Empowerment Economics: Money With a Mission
Cecil J. Lipscomb
Happy New Year 2026! Every career has inflection points — moments when experience, perspective, and purpose align in a way that invites you to step forward differently.
For me, this is that moment.
After decades of navigating philanthropy, community investment, corporate strategy, and nonprofit leadership, I have arrived at a simple conclusion:
Communities don’t rise because of charity — they rise because someone takes the time to understand how power moves, how capital flows, and how to align the two with intention.
As I begin this next chapter, I want to share something plainly:
I never left the work. I am simply expanding the way I do it.
And this new column — Empowerment Economics: Money With a Mission — is where I intend to tell the truth about what I’ve seen, what I’ve learned, and what I believe we are capable of building next.
Why This Column, and Why Now
Across boardrooms, neighborhoods, foundations, and city halls, I have watched a familiar pattern unfold:
People talk about “equity.”
People talk about “access.”
People talk about “investment.”
But very few talk about the machinery behind those words.
The levers.
The gatekeepers.
The formulas.
The unspoken rules that determine which organizations advance and which ones remain stuck at the starting line.
This column is my way of pulling back the curtain — respectfully, thoughtfully, and constructively.
Not to point fingers.
Not to air grievances.
But to provide context, clarity, and pathways for those committed to strengthening Black, Brown, Immigrant, and any overlooked communities.
We cannot improve or leverage systems that we do not understand.
Too often, the people doing the most important work are navigating the heaviest burdens with the least information and with limited personal support.
What You Can Expect From This Series
Empowerment Economics is built on these principles:
Money is not just currency.
Money is direction.
Money is policy.
Money is belief.
Money is a mirror of what a community values.
Each installment will explore how capital — philanthropic, governmental, corporate, and community-generated — shapes the destiny of neighborhoods and the people who call them home.
We will look closely at:
- How decisions get made behind closed doors
- Why brilliant organizations with exceptional potential remain underfunded
- The difference between investment and involvement
- Models from other cities worth adapting — not adopting
- How communities can construct their own capital infrastructure
- And what a “mission-aligned economy” actually looks like in practice
This will not be theory for the sake of theory.
It will be practical.
It will be applicable.
It will be grounded in real experience and real systems.
And it will be written for the leaders who have been waiting for someone to help fix what we all know is broken.
A Word About Where I Stand
Let me say this with the grace and dignity that the moment deserves:
I have not stepped away from the work — I have stepped into a broader arena of it.
The mission never changed.
Only my vantage point did.
My commitment remains steady:
- To empower organizations, business, and people
- To strengthen infrastructure
- To advocate for equitable capital strategies
- To help communities understand the game they’re in and how to win it
- To elevate local brilliance into national impact
This new phase is not retirement from service — it’s expansion of service.
And yes, I fully expect that many will be watching closely.
That’s fine.
I want our communities to watch.
I want funders to watch.
I want policymakers, investors, and practitioners to watch.
Because what comes next is worth paying attention to.
An Invitation to Engage
I hope you will then walk with me in this new journey — not as spectators, but as thinkers, strategists, and partners in the work ahead.
Each week, I will offer insights that challenge assumptions, illuminate pathways, and honor the truth that communities can only rise when the systems around them evolve.
If we move with courage, clarity, and intention, we can build an economic landscape where mission and money finally work in the same direction.
I’m ready for that work.
I believe many of you are too.
— Cecil J. Lipscomb
With a career dedicated to expanding opportunity, strengthening community institutions, and reshaping how capital flows into overlooked neighborhoods, Cecil Lipscomb brings a visionary, mission-centered voice to the work of economic empowerment. He believes deeply in the power of people, strategy, and intention—and in the possibility of building systems where resources align with purpose. His leadership reflects a simple but transformative conviction: when communities are equipped with the right tools and the right truth, they rise. To reach Cecil, call (216) 238-2235.