Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 657 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

Building a Black-Owned Food Ecosystem in Detroit

Randiah Green

October 07, 2021 |

Belt Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

Programs like Motor City Match and Grown in Detroit help entrepreneurs launch Black-owned food businesses in Detroit. The businesses sell healthy foods in neighborhoods often lacking in nutritious options or in the infrastructure needed to support startup businesses. The supportive programs offer grants and training that have nurtured dozens of new businesses, which themselves have formed a supportive network among their peers.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How agency banking aids financial inclusion, reduces unemployment in Nigeria

Nurudeen Akewushola

September 08, 2021 |

Social Voices |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Nigeria

An alternative to traditional banking and ATMs is gaining popularity in Nigeria. Point of Sales centers bring banking services to people in both urban and rural settings, promoting financial inclusion and accessibility. The new way of banking has helped small businesses and rural Nigerians in addition to creating many jobs for POS agents as demand has skyrocketed.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Building a Just Energy Future in Michigan

Nina Misuraca Ignaczak

July 30, 2021 |

Belt Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

After the 2008 economic recession hit, Carla Walker-Miller shifted her energy services business model to not only supply electrical equipment but also implement energy efficiency programs for communities of color in Detroit. She has been able to service 75 households, which has resulted in energy bill savings up to $600 a year for families. The company also has a robust recruitment and training program for young people and those experiencing economic hardship.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Philly should offer rewards for shopping local like they do in Akron, Ohio

Jessica Blatt Press

July 14, 2021 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Akron, Ohio

Shoppers who are given financial incentives to spend their money on mom and pop stores are boosting local economies. The city of Akron created an app, Akronite, to incentivize local business after the fallout from Covid-19.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The Power of Local Money for a Thriving Local Economy

Jackie Brown

July 09, 2021 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Toronto, Ontario

Financial incentives to shop at local markets and stores help boost local economies. The Co-op Cred program in Toronto allows people to work for credits that can be redeemed at participating businesses.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Penn class helps the formerly incarcerated launch their own businesses

Christina Griffith

June 16, 2021 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania's Restorative Entrepreneurship Program helps formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs plan a business launch with the help of teams of students from the schools of law, business, and social work serving as advisors. Success in business can help formerly incarcerated people avoid return trips to prison. Similar, longer-running programs in other states have helped their clients beat the recidivism odds. Clients of the Penn program received useful advice, but no startup capital, as they seek to start their own businesses.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Local Platforms for Online Food Delivery Are Eating the Big Guys' Lunch

Oscar Perry Abello

June 15, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Lexington, Kentucky

Locally owned restaurant delivery platforms charge lower commissions than national giants like GrubHub, allow customers to order food on smart-phone apps, and have found ways to be profitable while also keeping money in local economies. While platforms differ by locale, cooperative models are increasingly popular. For example, Delivery Co-op in Lexington, KY provides customers with unlimited deliveries for a monthly fee, charges participating restaurants a flat monthly fee, and pays drivers a base salary plus tips, with benefits kicking after three months of full-time work and profit-sharing after one year.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Co-ops are democratizing the food chain

Jaisal Noor

June 10, 2021 |

The Real News Network |

Video |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

The food-supply business is known for exploitative pay and poor working conditions. But Brooklyn Packers, a Black-owned cooperative launched in 2016, pays its owner-workers and vendors fair wages and is founded on traditions in the Black community of food sovereignty and mutual aid. Those values paid off at the start of the pandemic, when demand for fresh produce deliveries exploded. Brooklyn Packers retooled its business model to meet the demand, showing that a non-hierarchical business can move quickly.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Cities Are Boosting the Economy by Rewarding Those Who Shop Local

Sakshi Udavant

June 03, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Akron, Ohio

Akron, Ohio, is “creating a circular economy” in hopes of helping small businesses and encouraging residents to shop locally. A city-sponsored app, Akronite, is used by consumers to make purchases and earn reward points which can be redeemed for discounts and other perks. The app’s success is clear in the high return on investment, which shows $9 generated for every dollar invested by the local government. Other cities across the country are also adopting the initiative, tweaking it to their own communities.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Sew it goes: The Sewing Machine Project stitches lives back together

Richard Mertens

June 03, 2021 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Madison, Wisconsin

The Sewing Machine Project has helped thousands of people who rely on sewing as a livelihood. The organization refurbishes used sewing machines and sends them across the world. For some recipients, access to their own sewing machine can result in economic mobility and an improved quality of life.

Read More
Go to Original Story