Exploring Innovation Week 2010 New Voices Fresh Ideas The Future of Community Development Intro

April 19 through April 23

The St. Louis Fed’s Community Development department hosted its 2010 Exploring Innovation in Community Development Week from April 19 through April 23. This year’s theme was “New Voices, Fresh Ideas—The Future of Community Development” and was celebrated with events across the Eighth District.

The purpose of Exploring Innovation Week is to draw national attention to innovation in the community development field and its important role in American life.

2011 Exploring Innovation event preview

Exploring Innovation: A Conference on Community Development Finance, will be held May 9-11, 2011, at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel in St. Louis, Mo. The conference will be attended by lenders, investors, nonprofit community development practitioners and others who will learn how to use innovative business models that will address the financing of all aspects of thriving communities—from housing and infrastructure to community engagement and leadership development. Learning tracks will include retail products and services, the green economy, investments and equity, and financing comprehensive development. Employing innovative presentation and collaboration techniques, the conference is designed to:

• illustrate how innovation can result in new finance models;
• highlight industry best practices, state-of-the-art policies and innovative thinking; and
• serve as a catalyst for future discussions around topics of significant importance to community development.

Conference registration opens Feb. 1, 2011.

2010 Exploring Innovation events

"Restructuring and Retooling for the Future"
April 20 | details and summaries

"Addressing the Achievement Gap and Fostering Community Leadership"
August 26 | details and summaries

"Tapping New Sources and Exploring New Models for Community Development Finance"
November 10 | details and summaries

  Subscribe to receive updates about Exploring Innovation events by e-mail.

Exploring Innovation events from past years

• Exploring Innovation 2009 Conference: Innovation in Changing Times
• Exploring Innovation Week 2008
• Exploring Innovation Conference 2007