New Economy Initiative

08/27/2026

Thank you to El Central for featuring NEI and MI Small Business Helper!

08/19/2026

Our Small Business Social Hour Series heads to Dearborn this Thursday, August 20.

NEI and City Institute are partnering with ACCESS and the Arab American Women's Business Council to bring small business owners together at Tejara Innovation Hub. Networking runs 4-7 p.m. with programming and food from neighborhood businesses.

Every month, we visit a new Metro Detroit neighborhood to connect entrepreneurs and highlight the businesses that hold their communities together.

Register today: https://bit.ly/3TYxWlr

08/18/2026

Please join us in welcoming Ali Elatrache to the New Economy Initiative team as our Program Associate!

Ali is an urban planner with a strong connection to southeast Michigan. He holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Michigan and spent three years at the Michigan Theater Foundation as Development Manager, where he administered grants and managed the organization's major giving society. He has also worked on economic development and tax increment financing policy with the City of Dearborn.

Ali's interest in community development took root during the Semester in Detroit program as an undergraduate, and he's excited to bring that commitment to NEI's work supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs across the region.

Welcome, Ali!

07/22/2026

Detroit was made in the neighborhoods, and so is entrepreneurship.

This summer, City Institute and New Economy Initiative are bringing together Metro Detroit's small business owners, founders, entrepreneurs and ecosystem supporters partner for a Small Business Social Hour Summer Series.

TOMORROW (Thursday, July 23) from 4-7 p.m., Detroit Shipping Company is hosting this series featuring Chinatown/Midtown. Midtown Detroit, Inc. is excited to partner on this event.

These free events will spotlight local neighborhoods while creating opportunities to:

⏩ Expand your professional network
🤝 Connect with fellow entrepreneurs and business supporters
💼 Learn about local business ecosystems
❤️ Strengthen relationships across Metro Detroit

Food and beverages from the neighborhood will be provided. Join us to learn about exciting developments happening in Chinatown, including the upcoming Chinatown Festival!

We look forward to building connections that help Detroit's entrepreneurial community thrive.

🔗 Register: linktr.ee/cityinstitute

07/06/2026

Thank you, Detroit News, for sharing NEI Executive Director Wafa Dinaro's op-ed on entrepreneurship support in southeast Michigan.

The piece digs into a real challenge: even when great resources exist, entrepreneurs often struggle to find them. That's exactly why we built MI Small Business Helper, a free platform connecting entrepreneurs to funding, training, guidance and more than 100 partner organizations.

Read the full op-ed here: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2026/07/02/the-hardest-part-of-starting-a-business-shouldnt-be-finding-support-opinion/90771193007/

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

When entrepreneurs spend less time searching for help and more time building businesses, creating jobs and investing in their communities, everyone benefits.

06/15/2026

Join us for the Small Business Social Hour Summer Series, a free networking and learning experience designed to connect small business owners, founders and ecosystem supporters across southeast Michigan.
 
The New Economy Initiative and City Institute are excited to share the locations of the next three events:

▪️ June 18 – North End at Detroit People’s Food Co-op in the Mama Imani Humphrey Banquet Hall
▪️ July 23 – Chinatown/Midtown at Detroit Shipping Company
▪️ August 20 – Dearborn at the Tejara Innovation Hub
 
Whether you’re launching, growing or scaling your business, this series is a chance to connect, learn, and move forward together.
 
Click the link in our bio to register!

05/26/2026

Entrepreneurs in NEI’s network support an average of 8,800 jobs annually, generating $1.4 billion in wages and $7.1 billion in total output.

That impact shows up in businesses like Pronko Enterprises, a family-run operation that now supports dozens of Michigan companies through co-packing food products, creating opportunities for other companies to bring their products to market.

Read our latest impact report to discover more small business and business support organization stories behind the numbers.

Explore the report: https://bit.ly/3P9QFbp

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

05/20/2026

NEI’s business support network served 8,200 small businesses in 2024. That’s four times the amount from 2014.

For Cutz Lounge, that meant gaining access to a network that offered real connection and support when it mattered most. Take a look behind the numbers and dive into the stories of other small businesses, and the organizations that are supporting them, in our newest impact report.

Explore the report: https://bit.ly/42m0ia4

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

05/18/2026

NEI’s investments in the region’s business support organizations help unlock additional funding for small business owners in southeast Michigan. In 2017, leveraged capital reached $300 million, turning investment into expanded opportunity and helping open doors that once felt out of reach.

For Tanya Ali, owner of AGI Construction Solutions access to the right connections and funding meant being able to take on larger projects and expanding the organization’s presence in the community. Read more about Tanya’s story and other small businesses in our latest impact report.

05/13/2026

We're excited to share that the New Economy Initiative is hiring!

NEI is looking for a Program Associate to join our team in Detroit who is genuinely energized by the work of supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses across southeast Michigan.

In this role, you'll support our grantmaking operations, help coordinate ecosystem convenings and work closely with NEI's senior staff to move our strategy forward. If you know this region, care about economic development and thrive in a fast-moving environment, we'd love to hear from you.

Application deadline: May 22, 2026. This is a rolling review, so early applications are encouraged.

Apply at https://bit.ly/42tuUqn

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