The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act included a new federal incentive—Opportunity Zones—to spur investment in low-income and undercapitalized communities. Governors (and the mayor of the District of Columbia) have now selected zones, and investors, businesses, state and local governments, and philanthropy are figuring out how to turn this concept into investable deals.

The Opportunity Zone program could become the nation’s largest economic development tool, but its breadth creates both opportunities and challenges for community developers and their partners. How can the program be implemented to live up to its potential?

Reports and features
An Early Assessment of Opportunity Zones for Equitable Development Projects
Financing Affordable Housing and Small Businesses through Opportunity Zones
Leveraging Opportunity Zones to Boost Affordability in Hot Markets
An Opportunity Zone Guide for Governors and a Case Study of South Carolina
Opportunity Zoning
How Chicago and Cook County Can Leverage Opportunity Zones for Community Benefit
Did States Maximize Their Opportunity Zone Selections? Analysis of the Opportunity Zone Designations

Testimony and Public Comments
Opportunity Zones: Current Status and Options for Reform
A Tailored Opportunity Zone Incentive Could Bring Greater Benefits to Distressed Communities and Less Cost to the Federal Government
Public Comment on U.S. Treasury's Request for Information on Data Collection and Tracking for Qualified Opportunity Zones
Public Comment on Reporting Requirements in Proposed Opportunity Zone Regulations

Assess potential OZ projects
Opportunity Zone Community Impact Assessment Tool

Access the data
Download tract-level data on all Opportunity Zones
Download state-by-state analysis

Blog posts
What We Do and Don’t Know about Opportunity Zones
The Opportunity Zone Incentive Isn’t Living Up to Its Equitable Development Goals. Here Are Four Ways to Improve It
How Governors Are Shaping the Opportunity Zone Landscape
The IRS Proposes Generous Rules For Opportunity Zone Investors But What Will They Mean For Communities?
Opportunity Zones May Create More Opportunities for Investors and Syndicators Than Distressed Communities
Did governors target Opportunity Zones to disinvested communities?
Are Opportunity Zones in the Greater DC area targeted to communities in need of investment?
Assessing Governor Brown’s selections for Opportunity Zones in the Bay Area
Why Opportunity Zones are important for Indian Country
A little-publicized incentive in the new tax law could become America’s largest economic development program

Events
Using Opportunity Zones to Advance Community Priorities
From Concept to Action: Aligning Opportunity Zones and Mission Capital
Leveraging Opportunity Zones for Affordability in Hot Markets
Leveraging Opportunity Zones for Community Benefit
Workshop: How Can Opportunity Zones Drive Capital and Investment in Under-Resourced Neighborhoods?

If you have questions or would like more information on Opportunity Zones, contact us at [email protected].

Photo by Andrew Borgen/Flickr