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.
Scaling financial intermediary strategies to advance job quality and small business prosperity
Good jobs and strong businesses are vital to the well-being of communities across the country. In today’s economy, however, millions of workers struggle in poor-quality jobs, while small business owners face challenges finding and retaining the employees they need to thrive.
Shared Success, a project of the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program (EOP), is grounded in the understanding that building better jobs and building stronger businesses go hand in hand. Supported by a $12 million investment from the Gates Foundation, EOP partnered with 11 community lenders to integrate job quality programming into their small business support services. These lenders — each working in distinct communities across the US — demonstrate that there is no single model, but rather many ways organizations can help small businesses thrive through a job quality approach.
This Q&A provides insights and lessons from the work of 11 CDFIs that participated in Shared Success, a job quality demonstration led by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program (EOP).
This infographic shares statistics on impact of the Economic Opportunities Program’s Shared Success demonstration. Dive into a detailed breakdown of the diverse businesses and entrepreneurs involved in this work.
The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.
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