Launched on Jun 22, 2024 ∙ Updated May 5, 2024

SUCC3SS Impact Accelerator 

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Summary

Building a framework to speed up the self-directed economic and community empowerment of the BIPOC Community of Berkshire County. 

North Star

Mission

“To empower and uplift the BIPOC communities of Berkshire by providing actionable data, creating economic opportunities, and enhancing collaboration across sectors.”

Vision

“To create a thriving Berkshire where data-driven insights lead to equitable and sustainable community development.”

Goals

  • Economic Empowerment: “Facilitate economic growth by identifying and addressing gaps in the market and resources available to BIPOC businesses.”
  • Data Democratization: “Ensure all community stakeholders have access to and can effectively use relevant data to make informed decisions.”
  • Community Engagement: “Build a robust network of collaboration between government, private sector, and community organizations to foster comprehensive development initiatives.”

Signals

Impact is measured through a combination of quantitative and qualitative metrics, including the number of projects implemented, the volume and quality of data shared, and feedback from community members and stakeholders. We regularly publish impact reports and updates to keep all partners informed and engaged in our collective progress.

Background

In early 2020, Berkshire black leaders convened to discuss priority issues and concerns facing the local community.  INSERT INITIAL SUCCESS REPORT FINDINGS/PRIORITIES HERE.  As a result, there has been a concerted effort to develop a strategy and plan for the ongoing learning, planning and development necessary to achieve these goals and solve these issues.  The first Success Impact initiative yielded great success[The Blackshires Community Empowerment Foundation has successfully launched a leadership accelerator program to address the need expressed in that initial Idea Jam and is actively growing the capacity of local leaders to engage and take action. ]2020 Berkshire County SUCC3SS Report | #R3SET 

We conducted an additional Idea Jam with Blackshries Leadership Accelerator cohort in March 2023.  Berkshire Black Community Strategic Priority Report – Blackshires Leadership Accelerator March 2023

This series will follow-up on those findings and priority issues in order to both update and delve deeper into the issues in order to develop solutions and potential plans to address the community’s needs.

The 2020 Success Initiative, involving over 125 BIPOC community members, focused on addressing disparities in leadership development within the Black community. This initiative resulted in the creation of the Blackshires Leadership Accelerator Program, which was innovatively designed based on feedback from the Black community. 

The program attracted significant investment, including funding from the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development and other funders, leading to Blackshires being awarded another Urban Agenda grant due to the pilot program’s success. The impact of this initiative has been substantial: graduating the first class of cohorts, winning a Trendsetter Award, securing over 20 partners, and influencing the state to include Community Engagement and Leadership Development in its funding programs for One Stop grant initiatives. 

Overall, the Success Initiative mobilized $1.7 million in capital for the Berkshire Black Community, showcasing a significant achievement in promoting leadership development and community engagement.

This second round Berkshire Success Impact Serious series will build on these initial findings and set new priority issues in the form of reports and Blueprint framework.Our goals is to update and delve deeper into the issues in order to develop solutions and potential plans, and new agenda  to address the BIPOC community’s needs.

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