The Philadelphia Fed designed the Reinventing Our Communities (ROC) Cohort Program to encourage strong local economies by helping communities across the U.S. address structural racism and barriers to opportunity. Cohorts are groups of cross-sector community leaders who participate in workshops and peer learning that allow them to gain skills and create a tailored racial equity plan to address local challenges.

Nine community cohorts from the Philadelphia, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Richmond, and San Francisco Federal Reserve Districts are participating in the 2021 ROC Cohort Program. Community cohorts are learning to frame, contextualize, and organize around equitable small business recovery and supports for small business owners of color in their community.

Visit the 2021 ROC Cohort Program Resources for current cohort community profiles and additional information on topics including:

  • Racial equity in the COVID-19 pandemic recovery
  • Financing and access to quality credit for small business owners of color
  • Building strong, equitable commercial corridors and regional economies
  • Small business ownership as household and community wealth building
  • Supporting transitions from sole proprietorships to community employers 

Information and sample training sessions from the 2020 ROC Cohort Program can be found here.

For any questions about this year’s content or the 2022 ROC Cohort Program, please contact Ali Shott at alison.shott@phil.frb.org or 215-574-3970.

Infographic explaining the Reinventing Our Communities (ROC) Cohort Program

Download the infographic.