Institute for Local Innovations Inc

“| Explanation:| The Institute for Local Innovations Inc. ILI is a nonprofit organization committed to equitable community development through innovation storytelling and inclusive engagement. In 2024 ILI advanced its mission by expanding the Mi Rialiti platform a media-enhanced tool for community storytelling and launching a senior oral history project in Atlantas historic Pittsburgh neighborhood supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. ILI earned the NASA 2024 Space Tech Catalyst Prize for hosting NASA Technology Transfer Ideation Studios in Atlanta and New Orleans which helped historically underrepresented innovators and entrepreneurs access and commercialize patented technologies. Through its founders Leadership Society Initiative Fellowship at the University of Chicago ILI developed Compendium a new framework integrating civic engagement health housing AI and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. ILI also facilitated environmental justice conversations in Africatown Alabama and served as the fiscal agent and storytelling partner for the Ecowomanist Institutes design for healing convening retreats in rural areas of Tennessee and Georgia.”

“| Explanation:| HIGHLIGHT 1 In 2024 the Institute for Local Innovations Inc. ILI advanced its mission to foster innovation equity and sustainability in underserved communities through a series of impactful initiatives and partnerships. Central to its efforts was the expansion of the Mi Rialiti [my reality] digital platform a structured storytelling and inquiry tool designed to capture the lived experiences of community members and support data-informed decision-making. ILI launched a 12-month project supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation Atlanta Civic Site to document the oral histories and cultural memories of senior residents ages 80 and above in the historic Pittsburgh neighborhood of Atlanta GA. This effort is designed to preserve generational knowledge while informing future place-based and community development strategies. HIGHLIGHT 2 ILI was recognized as one of the inaugural recipients of NASAs 2024 Space Tech Catalyst Prize for its leadership in expanding access to federal technology among underrepresented groups. With this distinction ILI continued to host Technology Transfer Ideation Studios in Atlanta and New Orleans engaging entrepreneurs and community leaders to explore the commercial and civic applications of NASA-patented technologies. These activities were grounded in ILIs longstanding commitment to aligning innovation with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals SDGs. HIGHLIGHT 3 The founder and President of ILI was selected as a 20242025 Fellow in the University of Chicagos Leadership Society Initiative LSI where he developed Compendium a multidisciplinary multiyear framework for equitable community economics. Compendium integrates housing public health civic storytelling artificial intelligence and SDG-aligned development into community revitalization strategies. This work represents a culmination of ILIs 30+ years of expertise and was presented in several academic and philanthropic forums. HIGHLIGHT 4 ILI also provided facilitation services to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Environmental Justice Division by leading stakeholder engagement and visioning activities in Africatown Mobile Alabama. These sessions supported the design of community-led environmental strategies rooted in local priorities and historical context. HIGHLIGHT 5 In its role as fiscal sponsor ILI supported the Ecowomanist Institutes effort to provide an Emancipatory Sacred Space Convening in rural areas of Tennessee and Georgia. The organization also developed media-enhanced storytelling tools and structured inquiry materials to support narrative capture during the convenings further exemplifying its role as a catalyst for both innovation and cultural preservation. HIGHLIGHT 6 ILI shared its leadership journey in philanthropy through invited talks at the Community Foundation for Greater Atlantas Black Philanthropy Month and presented Mi Rialiti as an emancipatory research tool at the Emancipatory Research Symposium hosted by Xavier University. These engagements underscore ILIs commitment to fostering a field that centers on lived experience equity and community agency in the pursuit of transformative change.”