Economic Mobility Fireside Chat with Ray Dalio & Erik Clemons
Ray Dalio has supported economic mobility across the country through Dalio Philanthropies and Grameen America. His top down approach prioritizes making capital available to underserved women, creating a multiplier effect that ripples through their communities. This year, he committed up to $70 million to match the recently launched 530A (Trump) accounts for low-income families in Connecticut. This is a match (above the $1,000 federal seed) for Connecticut children, including many touched by Erik’s ConnCAT and ConnCORP programs.
Erik Clemons is the Founding CEO of ConnCAT and ConnCORP – economic development organizations in Connecticut that exist to provide dignity, opportunity, and upward mobility to marginalized communities in New Haven. Since launching in 2012, ConnCAT has trained and placed over 1000 members of this community in careers in the culinary arts, medical services, and construction industries. Erik’s New Haven community is one of many that will receive Ray’s 530A account match.
Economic justice is impossible without working together in deep relationship and community across cultures. This event is an honest dialogue between these leaders about what it takes to make enduring economic change in America.
This talk will be moderated by Yaw Owusu-Boahen, a Ford Global Fellow, alumnus of Yale School of Management, and Executive Director of the Wealth Accelerator. A statewide initiative, the Wealth Accelerator is implementing Cash Catalyst, a New Haven Accelerated Baby Bonds pilot, in Erik's community.
This discussion will contrast Erik's place-based bottom-up approach with Ray’s top-down approach through Grameen America and his 530A account matches.
This event is made possible by the generous support of Wealth Accelerator and Yale School of Management.