This Week in ESG and Impact Investing

The Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the second consecutive time on Wednesday, lowering the benchmark federal funds rate by 25 basis points to a range of 3.75 %–4.00 % . This move follows September’s initial rate reduction to 4.00 %–4.25 %. Together, the cuts signal growing concern about slowing job growth, weakening consumer confidence, and a still-uneven recovery that has left many Black and minority businesses struggling to access affordable credit. A Softer Economy, Not Yet an Easier One The Fed’s policy statement underscored “elevated uncertainty about the economic outlook.” With unemployment edging higher and inflation “still running hot” ( see our analysis ), policymakers are threading a fine line between supporting growth and maintaining credibility on prices. For Black- and minority-owned firms, this caution matters: many operate in sectors tied closely to consumer spending or local service demand. Our September 2025 Unemployment Forecast already showed that job loss...

At a time when DEI initiatives are under attack, MacKenzie Scott continues to prove that targeted, equity-driven philanthropy can be both bold and transformative. As reported by Black Enterprise ( https://www.blackenterprise.com/mackenzie-scotts-42m-gift-shows-her-tenacity-to-supporting-black-students-despite-anti-dei-efforts/ ) , Scott’s $42 million donation to 10,000 Degrees, a nonprofit helping low-income and minority students attend college, is the largest in the organization’s history. It arrives amid a nationwide rollback of diversity programs—making her gift a powerful counterstatement. Scott’s approach—unrestricted, trust-based giving focused on racial equity—mirrors the Creative Investment Research principles of impact investing. It channels capital in a counter-cyclical manner to places where traditional markets and policies have failed: in this case, toward high social return investing....by expanding educational opportunity for Black and Latino students. In a climate of ret...

On October 22, policymakers, advocates, and healthcare leaders came together for a powerful conversation on one clear message: breast cancer screening saves lives. Despite major advancements in detection and treatment, deep disparities remain, especially for Black and Hispanic women and those with lower incomes. The event centered on the Access to Breast Cancer Diagnosis (ABCD) Act, a bipartisan bill designed to make diagnostic imaging more affordable and accessible for all women. By addressing financial barriers and insurance gaps, the act aims to ensure that no one delays or skips critical follow-up testing simply because of cost. Black women face the highest breast cancer mortality rates of any racial group in the U.S. They are 40% more likely to die from the disease and often receive diagnoses at younger ages and later stages. Similarly, Hispanic women and those with annual incomes below $35,000 are more likely to miss follow-up screenings because of cost barriers. Representative D...

The delayed release of September’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) — now scheduled for Friday,  October 24, 2025 — comes at a crucial moment. With Federal Reserve officials weighing whether to cut the benchmark Federal Funds Rate to ease short-term borrowing costs, this data release will heavily influence the next policy move. Forecast: Inflation Running Hot Our forecast projects that headline CPI rose 3.2% year-over-year in September , slightly above expectations, while Core CPI (excluding food and energy) likely came in at 3.3% . On a month-to-month basis, prices probably increased 0.5% , reflecting continuing upward pressure from goods and housing costs. While energy prices eased modestly, tariff-related price pressures and supply-chain re-shoring costs have kept inflation “sticky.” Durable goods categories such as furniture, appliances, and home fixtures — many of which depend on imported materials — remain notably affected by tariffs . These categories alone may have contri...

New Majority Ventures (NMV) hosted a town hall at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in downtown D.C. providing a space for minority entrepreneurs and business-owners to learn from seven-figure-earning DMV success stories. NMV provides feedback and technical training for growing companies that can provide marketing prioritization skills and hiring skills. They also announced the launch of their app that leverages their training modules for mobilized use. The most remarkable aspect of hearing directly from these founders was seeing how humble they were about their rising stardom. Not due to the cameras on them, rather, it was clear they learned the importance of trust between workers and executives. Invest in your team. You can’t grow your product if people don’t believe in the purpose you have set out, and therefore you must also convince people you’d like to hire why your company is different from the white noise in a vast pool of apps and other existing user platforms.  Busi...

The partial government shutdown did not impact all businesses equally. As chief economist for the U. S. Black Chamber of Commerce, my research indicates black-owned businesses were hit harder than most. Many are located in states that receive substantial federal aid, such as Maryland and Virginia, and they tend to be in industries such as health care, administration, transportation, professional services and retail that are sensitive to any decline in federal spending. As a result, these companies can experience a double hit. I estimate there are roughly 1.9 million black-owned businesses in the United States, and they generated $131 billion in 2012. That suggests the monetary impact of the shutdown on their businesses to be $10 million per day. We saw the effects. National parks and federally owned museums closed. Tourism, a major industry in the D.C. area, was, as a result, negatively affected. This impact will be felt for some time, since overseas offices that give visas to foreigne...

Contract and payment delays are among the largest setbacks hitting Black and other minority businesses amid the federal government shutdown. by Jeffrey McKinney. October 18, 2025 Black- and other minority-owned businesses are being slammed by the federal government shutdown, severely hindering their operating ability. Started on Oct. 1, the closure is on pace to be one of the longest in U.S. history. A new survey of those firms by the National Minority Supplier Development Council ( NMSDC ) shows they are being negatively impacted by economic weakness stemming from the shutdown. Simultaneously, the stoppage is projected to bring losses of between $400 million and $450 million for minority business enterprises (MBEs), despite when the government reopens, based on a new calculation by Creative Investment Research. That overall estimate includes $150 million in contract and payment delays, $125 million in reduced demand for business goods and services, $75 million in staffing reductions ...