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Launched in 2018, the Annual Challenge, formerly known as the AdvancingCities Challenge, is a yearly competition that supports promising ideas helping to advance equity and economic opportunity through effective leadership and community-driven solutions that foster collaboration and contribute to systemic, sustainable change.
In 2021, in response to the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women of color, JPMorgan Chase evolved the Challenge to source bold solutions that catalyze economic recovery and long-term prosperity for Black and Latina women, their families, and local economies. This year’s Challenge builds on the success and lessons of the 2021 Challenge and will continue to focus on U.S. economic recovery from the pandemic. In response to growing national concerns about mental health, the Challenge will also provide support for a subset of solutions at the intersection of mental health and economic mobility.
Through the 2022 Challenge, we invite organizations to apply for up to $3 million to support innovative, sustainable solutions that help drive wealth creation for and economic success of women of color, which is foundational to building more equitable communities and furthering an inclusive economic recovery.
The 2022 Challenge Call for Ideas is now closed.
2021
2020
2019
2021 Challenge Winners
To date, JPMorgan Chase has awarded more than $80 million to 19 collaboratives working to drive equitable and inclusive economic growth.
Latino Economic Development Center of Washington DC
Baltimore, MD
Latino Economic Development Center of Washington D.C., University of Maryland Baltimore’s Community Engagement Center, University of Maryland School of Social Work, Black Women Build Baltimore, Baltimore-D.C. Building Trades, Byte Back and Baltimore Community Lending aim to create a continuum of wealth building programs for Black and Latina women real estate developers in West Baltimore.
Inclusive Action for the City
Los Angeles, CA
Inclusive Action for the City, California Reinvestment Coalition, Public Counsel, and East LA Community Corporation will implement a county-wide initiative in Los Angeles advocating for new permit systems governing the open air economy that create more opportunity access for Black and Latina street vendors and other micro-entrepreneurs, while helping to launch or expand their businesses through legal assistance, capital access, and professional development opportunities that accelerate wealth building.
Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida
Miami, FL
Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida, Miami Workers Center, and Catalyst Miami will provide worker-owned business training, financial capability education, and access to capital to Black and Latina women in South Florida’s care economy, equipping them with the tools to launch and develop worker cooperatives. The worker cooperatives, businesses that are owned and run by the people who work there, will provide good jobs and workplace conditions, as well as wealth-building opportunities.
Center for Economic Inclusion
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
Center for Economic Inclusion, Activate Network, Certified Access, Fearless Commerce, and NEOO Partners Inc. will launch a multi-sector accelerator committed to maximizing wealth-building and job creation with Black and Latina women business owners in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region.
Beloved Community
New Orleans, LA
Beloved Community, Agenda for Children, BanchaLenguas Language Justice Collective, the City of New Orleans Office of Youth and Families, Power Coalition for Equity & Justice, For Providers by Providers of Louisiana, Early Partners, Louisiana Department of Education, Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, Total Community Action, United Way of Southeast Louisiana, and Windsor Court Hotel aim to foster Black and Latina women-led child care businesses that value Black and Latina women as caregivers, entrepreneurs, employees and mothers.
Martha’s Table
Washington, DC
Martha’s Table, LIFT-DC, Venture Philanthropy Partners+ Raise DC, American University, Trinity Washington University, and the Urban Institute aim to increase access to education, skills, and training opportunities, as well as wealth building and capacity building for Black and Latina early childhood educators and the centers that employ them.
2020 Challenge Winners
To date, JPMorgan Chase has awarded more than $80 million to 19 collaboratives working to drive equitable and inclusive economic growth.
Minneapolis
Family Housing Fund, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, Land Bank Twin Cities, Hope Community, and Minnesota Home Ownership Center aim to prevent displacement and increase homeownership by helping long-time community residents – particularly Black, Latinx, indigenous and immigrant residents – become first-time homebuyers and landlords of small, multi-family buildings, enabling them to build generational wealth through home equity and rental income.
Philadelphia
PIDC Community Capital, Rebuilding Community Infrastructure, and Philadelphia Works aim to help address the vast underrepresentation of women and people of color in the local construction industry, particularly in the Black and Latinx communities. This collaborative will leverage Philadelphia’s historic investments to revitalize local parks, libraries, and recreation centers, enabling diverse workers and business to access well-paying jobs and public works contracts across the city.
Boston
Boston Medical Corporation, Boston Children’s Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Action for Equity, Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, Jewish Vocational Services, and Health Resources in Action aim to shift how cross-sector anchor institutions approach place-based hiring, purchasing, and investing to connect historically underserved Boston neighborhoods to opportunity. The collaborative will create a flexible capital fund to preserve and develop affordable housing for cost-burdened residents, and establish new training strategies, connecting Black and Latinx communities to quality jobs in the healthcare, tech, and biotech industries.
Portland
Craft3, Network for Oregon Affordable Housing, and Community Housing Fund Collaborative will support Portland neighborhoods where long‐time residents and small businesses, in particular those owned by Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian and Pacific Islanders, are threatened to be displaced. The collaborative will combat affordability challenges by providing comprehensive financing products that increase access to transit-oriented affordable housing, enable homeowners to build wealth, and provide small businesses access to capital and commercial real estate.
Baton Rouge
Build Baton Rouge, TruFund Financial Services, MetroMorphosis, and New York University’s Co-City Baton Rouge Project aim to eliminate blight, grow small businesses, and preserve housing affordability in North Baton Rouge, where 97% of the community is Black and 37% of households are living below the poverty line.
New Orleans
NOLA Business Alliance, the City of New Orleans, YouthForce NOLA, Delgado Community College, University of New Orleans, Good Work Network, Propeller, NewCorp, Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans, Thrive New Orleans, and Urban League of Louisiana aim to strengthen the city’s economic and climate resilience by providing pathways to new career opportunities and contract opportunities for local small businesses, particularly for people of color, in the growing blue-green infrastructure industry.
Chicago
The Resurrection Project, Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council, Peace and Education Coalition of Back of the Yards, Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation, Capital Good Fund, Lawndale Christian Development Corporation, and Southwest Organizing Project aim to help increase the supply of affordable housing through modular housing and increase long-term homeownership through innovative financial products in South and West side neighborhoods, including Back of the Yards, North Lawndale, and Chicago Lawn neighborhoods.
Portland
Worksystems, Mt. Hood Community College, Oregon Department of Human Services, and the Joint Office of Homeless Services aim to align disconnected workforce, childcare, and housing systems to increase economic opportunity for low-income women, enabling them to pursue occupational training.
2019 Challenge Winners
To date, JPMorgan Chase has awarded more than $80 million to 19 collaboratives working to drive equitable and inclusive economic growth.
West Side United
Chicago, Illinois
West Side United will leverage the hiring, procurement and investment power of major health systems on the West side to improve health outcomes by creating greater economic opportunity and strengthening the vitality of surrounding neighborhoods.
Partner Organizations:
• Rush University Medical Center
• Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance
• Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership
• Skills for Chicagoland’s Future
• Accion Chicago
• Sinai Urban Health Institute
Digital Inclusion and Economic Resilience
Louisville, Kentucky
Digital Inclusion and Economic Resilience will help equip residents with skills necessary to compete for jobs while also connecting them to financial and social services through high-touch community outreach strategies and a formalized referral network.
Partner Organizations:
• Metro United Way of Louisville
• Goodwill Industries of Kentucky
• The Greater Louisville Workforce Development Board (KentuckianaWorks)
• Russell: A Place of Promise (RPOP)
• Cradle to Career/Evolve502
• AMPED
• Catholic Charities
• Commonwealth Institute of Kentucky at the University of Louisville
• OneWest
Resilient 305
Miami, Florida
Resilient 305 will help strengthen the region’s economic resilience by dismantling silos across service providers to increase access to quality jobs, and working with anchor institutions to connect small businesses to procurement opportunities.
Partner Organizations:
• The Miami Foundation
• City of Miami
• Health Foundation of South Florida
• Florida International University
• Other government, university and nonprofit partners
Advancing San Diego
San Diego, California
Advancing San Diego will use a demand-driven, employer-led strategy to both connect underrepresented residents to high-demand jobs and provide small businesses access to diverse talent pipelines.
Partner Organizations:
• San Diego Regional Economic Development Foundation
• San Diego Workforce Partnership
• San Diego and Imperial Counties Community College Association
• United Way of San Diego
• City of San Diego
Syracuse Surge: Blueprint for Inclusive Growth
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse Surge: Blueprint for Inclusive Growth will develop long-term strategies to surface talent from vulnerable populations and connect them to jobs in high-tech industries, while also attracting, expanding, and incubating tech businesses led by diverse founders.
Partner Organizations:
• The CenterState CEO
• City of Syracuse
• Onondoga County
• Le Moyne College
• Syracuse University
• Allyn Family Foundation