The Infrastructure for Success
Blue Meridian’s Place Matters strategy seeks to strengthen place-based partnerships by providing the capital and investing in the ecosystem and infrastructure essential for their success.
In the past, place-based efforts often found they were limited by a lack of access to key tools and resources – things like data measurement, technology, talent recruitment and development, among others. We invest in organizations or initiatives which provide local leaders with the supports necessary to take on the complex challenges faced by their residents.
Robust infrastructure can accelerate progress and learning across the field, thereby helping many more communities set the foundation for long-term mobility for young people and families.
Catalyzing the Success of Place-Based Partnerships
Our Investments
To date, we have made several investments to provide the tools and resources necessary to catalyze the success of place-based partnerships.
StriveTogether
StriveTogether is a national network that partners with communities to ensure every child has the tools and resources they need to succeed, from cradle to career, so youth and families can thrive. The organization has a successful track record in scaling innovative approaches in 66 communities, reaching more than 11 million youth across the US, in places that range from large urban centers to rural areas.
- Build capacity with a focus on sustainability and pathways to scale
- Stabilize and accelerate state and regional COVID-19 recovery efforts
William Julius Wilson Institute
Housed at the Harlem Children’s Zone, The William Julius Wilson Institute is a national hub for place-based, people-focused solutions that open pathways to social and economic mobility. The Institute works with on-the-ground collaborators and national partners to deliver comprehensive strategies, support services, and tools that systematically root out poverty and close opportunity gaps in neighborhoods across America.
- Provide direct technical assistance and support to place-based partnerships
- Coordinate supports among core national partners and other intermediaries
Government Alliance on Race and Equity
Race Forward’s Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) is a network of member jurisdictions that works to advance racial justice and build a strong multiracial democracy. GARE supports racial equity practitioners to design and implement strategies that transform government to create an equitable society. Towards these ends, GARE fosters critical connections, shared learning, and leadership development support as racial equity practitioners build the skills, influence, and capacity to create change.
- Strengthen evidence building, measurement, and evaluation frameworks and tools for GARE and its member jurisdictions
- Develop a path to scaled impact, with a focus on organizational capacity and sustainability
- Deepen exploration of opportunities to catalyze alignment and engagement with place-based partnerships
Purpose Built Communities
Purpose Built Communities is a philanthropically funded nonprofit organization that provides pro bono consulting services to a network of local leaders engaged in inclusive, resident-centered, long-term neighborhood revitalization efforts. Together, they share the vision of well-resourced neighborhoods that create greater racial equity, improved health outcomes, and increased upward mobility for all residents.
- Support planning work for improving network member outcomes, organizational growth, and impact at scale
- Build capacity by immediately addressing critical gaps necessary for delivering support to its members
Partners for Rural Impact
Partners for Rural Impact (PRI) is a national organization born out of a place-based partnership in Appalachia and committed to rural student success. PRI’s goal is an America where all kids are successful regardless of zip code, income, background, or ability. Launched in 2022, PRI is the national leader in aggregating federal funds for cradle-to-career place-based work, an approach it implements in rural spaces.
- Identify strategies and develop a plan to accelerate impact across rural America, increasing the number of youth-focused organizations and systems improving cradle-to-career population-level outcomes
Click here to learn more about our Past Investments.
