Minnesota is the only state with tribal dispensaries off reservations. Now others look to model it.

Point-of-sale-based agency banking helps make digital finance more accessible and inclusive, allowing small businesses to act as banking agents, offering services like cash withdrawals and bill payments through fintech platforms. This integration has been particularly impactful in regions without bank branches. The integration of fintech throughout Nigeria has not only led to more autonomy in personal finance but has also created significant employment opportunities.

The Hope Work Initiative by Atlantic City's Homeless Outreach Unit connects unhoused community members with temporary employment cleaning up the city streets for three days a week, making $75 a day.

A community land trust in Fresno's Tower District used a combination of CDFI financing, foundation grants, and donations to acquire its first commercial property, bringing an indie bookstore to a neighborhood where high rents previously made that impossible. The land trust has also produced a new community park and favorable city zoning changes, demonstrating how CLTs can extend beyond affordable housing to support broader community development.

Los Angeles is partnering with two nonprofits, the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative (LANI) and the Los Angeles Conservation Corps (LACC), to accelerate sidewalk repairs ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. LANI has spent over two decades helping council districts fix broken sidewalks more cheaply and flexibly than the city's official process, and LACC pairs the repair work with paid job training for youth ages 18–26, with 30 participants already completing the program.

The Austin Cultural Trust is helping preserve the city’s music venues and cultural arts spaces by helping them obtain long-term leases to buy their land outright. The Trust is run by Rally Austin, a local nonprofit that has since dedicated $19 million and secured 67,000 square feet of cultural space, supporting various venues throughout the city.

Fab Youth Philly’s Play Captains program hires teens in the summer to lead play groups on multiple streets throughout the city, leading games and activities like science experiments and storytime. Since 2017, the group has supported over 500 teens, providing many of them with their first jobs. Data shows that participating in the program leads to more on-time high school graduations, better work habits, reduced summer slide and improved employability and family finances.

ACCESS Development Services trains women to drive electric auto rickshaws, providing them with marketable skills that help them earn a living independently. The all-women Pink City Rickshaw Company employs the women to provide tours throughout the city and has since trained over 200 women.

Faced with inadequate internet service that was driving away businesses, the remote West Texas town of Monahans launched a community-driven initiative to build its own fiber optic broadband network. The town cobbled together $3.2 million from a variety of sources, including federal CARES Act funds and venture capital, to create an underground fiber network that serves about 2,000 homes and businesses, with plans to expand.

In response to an influx of Haitian immigrants in the area, several Indianapolis community groups joined forces to support them. These groups connect them to English language services, job opportunities, advocacy support, and assistance in registering their children for school or getting a driver’s license, all while fostering a sense of community and connection.

Ruthie's Café in South Dallas operates a second-chance employment program that provides jobs and support to individuals with criminal records and those experiencing homelessness. The program hires people often rejected by traditional employers and wraps employment with holistic services, including case management, housing assistance, and transportation support. Currently, 95% of Ruthie's staff are second-chance employees.