New Economy Initiative

10/13/2026

On October 1, the New Economy Initiative celebrated 10 years of the Worktable with the people who built it alongside us. Partners, grantees, community members and friends gathered at The Madison in Detroit to look back on a decade of work supporting small businesses across southeast Michigan.

Wafa Dinaro, executive director of NEI, welcomed the room, and Nicole Sherard-Freeman, president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan shared opening remarks. We watched a video featuring Don Jones, former NEI associate director, and Zahraa Alrafish of ACCESS, reflecting on the Worktable's impact over the years.

Fred Paul II, NEI’s associate director, walked us through the Worktable's history and recognized the people and partners who made it possible. We heard from Hania Manouzi of Bolt Detroit, Dave Blaszkiewicz of Invest Detroit, Linda Nosegbe of the Gilbert Family Foundation, and Gabrielle Thomas of Accounting Aid Society, who each shared the importance of the Worktable in their own spaces.

Ten years in, the mission stays the same: build a stronger, more connected small business ecosystem in the region. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey. We're looking forward to the next ten years!


Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan | ACCESS | Gilbert Family Foundation | Accounting Aid Society | Invest Detroit

10/09/2026

We're back! We took a break in September, and the Small Business Social Hour returns with a stop in Greektown on October 22.

Join entrepreneurs, founders, small business owners and ecosystem supporters to meet, mingle and move forward.

The free social hour will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. at Delux Bar & Lounge, located at 350 Monroe Street in Detroit.

This event is free with food and refreshments from neighborhood businesses.

Register today: https://app.gopassage.com/events/nei-city-institute-small-business-social-hour-series-greektown

This series is presented by New Economy Initiative, City Institute and Gilbert Family Foundation, in collaboration with Greektown Neighborhood Partnership and Downtown Detroit Partnership.

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