Opportunity Zones: Investing [With] Distressed Communities

History Of The Program

The Opportunity Zones program was established by Congress in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as an innovative approach to spurring long-term private sector investments in low-income urban and rural communities nationwide. Learn more about this bipartisan program across the U.S.

Resources & Details

The following resources outline more information about Designated Opportunity Zones in underinvested (disinherited) communities across the U.S.

Additional resources, maps, and zones are defined here.

As outlined in a recent article in CNN, The 2017 Distressed Communities Index of the Economic Innovation Group indicates:

Nationally, the demand for capital is clear. More than 50 million Americans live in places with high rates of poverty and unemployment. Meanwhile, from 2010-14, just five metro areas produced as many new businesses as the rest of the country combined.

A few short thoughts (Nate)

• This can be a tremendous opportunity for people from many walks of life to work together (integrated neighboring networks and associations) across all the lines that too often limit our full potential.

• Local residents at the margins (those living in disinvested urban and rural communities) know the community best and have brilliant ideas, knowledge, and gifts to contribute to society.

• We need local voices to guide the process to be sure that communities and residents are honored with dignity and empowered as decision-makers.

• Local voices need access to opportunity - not only with the skills to "go fishing," but to access and own "the lakefront."

• Doing "for" often fails. Doing "with" can change the world as we all learn from one another in the process of mutual transformation. We need one another.

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