the Black Capital Study + Projects

The Black Capital Study + Projects (BCSP) consists of 20+ active projects in service of building capacity for traditional monetary capital access as well as non-monetary types of capital for an Inclusive Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in and connected to Waterloo, Iowa. Each project demonstrates a commitment to four components:

• Evolving Curriculum/Technical Skill Development

• Responsive Program delivery

• Rigorous Research

• Trustworthy Communication

The revolving list of 18+ Projects are the tangible outputs that get prioritized as resources, opportunity, time and attention become available because it is believed the impact potential is the greatest at a given point in time. Other projects had historically been part of the list but for various reasons may step in or out of the window of opportunity:

1. The Changemaker Diary Series (CASE)

2. Impact Challenge (IC)

3. 24/7 BLAC Business Accelerator (BBEA)

4. Mission Driven Enterprise Accelerator (MDEA)

5. Black Capital Annual Survey (BCAS)

6. UNI Entrepreneurial Strategy Service-Learning (ENTR)

7. Shop Black Iowa (ESBI)

8. 415 Walnut Collective (415W)

9. Experiment 529 (E529)

10. UNI Dining Takeover (FOOD)

11. In Their Own Words (STOR)

12. Our Black History (HIST)

13. TEDx ReThink Iowa (TEDx)

14. BCorps for Iowa (BCorp)

15. Peer-Reviewed Competitions (COMP)

16. Peer-Reviewed Publications (PUBS)

17. Map the System (MTS)

18. Iowa Community Capital (ICC)

19. Bank of Jabez (BOJ)

20. Black Capital Data Hub (DATA)

21. Innovator Resource Calendar

The revolving list of 18+ Projects listed are the tangible outputs that get prioritized as resources, opportunity, time and attention become available. The outcomes, on the other hand, are more abstract and update as we deepen our understanding of Black Capital over time.

It involves:

• Goal I. Build a Best in Portfolio featuring each output area

• Goal II. Evolve our Innovation System

• Goal III. Build a Capture Information System

• Goal IV. Deepen our listening and co-creation skills every day

The Black Capital Study + Projects (BCS+P) are financed by a wide variety of different community stakeholders who have made institutional financial as well as in-kind contributions. A number of individuals are also making a personal (and sometimes uncompensated) commitment to building a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem to address inequities in Waterloo, Iowa, and beyond. The first five institutional movers during the first summer of the pandemic in July 2020 included:

1. City of Waterloo, Iowa

2. Waterloo Community School District

3. University of Northern Iowa

4. Iowa CORE

5. Red Cedar

In August 2020 a strategic collaboration became the steering committee of the Black Business Entrepreneurial Accelerator (BBEA). Today BBEA is the flagship program of Renew Waterloo dba 24/7 Black Leadership Advancement Consortium (24/7 BLAC) with most of the steering committee members still serving BBEA's curriculum development, program delivery, as well as research. 

Two years later in 2022, the Marion Erwing Kauffman Foundation stepped into the trusted circle of collaborators as a partner to specifically help support building new knowledge frameworks to continue on the growth trajectory with scientific rigor. 

Of the five founding entities, Iowa CORE has now assumed the fiscal center of the work.