must redirect the flow of capital and power. (2018)

Localist Revolution

by David Brooks
In this The New York Times op-ed, he cites the work of BII founder Deborah Frieze in identifying how we create the conditions for local power to emerge. (2018)

Wealth Inequality and The Fallacies of Impact Investing

by Rodney Foxworth
If we truly want to close the wealth gap, then we must rid ourselves of the power dynamics, biases, and culture that got us here. (2018)

Using Emergence to Take Social Innovation to Scale

by Margaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze
This article presents an “emergence” theory of change that reflects BII’s efforts to seed a new more equitable and sustainable economy.

Capitalism is Not the Only Choice

by Penn Loh
Beneath the official capitalist economy are all sorts of thriving non-capitalist economies, where there may not be a profit motive or market exchange. (2017)

Building a New economy That Leads to a New Democracy

Aaron Tanaka, founder of the Center for Economic Democracy, speaks on Radio Woodstock (at 23.46) about building a new economy that leads to a new democracy. (2017)

Solidarity Rising in Massachusetts – Practical Visionaries

This report, commissioned by the Solidarity Economy Initiative, highlights groundbreaking grassroots efforts to restore economic power to communities of color. (2017)

The Road to Zero Wealth

by Prosperity Now and the Institute for Policy Studies
A look at Federal Reserve data over a 30-year period to understand the growing racial wealth divide and the ways that it is impacting the American middle class. (2017)

The Asset Value of Whiteness

From the Institute on Assets and Social Policy at Brandeis University
A report on the racial wealth gap and its causes, and making the case for addressing structural and institutional racism. (2017)

Color of Entrepreneurship: Why the Racial Gap between Firms Costs the U.S. Billions

Report by Center for Global Policy Solutions
Presents recommendations for increasing successful entrepreneurship by people of color. (2016)

Strategies for Financing the Inclusive Economy

by The Democracy Collaborative
A report on broad-based ownership models for job generation and building community wealth. (2016)

Moving Your Money

Laura Flanders of GRITtv explores why it’s so hard to invest money locally. She profiles BII portfolio company, CERO that funded its start-up without deep pockets or Wall St cash. (2015)

Tackling the Law, Together

A report by various local legal clinics that covers legal aspects of worker cooperatives, cooperative conversions, and financing. (2015)

Not Business As Usual

This film is a provocative look at capitalism and its unintended price of success, told through the stories of entrepreneurs who have found innovative ways to bring humanity back into business. (2014)

Maggie Anderson – TEDx Grand Rapids

Maggie Anderson talks about beginning to address economic inequalities that deprive Black neighborhoods by proactively supporting Black businesses. (2014)

Turning the Global Economy into Connected Communities

A profile of BALLE founder, Michelle Long, and the vision of localizing economies in response to broken relationships resulting from globalization and corporate gigantism. (2014)

The Emerging Just and Sustainable Food Economy in Boston

by Penn Loh and Glynn Lloyd
This article explores innovations in building community wealth and health through re-localizing the food system. (2013)