Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.

Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder
Blog Posts, and Videos

Building an Economy That Works for Everyone

August 11, 2026
Aspen Global Leadership Network

With small businesses and immigrant entrepreneurs routinely locked out of capital despite powering the local economy, how do we build financial systems that actually work for them?

2026 McNulty Prize Winner Rudy Espinoza, President & CEO of Inclusive Action for the City (Civil Society Fellowship), is tackling this challenge head-on by transitioning entrepreneurs into the formal economy, providing low-interest loans to street vendors and small business owners locked out of traditional lending, and helping longtime tenants acquire the buildings they’ve invested decades into.

Having distributed over $10 million in small business loans and grants and helped entrepreneurs recover from crises like the LA wildfires, Rudy’s work is a model for connecting urgent, on-the-ground action to the systemic change communities need to thrive.