Amay Tewari, Senior Photographer

Since 2021, Yale and New Haven have collaborated through the Center of Inclusive Growth to work towards the University’s landmark $140 million six-year pledge to increase its financial contributions to the city. 

In the coming weeks, the center will host a “first-of-its-kind” convening led by Dawn Leaks Ragsdale, executive director of the center, bringing together community stakeholders and Yale leaders to define what inclusive growth means for New Haven and develop an action plan. 

The center, an initiative dedicated to local economic development in New Haven, was one of the four main components of the six-year pledge. A key goal of the Center, according to Alexandra Daum, associate vice president for New Haven affairs, is to serve as an opportunity for New Haven community members to provide direct input on the University’s plans for local economic affairs.  

“The Center for Inclusive Growth is one of the key pillars of Yale’s financial commitment to the City of New Haven,” Daum wrote to the News. “Yale committed $5M of funding for the Center which is a significant amount in and of itself, but we anticipate that that $5M will serve as seed funding to bring in additional funding.” 

One year  after its establishment, the center has launched two research projects in entrepreneurship and small business development, led by teams of Yale School of Management students through the Inclusive Growth Fellowship and Inclusive Economic Development Lab. The first cohort of the fellowship took place in spring 2024. 

Inclusive Growth Fellow Michael Yanagisawa SOM ’25 worked in affordable housing where he researched possibilities for mass timber construction in New Haven. According to Yanagisawa, the work involved collaborating with Yale SOM professors, New Haven city officials, contractors and unions. 

“I think the Yale and New Haven relationship has been and will continue to be a tough relationship to build,” said Yanagisawa. “But there’s always been people at the business school and Yale at large who want to help, and from the city level, there are all these needs that have to be met, so I think the fellowship is a great way to match those interest points.” 

As a long-time New Haven resident, Yanagisawa believes that the most important purpose of the center is that it will serve as a way for the University to build long-term trust with the city. 

“I think if you’re a Yale student and not from New Haven, you kind of come in with preconceptions about what you know and what should be, and it can be difficult to adapt to what the city actually needs,” Yanagisawa told the News. “So more than anything else, I think just having a consistent University leader and figure in this field that people can trust is the most important part.” 

While the center plans to continue the Inclusive Growth Fellowship for the upcoming semester, it has not yet established formal metrics for assessing the effectiveness of its programs. According to Leaks Ragsdale these measures are “under development,” and the center anticipates finalizing and sharing more details about evaluating strategy later in the year. 

Leaks Ragsdale stated that another key priority of the center for the year is to avoid duplicating existing efforts and ensuring that the initiative’s work complements ongoing initiatives in New Haven. 

According to Ward 1 Alder Kiana Alder Flores ’25, continuous conversation between Yale and New Haven is critical as they navigate their relationship, as both parties are constantly changing and subsequently impacting one another in the process. 

“The main thing is making sure that the programs are the right fit — that they directly impact the lives of New Haven residents,” Mayor Justin Elicker told the News. “Once the Center starts to roll out programs, it will be an opportunity for a lot more people in the community to understand why the Center is important to their lives.” 

Elicker added that Leaks Ragsdale has been working on planning “potential programs” but that there are no definite plans on “exact programs” to initiate yet. “She wants to be thoughtful about it,” he said. 

In late March, the center will host its first open house where Yale community members can learn more about its work and get involved. 

Correction 2/17: This article has been updated to correct that the Center is hosting a “convening” rather than a “convention” and that it has been one year since the Center’s legal establishment.