Our mission is to engage with communities of color and catalyze private and philanthropic partnerships to remedy racial disparities in economic opportunity, education, health, and housing in Utah.
Utah’s minority populations are more likely to have higher poverty rates, lower educational achievement, and higher housing cost burdens, according to a 2021 report published by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and sponsored by Zion’s Bank.
The report also found that Utah is well-positioned to address these disparities, due to the state’s top rankings in social capital, family stability, income equality, and social mobility.
Read the ReportOur vision is that Utahns of all races can realize and contribute their best selves to the economic, social, cultural, and political life of the state in an environment of welcoming, inclusion, belonging, and equitable access to share and grow the many resources of the state.
The Center for Economic Opportunity & Belonging’s guiding principles are:
The Center for Economic Opportunity & Belonging has adopted the values articulated in the Utah Compact for Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (2020).
We acknowledge that racism exists, and our actions make a difference. We call out racism wherever we see it and take purposeful steps to stop it.
We invest our time and resources to create greater opportunity for people of color. Eliminating racial and ethnic disparities requires our significant effort and investment.
We advance solutions to racial ills by listening and creating policies that provide equal opportunity and access to education, employment, housing, and healthcare.
We engage to effect change. Broader engagement, equitable representation, and deeper connection across social, cultural, and racial lines will uphold the principle “nothing about us, without us.” This phrase, initially associated with disability rights activists in the U.S., demands centering on the voices of those who are impacted by inequity.
Utahns unite behind a common goal to create equal opportunity. We affirm our commitment will not just be a passing moment but a legacy movement of social, racial, and economic justice.
In year one, CEOB set out to catalyze the principles of the Utah Compact for Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion by partnering with the private sector, the Governor's Office, and Utah’s multicultural communities to co-create strategies that expand value, opportunity, and life outcomes for all Utahns. We are pleased to provide an overview of what we've accomplished.
Read the CEOB Fiscal Year 2022 REportCEOB is housed under the EDCUtah Foundation, a 501(c)3 with separate funding from EDCUtah’s economic development 501(c)6.
CEOB is supported bygrants from the Walton Family Foundation, the Jacquelyn andGregory Zehner Foundation, the Larry H. and Gail MillerFamily Foundation, and Bank of America.
First, learn about Utah’s changing demographics and the positive impact New Americans have on our economy:
Contact Ze Min Xiao at zxiao@edcutah.org.
Follow CEOB on LinkedIn @BelongInUtah and Twitter @BelongInUtah
Photo credit: Utah Office of Tourism
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