Most organizations and people are working in silos, unable to fully realize their goals because our dominant systems, institutions and leaders are disconnected and competing for resources.
Positive systemic change requires deep connection and collaboration. To build and support thriving systems and solutions, we need skillful, courageous leaders and catalytic communities of practice.
The Just Economy Institute (JEI) connects, educates and supports financial innovators and change makers who are shifting the flow of capital and power to solve complex social and environmental problems. Over the past nine years, JEI has provided the connections, learning opportunities and community support leaders need to effect positive change and speed the transition to a just economy.
What makes JEI unique:
- Community-Centered Solutions: We prioritize community engagement and solutions based on the experiences and needs of those most impacted by extractive economic practices.
- Cross-Sector Collaboration: All of us are needed to create a just economy. We convene, educate and connect diverse change makers to help them gain new insights and collaborate effectively.
- Holistic Approach: We focus on the inner work that deepens self-awareness and the capacity to collaborate skillfully, the practical work of leveraging capital to support community well-being, and the collective work of building power to drive lasting, positive change.
- Integrated Capital: We highlight ways to activate different types of capital (financial, social, cultural, intellectual, natural) to build economic, racial and environmental justice.
- Connected Thought Leadership: We are connectors, educators and amplifiers who share effective models of community wealth building, innovative financial practices, and collaborative leadership.
JEI programs:
- A nine-month fellowship: a learning and leadership program and community of practice for financial innovators, social entrepreneurs and community organizers
- An alumni action network: offering connections, support, gatherings, tools, coaching and advice
- Field building: sharing insights, resources, strategies and practices with the field
The JEI Fellowship:
JEI convenes, connects and educates diverse change makers to help them catalyze new collaborations, strengthen their leadership skills, and learn about ways to activate the positive potential of capital. JEI Fellows become part of an influential and innovative network of leaders who are working to support the well-being of all communities and the planet.
The nine-month program consists of three in-person immersions, monthly online sessions, one-on-one advisor calls, online resources, peer coaching, and creative capital projects. The program is grounded in an understanding of the current extractive economic system and the ways capital can be used to effect systemic change. Fellows learn about frameworks and strategies to create community wealth, and gain clarity on the work they feel called to do.
JEI speakers and one-on-one advisors are experts in transformational leadership, community wealth building, social movement investing, integrated capital, and regenerative agriculture.
JEI Fellows:
The work of capital activation requires creative, intelligent and passionate leaders who have the skills needed to navigate power, conflict and possibility. Each year, cohorts of up to 28 Fellows participate in JEI’s fellowship program.
JEI currently supports 236 Fellows and alumni who have:
- a deep commitment to effect positive change and create a just economy
- the ability to influence the flow of financial and social capital
- a clear desire to learn and grow, both personally and professionally
- strong emotional intelligence
Program Topics:
The nine-month fellowship program is relational and experiential. Concepts and discussion topics include:
- Financial Activism: Shifting the Flow of Capital and Power
- A History of Extractive Capitalism in the U.S.
- Integrated Capital: Strategies and Case Studies
- Catalytic Capital for Climate Solutions
- Capital and Power: Examining Beliefs and Assumptions
- Community Wealth Building: Models and Approaches
- The Power of Relationships: Connecting, Learning and Bridging
- Whole Portfolio Activation: Strategic Investing
- Transformational Leadership: Effective Practices for Change Agents
Presenters/Educators:
Esther Park & Sallie Calhoun, #NoRegrets Initiative; Mateo Nube, Movement Generation; Dana Bezerra, CREO; Donna Daniels, Possibility Labs; Betty Francisco, Boston Impact Initiative; Aisha Nyandoro, Springboard to Opportunities; Rachel Robasciotti, Adasina Social Capital; Ruth Shaber, Tara Health Foundation; Keoni Lee, Hawai’i Investment Ready; Dawn McGee, Goodworks Ventures; Deborah Frieze, Boston Impact Initiative; Robert Trent Vinson, Woodson Institute for African American and African Studies; Rajasvini Bhansali, Solidaire Network; Bill McKibben & Akaya Windwood, Third Act; and Jasmine Rashid, The Financial Activist Playbook.
