Communities

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Communities

Strong communities bridge divides and empower every person to realize their full potential.

Every person empowered

Each individual possesses unique gifts and talents they can share with the world — but millions of Americans face obstacles that keep them from flourishing and contributing.

Forty-three million Americans are experiencing poverty. Social division is increasing. Life expectancy is on the decline. Economic and social mobility have stagnated.

We believe the best way to tackle these challenges is by investing in communities, providing every person with an opportunity to overcome barriers and empower their neighbors.

Men in conversation

Fostering social change from the bottom up

Today, the social sector predominantly treats people as problems to be solved. But finger-pointing and top-down interventions aren’t working. Instead, we see people as the source of our best solutions. That’s why we back innovations, initiatives, and collaborations that remove social barriers and enable community-driven change.

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Innovations

Transformative approaches to social change

Customer First Measurement™
 Customer First Measurement is a nonprofit performance and impact measurement methodology that prioritizes customer feedback. Organizations use it to understand and respond to the experiences of the people they serve.
Principle Based Management™
 Principle Based Management is a framework that enables organizations to create long-term value, attract and retain top talent, and get better results. We help nonprofits apply this framework to empower millions of people across the country.
Initiatives

Tailored resources for social-sector leaders  

Catalyst
 Catalyst encompasses a growing network of influential, principle-based nonprofits driving social change. We equip each organization with individualized support to scale their work and transform their communities.
Radius
 Radius is a place-based effort to build stronger communities. We partner with the most innovative social entrepreneurs in specific regions to tackle the biggest challenges they face.
Collaborations

Targeted partnerships to address social barriers across the country  

Rise
 Rise revolutionizes the way addiction and mental health are tackled in America. We remove the stigma around sobriety and create ways for people to thrive.
Heal
 Heal bridges divides on issues of race, injustice, and hate. We help community leaders facilitate tough conversations and replace division with unity.
Build
 Build unlocks the power of entrepreneurship in under-resourced communities. We support small-business owners to increase economic opportunity and produce generational wealth.
Care
 Care unleashes the power and potential of care-sharing nationwide. We rethink the way that people meet the needs of their community.
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Top stories

Get the latest stories, ideas, and advice from changemakers driving community-based solutions to our country’s biggest problems.

 Split screen image with a person's shadow against a wall vs. a person looking into the camera What happens when foster youth age out of the system?

After a 6-hour workshop, the state considered this 17-year-old ready for adulthood. We can do better.

 Hole in glass with two people hugging. Think violent crime is inevitable? Think again.

How community leaders can get sustainable solutions that stick

 Woman standing during a fall day for The Phoenix She beat heroin. Now she fosters a community that helps others in recovery

This fitness instructor overcame heroin addiction and more to be where she is now — helping others.

 Three men sit in a discussion circle inside a jail, with one wearing a "Middlesex Jail" uniform, representing a jail rehabilitation program focused on dialogue and connection. A prison can actually be part of the community

How an evening inside this jail can change the way we see incarcerated individuals.
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