Our Coalition – CCEMASS

WHO WE ARE

The Coalition for an Equitable Economy is a broad cross-sector coalition of stakeholders from across the state aligned around a shared commitment to building an equitable small business ecosystem and to the values of racial equity, collaboration, and shared leadership.

Entrepreneurs

Business Resource Organizations

Business and government leaders

Capital and financing partners

Capacity builders

Advocates

OUR MISSION

Cultivate a highly collaborative, inventive and effective small business ecosystem that assures equitable access to capital, business networks, education, technical support, and other resources to start, stabilize and grow Black, Latino, Indigenous, and other underserved small businesses in Massachusetts.
Eliminate barriers to the investment in and growth of diverse Massachusetts small businesses.

OUR VISION

We envision a Commonwealth in which the racial wealth gap is closed and that provides a welcoming and fertile environment and sustained investments for Black, Latino, Indigenous, and other underserved small businesses to thrive and grow their capacity, resilience, economic power and impact.

VALUES

Racial Justice
We will make a concerted effort to center and empower Black, Latino, Indigenous and other underserved
voices, pursue racial equity and challenge the status quo to dismantle the racist structures that underpin
today’s inequities. Closing the racial wealth gap in our state is our “North Star” guiding principle.
Lived Experience
We will ensure that all decision-making bodies represent a diversity of perspectives, including those of
different races, ethnicities and genders. By directly reflecting and representing the business owners and
communities we aim to support, we are better able to empathize with the barriers they face every day
and, ultimately, deliver more effective solutions.
Collective Action
Combine, coordinate and leverage the Coalition’s collective power to create actionable solutions. The
Coalition aspires to be an open-source platform based on the principles of information sharing,
collaboration and transparency. We are committed to cross-sectoral alignment such that the non-profit,
business and government sectors work together collaboratively to achieve shared goals.
Audacious & Inventive Work
With an eye toward long-term, systemic change, we believe that sufficient resources exist to accomplish
our goal. We will use innovative and inventive approaches in service of our mission and vision, including
taking risks with untested models where required.

An Equitable Economy Coalition Forged in the Pandemic Response

Our growing list of coalition members and strategic partners includes but not limited to:

Ascendus
Berkshire Black Economic Council
Boston Impact Initiative
Boston Ujima Project
Black Economic Council of Massachusetts
Center for Women & Enterprise
CommonCapital
Commonwealth Kitchen
Community Development Partnership
Cooperative Fund of the Northeast
Eastern Bank
EforAll
Frank Carvalho Consulting
Greylock Management Consulting
Hispanic American Institute
Holyoke Community College
ICIC
Innovation Studio
Lawrence Partnership
The Lazu Group
Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
Local Enterprise Assistance Fund
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Massachusetts
Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations
Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network
MassINC
MassINC Polling Group
Nectar Community Investments
Partners for Financial Equity
P2 Advisors
Springfield Neighborhood Housing
Stop and Compare
TLE Center for Urban Entrepreneurship
The Boston Foundation
The Williams Agency
We Are ALX