LANSING EQUITABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (L.E.E.D.) INITIATIVE

In 2021, the Jobs and Economic Development Workgroup of Lansing Mayor Andy Schor’s Racial Justice and Equity Alliance (MRJEA) identified the critical need to ensure Lansing’s BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) populations have the tools, opportunities, and access to expertise, resources, and training needed to start and sustain successful businesses, and to participate in the economic development process.

As a result, the Lansing EDC created the Lansing Equitable Economic Development (LEED) Initiative with the aim of moving Lansing forward to a place of both shared prosperity and economic resilience.

With funding secured from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), the Lansing EDC is implementing the LEED Initiative and focusing its efforts on marginalized and underrepresented communities who have been disproportionately affected by the economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.

The LEED Initiative has two focus areas: 

• Small Business Development

• Real Estate Development 

Through a two-pronged approach of technical and financial assistance in these focus areas, the LEED Initiative will equip BIPOC small business owners and emerging developers with knowledge, relationships, and capital necessary to scale their business and successfully complete real estate development projects in order to create opportunities for economic advancement.

In 2024, the LEED Initiative continued to deliver impactful support to Lansing’s BIPOC entrepreneurs and developers, helping to drive equitable economic development across the city. This year’s efforts focused on providing both direct financial assistance and hands-on technical support to ensure businesses and projects have the tools and resources needed to thrive. New partnerships were fostered with PNC Bank to offer a 6 workshop series to business owners looking to strengthen their business finance acumen. Additionally, a partnership was secured with Grow America that will offer an emerging developer training program to start in 2025.

Businesses Supported: 20+

Financial Support Provided: $50,000

Technical Assistance Delivered: 80 Hours Through these investments, the Lansing  EDC is not only helping individual businesses succeed but also building a stronger, more inclusive economy for all of Lansing.