This exhibit focuses on the Clinton administration’s efforts to help all Americans benefit from economic prosperity. It outlines President Clinton’s work with the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, empowerment zones, enterprise communities, and New Markets initiatives, and also serves as an opportunity to research economic policies in both the Clinton Presidential Archives and the archival collections of Governor Clinton. President Clinton delivers remarks to the North End community at the Artist Collective in Hartford, Connecticut. Platform guests include Governor John Rowland, Representative John Larson, Mayor Michael Peters and Reverend Jesse Jackson. This visit was a stop on the President's New Market tour, November 11, 1999, Photographer: Ralph Alswang. President Clinton delivers remarks to the North End community at the Artist Collective in Hartford, Connecticut. Platform guests include Governor John Rowland, Representative John Larson, Mayor Michael Peters and Reverend Jesse Jackson. This visit was a stop on the President's New Market tour, November 11, 1999, Photographer: Ralph Alswang. Arkansas and Community Development In September 1994, President Clinton signed legislation creating the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund or CDFI. The legislation assisted financial institutions that supported underserved customers and communities. "Long before I ran for President, the founders of Shore Bank in Chicago helped us to launch the Southern Development Bank Corporation in Arkansas. My wife and I and our administration, including Bob Nash, who now works with Secretary Espy at the Agriculture Department, worked to make an idea that had worked in an urban community in the north take roots in rural communities all over the southern part of our State."President Clinton, Remarks on Riegle Community Development Act, September 23, 1994 "In 1992 I visited an awful lot of places where I thought these same things would work. I'll never forget the first time we had people up to the Governor's conference room to talk about what it was like when they got their first loan, when they thought their lives had ended and that they were going to be consigned to public assistance or living off welfare, but instead were starting businesses and making money, some of them even able to hire other people. It made an impression on me that I will carry with me always." President Clinton, Remarks on Riegle Community Development Act, September 23, 1994 View digitized records concerning the Southern Development Bank Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) In September 1994, President Clinton signed legislation creating the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund or CDFI. The legislation assisted financial institutions that supported underserved customers and communities. Memorandum for David Gergen, Howard Paster, George Stephanopoulos, Marcia Hale, and Mark Gearan concerning the Presidential Announcement of the CDFI and CRA Initiatives. Records of the Office of Communications. Series: Mark Gearan's Files. Community Development Bank. View in the National Archives Catalog Memorandum for David Gergen, Howard Paster, George Stephanopoulos, Marcia Hale, and Mark Gearan concerning the Presidential Announcement of the CDFI and CRA Initiatives. Records of the Office of Communications. Series: Mark Gearan's Files. Community Development Bank. By the end of the Clinton presidency, the Fund had certified over 400 CDFIs. The Fund had provided over $427 million to match investments in CDFIs and to encourage traditional financial institutions to increase their lending, investment, and services to underserved markets. View digitized records concerning the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities The Clinton administration created Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities to encourage local community planning and economic growth in distressed communities. This program used tax incentives and federal investment. Public investments from the 1993 Deficit Reduction Plan created the first nine Empowerment Zones and first 95 Enterprise Communities. President Clinton participates in a signing ceremony at Pine Ridge, South Dakota that established an empowerment zone for Pine Ridge Reservation. President Clinton's visit to the Pine Ridge reservation was part of the New Markets tour, July 7, 1999, Photographer: Sharon Farmer. President Clinton participates in a signing ceremony at Pine Ridge, South Dakota that established an empowerment zone for Pine Ridge Reservation. President Clinton's visit to the Pine Ridge reservation was part of the New Markets tour, July 7, 1999, Photographer: Sharon Farmer. The administration later added 20 more Empowerment Zones and 20 more rural Enterprise Communities with the Balanced Budget Agreement of 1997. After the program expanded again in 2000, 31 Empowerment Zones and 95 Enterprise Communities had used over $10 billion in new private sector investment. This investment created thousands of new jobs for these communities. View digitized records concerning Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities New Markets With the New Markets initiative, the Clinton administration encouraged investment in impoverished inner cities, rural communities, and Native American tribal lands. In 2000, the President and Congress worked together to pass this bipartisan initiative. The initiative aimed to stimulate new private investment institutions to funnel credit, equity, and technical assistance to New Market businesses. View digitized records concerning New Markets View Gallery New Markets Photo Gallery White quilt with blue edging and red, yellow and white stripes across the top and bottom of the front panel. A multicolored eight-pointed star with an eagle head design is featured in the center of the quilt. This gift was given to President Clinton during his trip to Pine Ridge Reservation of South Dakota. Pine Ridge Reservation was a stop on President Clinton's New Markets tour. White quilt with blue edging and red, yellow and white stripes across the top and bottom of the front panel. A multicolored eight-pointed star with an eagle head design is featured in the center of the quilt. This gift was given to President Clinton during his trip to Pine Ridge Reservation of South Dakota. Pine Ridge Reservation was a stop on President Clinton's New Markets tour. Red cotton shawl with red satin fringed border. "Oglala Lakota Nation" is embroidered in black thread in a semicircle pattern. A Lakota medicine wheel in colors that represent the four cardinal directions (red, yellow, black and white) is nested in a circle of nine tipis just below the stitched lettering. The tepee circle is flanked by coup sticks draped in eagle feathers and a set of crossed peace pipes are embroidered on the garment. President Clinton visited Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Red cotton shawl with red satin fringed border. "Oglala Lakota Nation" is embroidered in black thread in a semicircle pattern. A Lakota medicine wheel in colors that represent the four cardinal directions (red, yellow, black and white) is nested in a circle of nine tipis just below the stitched lettering. The tepee circle is flanked by coup sticks draped in eagle feathers and a set of crossed peace pipes are embroidered on the garment. President Clinton visited Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Presidential Material on Economic Inclusion Click on the topics below for digitized material and Finding Aids on economic inclusion: Archived White House Website Webpage - The Clinton Presidency: Historic Economic Growth View digitized records concerning Brownfields Tax Incentive View digitized records concerning BusinessLINC View digitized records concerning Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Expansion View digitized records concerning Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) View digitized records concerning the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) View digitized records concerning the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) View digitized records concerning the Economic Development Initiative and Section 108 Loan Guarantee Archived White House Website Webpage - Background on the Clinton-Gore Administration's Community Development Record View digitized records concerning Empowerment Zones (EZ) and Enterprise Communities (EC) View digitized records concerning the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) View digitized records concerning the Minimum Wage View digitized records concerning the New Markets Initiative View digitized records concerning Regional Connections View digitized records concerning Welfare Reform View digitized records concerning the Work Incentives Improvement Act Gubernatorial Collections on Economic Development Little Rock, Arkansas, provides onsite opportunities to research both Governor Clinton’s and President Clinton’s economic development policies. Researchers can access digitized materials on President Clinton and economic development through the Clinton Digital Library. Researchers can also visit the Clinton Presidential Library to access collections that are not available online. The Presidential archive and the gubernatorial archive are within walking distance of one another. Bill Clinton State Government Project Economic Development Series Bob Nash Subseries Bob Nash served as Governor Clinton’s Senior Executive Assistant for Economic Development from 1983 to 1989. Nash also served as President of the Arkansas Development Finance Authority starting in 1989 until being appointed as Undersecretary in the Department of Agriculture by President Clinton. Topics in this subseries relate to various levels of economic development including community, housing, industrial, rural, and small business development. Additional topics include banking initiatives, finance, higher education, investments, and public private partnerships. View the Bob Nash Subseries from the Butler Center Statement by Bill Clinton the Governor of Arkansas concerning The Lower Mississippi Delta Development Act. In his remarks, Governor Clinton discussed the "new" Southern Development Bancorporation. This image is provided courtesy of the Butler center for Arkansas Studies, Central Arkansas Library System. Statement by Bill Clinton the Governor of Arkansas concerning The Lower Mississippi Delta Development Act. In his remarks, Governor Clinton discussed the "new" Southern Development Bancorporation. This image is provided courtesy of the Butler center for Arkansas Studies, Central Arkansas Library System. Governor Bill Clinton and his staff at a public-private economic development partnership event. This image is courtesy of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Central Arkansas Library System. Governor Bill Clinton and his staff at a public-private economic development partnership event. This image is courtesy of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Central Arkansas Library System. Craig Smith Subseries Craig Smith served on Governor Clinton’s staff as Senior Executive Assistant for Economic Development from 1987 to 1991. Topics in this subseries include industrial, rural, and urban development. Additional topics regard economic strategy, finance, job growth, and transportation issues. View the Craig Smith Subseries from the Butler Center Bill Kincaid Subseries This collection contains Bill Kincaid’s material on the Commission for Arkansas’ Future (COAF) in 1988 and 1989. Act 810 of the 1989 Arkansas General Assembly created the commission to develop a comprehensive and strategic economic plan for the state. The commission aimed to identify trends affecting Arkansas and develop initiatives to improve the state’s economy. Topics include higher education, industrial development, infrastructure needs, livability, natural resources, occupational trends, public recreation, public works, tourism, and vocational and technical training. View the Bill Kincaid Subseries from the Butler Center Final Report of the Governor's Commission on Arkansas' Future January 1989. This image is courtesy of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Central Arkansas Library System. Final Report of the Governor's Commission on Arkansas' Future January 1989. This image is courtesy of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Central Arkansas Library System. Education Resources Students should review the Economic Inclusion exhibit before completing any of the following assignments. Students may work individually or in groups. Option One Using the videos and photographs in the exhibit, each student or group of students will select an example that represents one of the challenges to economic inclusion as defined by the Clinton Administration. Students should identify programs or legislation that was created to address the challenge before considering if the challenge was mitigated by the Clinton Administration’s efforts, or if it persists today. Students should share their results with the class through written reports, multimedia presentations (such as PowerPoint, Prezi, or iMovie), websites, posters, or exhibit boards. Extension Activity/Informed Action Component:Students will note challenges to economic inclusion in their community and consider solutions to them. Students should write a speech that addresses the challenges and their proposed solutions. The presenters should take note of their target audience and consider the best language and methodology for delivering the message to them. Option Two One of the tools employed by President Clinton to bring down barriers to economic inclusion was Community Development Financial Institutions. Students should consider this document and create a summary of how CDFI’s promoted economic inclusion in the United States and how access to financial institutions leads to economic empowerment for communities. Extension Activity/Informed Action Component:Students should conduct research to identify one or more CDFI’s in their community and make a multimedia presentation (such as PowerPoint, Prezi, or iMovie), website, poster, or exhibit board that illustrates the ways in which it has financially empowered the community. Option Three Each student or team reviews the first six pages of Clinton Administration “Building Communities: Together” report on the “Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities” initiative. Students will create a rubric incorporating the four key evaluation principles found on page 3 and select an Empowerment Zone application to evaluate. The Urban Empowerment Zone finalist list is on page 13, the applications are on pages 14 – 66. The Rural Empowerment Zone finalist list is on page 68, the applications are on pages 69 – 92. Students give an oral report or complete a writing assignment with an assessment of the application including strengths and weaknesses. Extension Activity/Informed Action Component:Students or teams are assigned one of the key principles and conduct research how it might be applied to their own community. Students work together as a class to compile their ideas into a proposal on how to improve “economic inclusion” locally and present it to city or county government officials.