Our Vision:
To create prosperous communities and drive economic development for low-income residents in urban cities.
Our Values:
Action
Compassion
Practicality
The Story Behind the Name
The Medici in Medici Road comes from the famous Medici family – the Italian family instrumental in the artistic and cultural rebirth of the European Renaissance. Specifically, they were the first to fund art, expanding its availability to all households – not just the rich. The family’s influence also produced many famous Popes, queens, and artists. Finally, they also created financial tools that are still in use 500 years later.
At Medici Road, we also believe that removing barriers is important in all households. Our hope is that the tools, programs, and products we create to help eliminate poverty will be around in the future to help others eliminate long-standing community issues.
We believe Medici Road’s work sparks change across organizations and communities. As leaders advance, they’ll champion new approaches that break down barriers and expand opportunity.
Why Does Addressing Gaps Matter?
A multitude of factors go into poverty, and in urban areas, the underlying ill for nearly every one of those factors is intolerance. This purposeful failure to care for the community at large affects that community – and, by proxy, the people who live in it.
Looking at the wheel:
- Starting with inadequate housing and poor education in childhood leads to a lack of career and workforce opportunities. It’s hard to concentrate on school if you have an unstable home life.
- This lack of opportunity directly affects a person’s (and their family’s) access to healthcare, often leading to untreated and chronic illnesses.
- Being chronically ill and unable to work or reach your potential leads to community disconnection and inactivity.
- A disconnected and inactive collective in the community leads to spikes in crime that often go unchecked (or checked in dangerous ways) in urban communities.
- Crime and disconnected community members have a direct effect on housing, starting the cycle all over again.
The Communities We Serve
There are two main audiences we focus on to create the programs and policies that bring stability to
the communities we serve.
Urban Communities Across the United States
- District of Columbia, Maryland & Virginia (The DMV)
- Atlanta, GA
- Baltimore, MD
- Birmingham, BHAM
- Detroit, MI
- Kansas City (KCK and KCMO)
- Richmond, VA
- Residents
- Business Owners
- Churches
- Community Leaders
- Listen: People want to be heard & have a say
- Create Security: There is a great desire to be homeowners without assistance
- Access: Good community resources including schools, parks, libraries, businesses, and grocers
- Community members are hardworking and want to be able to accomplish more
- People want to have a sense of pride and ownership for their neighborhood
- People want respect and independence versus being treated like charity
- The need for wrap-around services – not just housing development
- Low-to-moderate household income
- Members of the community typically make 30–80% of the average median income
- Residents (specifically BIPOC) are over-indexed for poverty
- Fewer resources, underserving the communities
- Residents are less likely to have a college degree
- Residents are more likely to be unemployed due to various factors
Local Government Leaders
- Elected city officials reporting to the mayor’s office
- City Council
- Non-elected policy makers
- Advocacy groups
- Community organizers
- Nonprofit organizations
- Tenant associations
- Business leaders
- Investors and Lenders
- Philanthrophy
- Real estate developers
- Research companies
- Desire to revitalize the city & improve neighborhoods
- Economic development & increasing community value
- Solve social issues like job creation, crime reduction, and healthcare access
- Safe & affordable housing is an important necessity within city limits
- Underserved communities need more resources & opportunities for people to prosper
- Public & private resources can be invested to improve urban communities
Medici Road’s Solution
Medici Road provides long-term solutions that connect the four main sectors where a lack of opportunity stands in the way of thriving communities: Education, Housing, Public Health, and Organization System Change.
Our distinct, intentional approach leverages community co-creation, data analysis, and human-centered design to create tangible solutions.
Four Service Centers
We engage four main service sectors, creating social impact through research, evaluation, products,
program design, and policy development.