When we held the transform conference a couple of years ago, we decided we would not focus on regenerative agriculture and forestry, though that, as has been shown, was the largest market opportunity; it’s been growing at an accelerating rate.
At our core, however, we, the founders of SOCAP, realized that we care about, and our work has always been focused on, economic justice. So now we are re-launching our Neighborhood Economics conferences.
There is a lot of momentum there, as post George Floyd, more people are making the connection that racial justice has to be founded on economic justice. And there are financial platforms that have been proven and that are ready for replication, that, in essence, allow people who have been effectively cut out of the economic system by racism and other discrimination to claim new economic and market power.
We are gathering practitioners and funders for a series of eight design labs focused on this economic transformation; the creation of replicable financial platforms that deliver economic power to the people who have been denied it.
The event is invite only. The eight design labs are:
• Catalytic Capital, led by DeAmon Harges, Tim Freundlich, and Lindsay Smalling
• Bridging the Racial Wealth Gap, led by Stephanie Swepson Twitty,
• Local Policy for Justice, led by Public Democracy with DeAmon assisting
• Neighborhood Investment Trusts, led by Lynier Richardson and Coté Soerens
• New Models of Ownership, led by Elias Crim
• Faith on Main Street, led by Patrick Duggan of the UCC and Dave Kresta, author of Jesus on Main Street
• Assets in Transition, led by Donna Schaper of Bricks and Mortals and folks from the Ormond Center at Duke Divinity
• Aligning Your Congregations Endowment with your Mission, led by Felipe Witchger and Elizabeth Garlow of the Francesco Collaborative and Brendan O’Sullivan-Hale from the Diocese of Indianapolis
If you would like to be considered for an invitation, please let us know here.