Overview

ICA assists our client businesses and local entrepreneurs by providing pro-bono advice, education and resources. In particular, we work directly with management teams to address their challenges in achieving growth and sustainability. In 2006 and 2007, Inner City Advisors provided over 2,000 advising hours valued at $700,000.

ICA carefully matches clients with advisors to ensure that we effectively address their business development needs. In addition, we provide our portfolio businesses with educational opportunities and resources to assist them with their growth. To ensure that each client receives intimate attention, we maintain a small portfolio of clients. Clients sign up for a minimum 2-year engagement, but often remain with ICA for a longer period of time. We graduate clients from our portfolio once they reach financial and social benchmarks in their growth.

Model

Impact

Over the past year, ICA surveyed its current and past clients to assess our impact and measure the organization’s success in accomplishing several economic and social metrics. The social return on investment from our services includes measurable individual business success; the creation of living wage jobs; increased business contracts; increase in civic leadership and community reinvestment; and increase in a local customer base. Entrepreneurs who benefit from our services become the next generation of civic leaders, corporate philanthropists and community-minded employers investing in the inner city. A number of our client companies have been acknowledged on Inc. magazine's "Inner City 100" list of the fastest-growing privately-held companies in America's inner cities.


Download the 2006 Impact Report below.