Welcome to this July issue of 2022 AITF News. As usual, feel free to share your thoughts on how AITF can be a useful resource.

The emergence of multi-institutional anchor partnerships has been one of the most important developments in our field in recent years. These formations, which engage anchor institutions across fields in collaboration in the communities, along with various community partners and local governments, have been gradually surfacing in cities and regions. 

Earlier this year, AITF created an Anchor Partnerships Subgroup in order to provide a learning community for representatives of anchor partnerships (aka collaboratives or networks). Eight different partnerships are currently participating in this subgroup: Central Corridor Anchor Partnership (Minneapolis, MN), Denver Anchor Network, Near West Side Partners (Milwaukee, WI), Newark Anchor Collaborative (Newark, NJ), a Philadelphia, PA collaborative yet to be named, St. Petersburg Anchor Institutions Initiative (St. Petersburg, FL), Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (Hartford, CT), and Tacoma Anchor Network (Tacoma, WA).

One of these collaborative initiatives, the Newark Anchor Collaborative (NAC) (co-chaired by Rutgers University-Newark Chancellor and AITF Advisory Council Co-Chair, Nancy Cantor and Prudential Foundation President, Shané Harris) is featured in a new publication.

We are pleased to share with you this case study on NAC’s work and evolution: Newark Anchor Collaborative Case Study.

NAC serves as an expansive community of practice including numerous institutions across sectors. NAC now has eighteen members representing higher education, health care, arts and culture, and various corporate industries. This effort has created thousands of jobs for Newark residents in a few years.

It has been gratifying to see greater attention to racial equity and racial justice in our field. NAC has been a leader in this regard, having named racial equity as a signature initiative. Beyond forging a racial equity strategy for NAC as a whole, NAC members are assessing their own levels of commitment to racial equity in order to help guide their institutional transformation into the future. As you know, AITF promotes mutually transformative partnerships that are not only designed to lead to community change. In order to be truly democratic and collaborative anchor institutions, they must be willing to adapt and change themselves. NAC’s racial equity work has been establishing an important example of a process designed to assist anchors in measuring and revising internal priorities.

Stay tuned for more updates on NAC as well as other anchor partnerships participating in our anchor partnerships subgroup. You will also hear more on additional programming highlighting the important opportunities presented by the proliferation and evolution of anchor partnerships. 

Webinar: Universities as Anchor Institutions Report 

Inyathelo recently held a webinar on Universities as Anchor Institutions on 5 July 2022. This introductory webinar launched a concept paper on anchor universities in South Africa. The research paper, developed by Dr. Samuel Fongwa from the Human Science Research Council speaks to the conception of Anchor Institutions in a South African context.

Anchor Learning Network Continues To Advance Anchor Mission Across Coalition

Earlier this month, CUMU and the Health Anchor Network hosted the Anchor Learning Network (ALN) Virtual Action Summit. Over 30 ALN members from 17 CUMU member institutions joined us for the summit to advance the anchor mission within our institutions, in home communities, and across the higher education sector while shaping the future of our network.

TGH’s Medical District to Have $8.3B Statewide Impact - from Catalyst

July 21 - Tampa General Hospital, a pillar in the health care community and known as the area’s only Level 1 trauma center, is in the midst of creating a medical district – one that will bring monumental investments and establish a true world-class clinical destination. It showed that once completed, the total economic impact of the Tampa Medical and Research District (TMD) is over $6.4 billion each year in the Tampa metro (MSA). Of this total, $3.5 billion (or 55%) is due to direct economic effects, with $2.9 billion attributable to indirect and induced economic effects. The TMD will support over 41,500 local jobs and 57,900 jobs throughout the state.

Local Libraries Lead the Way in Creating Green Infrastructure - from VPM

July 14 - Across the Richmond region, many libraries have — or are on the way to having — spaces devoted to helping ease issues affecting the environment. Where nondescript shrubs and plants once stood, now sit pollinator gardens, bee-bait boxes and native plants, surrounding soil laid carefully to absorb stormwater runoff. 

Leveraging the Power of Health Care Spending to Build Community Wealth in Brooklyn - from GothamGazette

July 14 - As leaders of two of Brooklyn’s largest health systems – representing six hospitals, employing almost 14,000 individuals, and with combined non-personnel spending of over $655M per year – we understand firsthand the role healthcare institutions play in supporting the health and wealth of our communities. This is why we have made an unprecedented commitment to procure 10% of our non-clinical goods and services from local minority- and women-owned businesses (MWBEs) by 2030.

University Expertise Helps Region's Businesses to Thrive - from Lancashire Business View

July 13 - Experts at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in Preston, UK have provided tailored support to hundreds of local small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in recent years. Sue Smith, Professor of Innovation and Enterprise, says: “SMEs are the backbone of our country’s economy and universities like ourselves have much to offer across all sectors. Adding demonstrable value to the region’s SMEs and supporting student enterprise are key priorities that we are committed to as a civic university and anchor institution.”

RWJBarnabas Launches BuyLocal Online Platform - from New Jersey Business Magazine

July 11 - As part of its ongoing commitment to social impact and community investment, RWJBarnabas Health has launched an online platformm designed to increase opportunities for certified local- and diverse-owned businesses in New Jersey to work directly with RWJBarnabas Health and its facilities. To date, more than 200 eligible businesses have registered.

Higher Education Institutions Are Anchors for Democracy - from University World News

July 5 - Without higher education’s commitment and leadership, we will not have real democracy. This was the primary conclusion of the Global Forum on Higher Education Leadership for Democracy, Sustainability and Social Justice held at Dublin City University in June. The need for higher education institutions to develop deep, democratic, transparent relationships with their neighbours was a central theme of the forum. Working with their communities and functioning as democratic anchor institutions that value and incorporate local knowledge and expertise was discussed as a way to advance democracy and equitable development, as well as make increased contributions to research, teaching and learning.

Community Nonprofits Are Our Insurance Policy for Families - from Spotlight on Poverty & Opportunity

June 29 - Community-based nonprofit organizations, such as food banks, community health centers, and Community Action Agencies assist families all over the country in ways that do not necessarily depend on state or federal programs, though they often tap those resources in their work. These nonprofit organizations can connect families with supports provided by state agencies, such as assisting with complicated applications for governmental programs. Many offer direct aid of their own, such as with food or housing. These organizations also can be effective in reaching marginalized communities, such as immigrants, whether to enroll their children in Head Start or to ensure they receive tax benefits for which they are eligible.

Using Technology to Get the Most Out of Community Health Needs Assessments - from HealthLeaders

June 29 - CHRISTUS Health is looking to make a difference beyond the hospital walls by using technology to understand the social determinants of health and lived experiences of both patients and employees.