Urban Strategies, Inc.

10/14/2026

Our USI Houston team joined the ribbon-cutting and celebration for Knowles-Rowland House, which will welcome 31 permanent supportive homes for people who have experienced chronic homelessness.

A place to call home can offer room to rest, rebuild, and plan for the future. Paired with supportive services, this investment creates important pathways toward stability.

Congratulations to Bread of Life, Temenos, and everyone who helped bring this vision to life. At USI, we know thriving communities begin with investing in people—and we were grateful to celebrate this milestone with our Houston neighbors.

10/09/2026

10/08/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Epicenter Memphis for our event with Truist Foundation.

It was an opportunity to celebrate Memphis entrepreneurs, connect with community partners, and share an important next step in our work.

During the event, we announced that Urban Strategies, Inc. has received a $1.5 million grant from Truist Foundationto expand USI CDFI’s support for emerging businesses in Memphis, Fort Worth, Houston, Jacksonville, and Philadelphia.

The funding will help strengthen access to capital, technical assistance, and business resources for entrepreneurs working to build and grow their businesses.

We’re thankful to everyone who joined us in Memphis and to Truist Foundation for continuing to support this work.

Stay connected with USI CDFI so you don’t miss upcoming programs, resources, events, and opportunities for entrepreneurs: https://shorturl.at/RNsr9

10/07/2026

Urban Strategies, Inc. has received a $1.5 million grant from Truist Foundation to expand USI CDFI’s support for emerging businesses.

The investment will help bring greater access to capital, technical assistance, and business resources to entrepreneurs in Memphis, Fort Worth, Houston, Jacksonville, and Philadelphia.

For the entrepreneurs we work with, access to the right support at the right time can make the difference between an idea staying an idea and a business having the opportunity to grow.

We’re thankful to Truist Foundation for continuing to invest alongside us in entrepreneurs and community wealth building.

Learn more about the announcement and connect with USI CDFI: usi-cdfi.org

10/02/2026

Yesterday, Maryland’s Governor Wes Moore announced record funding to fight child poverty through the ENOUGH Initiative. The USI Baltimore site is proud to be part of this community-driven movement to reduce childhood poverty and boost economic mobility in the Perkins Somerset Oldtown footprint.

Since 2012, USI has been working on the ground with families and children in the Perkins Somerset Oldtown community, supporting over 400 families and 282 children residing in the Perkins Homes. After receiving our first ENOUGH grant in 2025, we’ve built a transparent, collaborative team of leaders committed to working together to help families achieve stability and success throughout the footprint.

The USI Baltimore team is activating multiple strategies through our work with ENOUGH. One of them is to produce a 2027 Neighborhood Action Plan for the greater PSO community, outlining data‑driven strategies to reduce childhood poverty and advance economic security, high‑quality childcare and education, healthy families, and safe and thriving communities.

USI is proud to leverage ENOUGH funding to break down systemic barriers, strengthen family stability, and build a brighter future for PSO youth and families. Thank you Gov. Wes Moore for investing in community-driven solutions! Learn more about USI's work in Baltimore, including our work with ENOUGH: https://usi-inc.org/communities/usi-baltimore/

09/01/2026

Applications are now open for the USI CDFI Business Bootcamp & Challenge, powered by Wells Fargo!

Entrepreneurs from Norfolk, St. Louis, Sacramento, and Baltimore will build their skills through the Business Bootcamp, then put what they’ve learned into action during the Pitch Challenge.

$200,000 in total prizes. One entrepreneur from each city will win up to $50,000.

LEARN practical tools and insights to strengthen your business.
BUILD your strategy, sharpen your skills, and prepare for growth.
PITCH your business and compete for a share of $200,000.

Applications are now open! Ready to take your business to the next level? Apply today!
Apply: bit.ly/USICDFI50k

08/31/2026

Urban Strategies, Inc. is proud to see FOX 2 highlight the work of USI CDFI and our continued commitment to creating pathways to capital, resources, and opportunity for emerging entrepreneurs.

Through the Business Bootcamp & Pitch Challenge, powered by Wells Fargo, entrepreneurs in St. Louis, Baltimore, Norfolk, and Sacramento will gain access to business development, technical assistance, and tools designed to help strengthen their businesses for long-term growth.

The experience will culminate in a Pitch Challenge, with one entrepreneur in each city receiving up to $50,000 in capital. ($200,000 invested across four communities.)

For USI, this work is about more than a pitch. It’s about helping entrepreneurs build stronger businesses, create opportunity, and contribute to thriving communities.

See the FOX 2 story: https://fox2now.com/video/usi-cdfi-bootcamp/12115216/

Applications are now open!
Learn more and apply: bit.ly/USICDFI50k

For more information, visit usi-cdfi.org

08/22/2026

Community transformation doesn’t happen from a distance. It happens when USI brings the right partners to the table, helps a resident navigate a barrier, connects a young person to an opportunity, or makes sure a family has the support they need to keep moving forward.

Across USI communities nationwide, our teams are doing this work every day. They are building relationships with families, coordinating resources, creating and strengthening partnerships, using data to understand where gaps remain, and working alongside residents to create pathways to stability and economic mobility. There is no single program, resource, or solution that transforms a community. It takes people committed to doing the work, together.

That’s what USI brings to communities, every day.

06/16/2026

Join us tomorrow for our final webinar in the Investing in Places, Investing in People series! Mixed-Income Communities: Opportunities, Tensions, and the Future of Place-Based Investment will be hosted tomorrow from 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. CST.

Register now: bit.ly/4tg5WXj

06/15/2026

Youth are the future of our world. We know that mentoring youth, especially young men, provides positive outcomes like drug and alcohol avoidance, less juvenile justice issues, low truancy, and higher academic achievement.

That is why this Saturday, USI was a proud sponsor of the Eta Boule Foundation's "Salute to Fathers and Mentors" benefit concert to support young, Black men in St. Louis.

Read more about our work in supporting young men: https://usi-inc.org/2022/04/06/mentoring-young-men-how-the-usi-miami-team-is-creating-pathways-for-violence-prevention/