The Empowerment Zone (EZ) includez 5.8 square miles of some of the City's most vibrant and diverse neighborhoods. Its 57,640 residents, roughly 10% of the City's population, live in Chinatown, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill, Roxbury, the Seaport District, South Boston, and the South End.

Boston Connects, Inc. is the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization charged with implementing the long-term vision of the Strategic Plan: Providing for Economic Self-Sufficiency for Individuals, Families and Communities. Under the leadership of a 24-member governing board, BCI has been successful in linking some of the City's residents of the Empowerment Zone and neighborhoods with new economic opportunity-through job creation, daycare, skills training, alternative education or ESL.

Use the navigation bar on the left to access a wealth of information about what the Zone looks like and how Boston Connects, Inc. operates in the Zone. Contact us if you are interested in some of the services we offer or in the advantages of locating your business in the Zone.

Please be advised that in responding to HUD's annual funding competition (SuperNOFA), some programs provide extra points for projects consistent with the Empowerment Zone Strategic Plan. Applicant are required to obtain certifications that proposed projects are consistent with the Empowerment Zone Strategic Plan (HUD form 2990 attached). A summary of the project and HUD form 2990 should be submitted to the Empowerment Zone Office (Boston Connects, Inc.) 30-days prior to the HUD application due date for each specific program. Contact Shirley Carrington at 617-989-9183 for more information about the Empowerment Zone Certification of Consistency process.

Boston Empowerment Zone Certificate of Consistency Federal FY2007 (pdf format)

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