Cities Building Community Wealth

As cities struggle with rising inequality, widespread economic hardship, and racial disparities, something surprising and hopeful is also stirring. In a growing number of America's cities, a more inclusive, community-based approach to economic development is being taken up by a new breed of economic development professionals and mayors. This approach to economic development could be on the cusp of going to scale. It's time it had a name. We call it community wealth building

A New Anchor Mission for a New Century: Community Foundations Deploying all Resources to Build Community Wealth

A new report examines how leading community foundations are embracing an anchor mission to build stronger local economies and invest more resources in the communities they serve. According to the report, community foundations are "anchor institutions" -- place-based nonprofits with significant resources that are highly unlikely to abandon the communities in which they reside. With many of these communities in both rural and urban areas struggling with deeply entrenched economic problems like inequality and unemployment, the case becomes clear for community foundations to take up the "anchor mission": recognizing the impact they can have as engines of community economic development and local mission-driven investment