2023 Winners of The Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships

Project:

Navigating Recovery for Boulder County

Challenge:

To support residents of Boulder County as they navigate the aftermath of the Marshall Fire, which damaged or destroyed nearly 1,100 homes on December 30, 2021

Project Summary:

After a wildfire damaged or destroyed nearly 1,100 homes in Boulder County in December 2021, Community Foundation Boulder County (CFBC) raised over $43 million to help residents rebuild. CFBC immediately partnered with local agencies to deploy millions of dollars in direct financial aid. The Foundation used a victim’s advocate model to support fire survivors through post-disaster recovery by ensuring access to mental health services and insurance navigation assistance was available within weeks after the fire.

The foundation also took a long-term view by working with state agencies to select a grantmaking intermediary that could disburse both public and philanthropic funds, making it easier for residents to access support through a single source.

Housing is already unaffordable in Boulder County. The loss of such a large number of homes would likely worsen the issue if the damaged and destroyed homes were not rebuilt as quickly as possible. With that in mind, CFBC committed to supplying $20 million in grants to help underinsured residents close the gap between their insurance coverage and their rebuilding costs.

Partners:

Boulder County Government; State of Colorado’s Division of Local Government

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Project:

Upskill NWA

Challenge:

To increase household income for low-income families in order to make housing more affordable for underserved communities

Project Summary:

Upskill NWA’s sectoral-based workforce development model moves low-wage workers into high-demand, high-wage jobs by providing participants with assistance with tuition, academic fees, and wraparound services (e.g., rental assistance, transportation, and childcare) while engaging and activating employment partners, education partners, and social service support partners to achieve measurable and positive economic results in the Northwest Arkansas region.

Partners:

Cities of Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, and Bentonville; Washington County; Benton County; Northwest Technical Institute; Northwest Arkansas Community College

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Project:

Fairfield County Center for Housing Opportunity

Challenge:

To address the shortage of affordable housing in Fairfield County

Project Summary:

The Fairfield County Center for Housing Opportunity (FCCHO) is a strategic partnership founded in 2018 as a coordinated, regional response to address the shortage of affordable housing in Fairfield County. Given the absence of county government in Fairfield County, FCCHO is intended to serve as a hub for coordinating a unified regional approach in a county marked by stark inequality. FCCHO convenes its cross-sector partners to develop and implement initiatives that seek to expand housing affordability and reduce Fairfield County’s percentage of cost-burdened households. FCCHO’s initiatives have included partnering with state agencies on the AffordCT open-source housing database and on the Planning for Affordability Guidebook, tools that have provided critical resources to municipalities to help them better understand how to respond to local housing needs. FCCHO monitors its progress toward its goals for equitable regional development against a comprehensive results framework developed in collaboration with the Urban Institute’s Race Equity Lab. Its investments in data infrastructure have enabled FCCHO to provide critical technical assistance to municipalities, policymakers, and other stakeholders.

Partners:

The Housing Collective; Partnership for Strong Communities; Regional Plan Association; Bridgeport East End NRZ; Bridgeport Mayor’s Office for Reentry; Charter Oaks Community; Cities of Bridgeport, Danbury, Norwalk, Shelton, and Stamford; Housing Authorities of Danbury, Fairfield, Norwalk, Stamford, and Westport; Norwalk Community College; Norwalk Redevelopment Agency; Park City Communities; Towns of Fairfield, Monroe, Newtown, Ridgefield, Stratford, Weston, and Westport; VITA Health and Wellness District; Connecticut Department of Housing; Connecticut Office of the Treasurer; Connecticut State Colleges and Universities; Governor’s Workforce Council; HUD Hartford Field Office; Offices of Representative Jim Himes and Senator Chris Murphy

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Project:

Milwaukee’s Collective Affordable Housing Plan

Challenge:

To advance racial equity by creating opportunities for 32,000 people of color to become homeowners and build inter-generational wealth through homeownership

Project Summary:

The Community Development Alliance (CDA) developed the Milwaukee Collective Affordable Housing Plan with funding from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Zilber Family Foundation, Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Bader Philanthropies, Wells Fargo, Chase, and MGIC. The goal of the plan is to advance racial equity by creating new systems for homeownership for people of color. CDA, together with its public and philanthropic allies, has invested in the construction of 150 new entry-level homes, created a fund to acquire 100 homes per year for homeownership, and supported hundreds of families with downpayment assistance.

Partners:

City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, and Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee

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Project:

Homeless to Stably Housed

Challenge:

To tackle the severe shortage of affordable rental units and the lack of a coordinated system to move people experiencing homelessness to stable housing

Project Summary:

Rasmuson Foundation, in collaboration with capital investors, was able to raise $75 million to tackle the affordable housing crisis in Anchorage. The funding was used to convert four hotels (332 units) into homes, in addition to setting up a navigation center and substance misuse treatment center. There are an additional 52 units under construction now, and by the project’s completion, this initiative will have garnered the largest increase in housing units for low-income and extremely low-income households in Anchorage history.

Partners:

Anchorage Municipality and Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness

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Project:

Colorado Afghan Evacuee Support Fund

Challenge:

To connect Afghan evacuees in Colorado to essential resources

Project Summary:

The Rose Community Foundation successfully connected government agencies, peer foundations, and nonprofit partners to provide support for Afghan evacuees. The Fund, which has received $1.18 million in donations to date, has supported local organizations working to welcome Afghan evacuees and connect them with resettlement services, mental health support, and legal services.

Partners:

Governor’s Office and the State of Colorado

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Project:

Elevated Chicago

Challenge:

To advance an equitable transit-oriented development agenda in Chicago, specifically by addressing a shortage of affordable housing in transit-rich communities and a large quantity of undeveloped land near transit in communities of color

Project Summary:

Elevated Chicago addresses displacement in communities of color triggered by disinvestment and gentrification. It has awarded over $1.5 million in grants to communityled, brick-and-mortar projects that seek to advance an equitable transit-oriented development (ETOD) agenda. These ETOD projects include affordable housing, commercial space, community centers, and health clinics. Elevated Chicago has also trained municipal leaders and residents in equitable development principles and has invested in initiatives such as walkability programs and green infrastructure. The project’s flagship achievements include partnering with the City of Chicago’s Departments of Housing (DOH) and Planning and Development (DPD) and the mayor’s policy office to create Chicago’s first ETOD Policy Plan in 2021, which led to the passage of the city’s first ETOD ordinance, “Connected Communities,” in 2022. Elevated Chicago’s advocacy has led to funding allocations of $800 million by DOH to support 18 affordable housing developments near transit hubs and $10 million in federal recovery funds by DPD to support ETOD grants and technical assistance.

Partners:

City of Chicago, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Chicago Transit Authority, SPARCC (Strong, Prosperous, And Resilient Communities Challenge), MacArthur Foundation, and numerous neighborhood-based organizations, among others

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Project:

Philanthropic-Municipal Strategic Partnerships

Challenge:

To advance municipal strategic partnerships with the public, private, and philanthropic sectors.

Project Summary:

The Office of Strategic Partnerships (“Office”) operates within the City of Jacksonville’s Office of the Mayor and is designed to facilitate cross-sector collaboration and joint investments. Jacksonville is the first Southeastern city in the United States to create such an office, following a recommendation from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Championing this strategy, the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida served as the fiscal agent for over 15 diverse funders, initially funding the Office. Since the Office’s launch in 2015, its impact has been significant, and the mayor fully funded and expanded it in 2019. The Office serves as a trusted source of information and leads the mayoral priority of aligning the public, private, and philanthropic sectors around common goals. It has transformed the relationship between the city and philanthropy, resulting in the development of civic assets, disaster response strategies, homelessness services, and housing initiatives that ensure equitable and shared prosperity for vulnerable populations. Together, the Office and its cross-sector partners identify strategic partnerships, provide data around programs and policy, and leverage opportunities that improve outcomes for residents.

Partners:

City of Jacksonville and other partners from the private, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors

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Project:

The L.A. County Center for Strategic Partnerships

Challenge:

To improve the safety and well-being of children and families in Los Angeles County

Project Summary:

In 2016, the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation (RMPF) partnered with Los Angeles County and numerous philanthropic peers to create the L.A. County Center for Strategic Partnerships (“Center”). The Center develops cross-sector collaborations that transform systems and improve outcomes for Los Angeles County’s children and families, with equity at its core. Jointly housed within both the County’s Chief Executive Office and Southern California Grantmakers, the Center creates bridges and builds trust between the public and philanthropic sectors, promoting strategies of shared innovation. The Center has overseen more than 55 initiatives to date, resulting in over $40 million in philanthropic investments toward systems innovations that improve the lives of tens of thousands of children, young people, and families in the region’s most disadvantaged communities, placing a special emphasis on economic opportunity, child and caregiver health and safety, racial equity, and housing access.

Partners:

Los Angeles County Chief Executive Office, Southern California Grantmakers, nearly two dozen charitable foundations

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