The last three years have been quite eventful in localities and globally. AITF and many other organizations were challenged to pivot in the midst of a pandemic and the shift toward virtual work. The field promoting the role of anchor institutions in strengthening communities has felt more justified as, especially underserved constituencies, in localities were confronted with widening inequities that required intervention from anchors. AITF served as an important resource in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and produced numerous publications on the valuable role that anchor institutions were playing in their localities during the height of the pandemic.  

AITF’s subgroups continued to function as communities of practice providing supportive learning spaces for peer groups within our broader membership. We highlighted and reaffirmed the significance of multi-institutional anchor partnerships with the development of our Anchor Partnerships Subgroup, bringing together cross-sector collaborations from various localities. Leadership has been a major point of emphasis in AITF’s work. We started to produce a publication series on leadership and continued to create cohorts of future anchor institution leaders through our Anchor Fellows Program. AITF developed a smaller-scale format for in person events and organized numerous webinars. Overall, AITF continued to evolve and expand its breadth and reach nationally and globally.

Looking ahead to the next three years, AITF will:

• Continue to prioritize leadership and how to sustain a commitment to AITF’s values over time in communities and within anchor institutions;
• Promote and support the power and potential of multi-institutional, cross-sector anchor partnerships;
• Highlight and refine our understanding of effective ways to forge and maintain trusted democratic partnerships that appreciate and are informed by community voices;
• Encourage and bolster cross-sector community-based anchor strategies, centering schools, that lead to stronger educational and career pathways across the entire continuum from early childhood to careers, and ultimately greater social and economic mobility and more equitable communities;
• Raise awareness about anchor institutions’ unique contributions to their communities and potential as change agents, including influencing policymakers at various levels of government;
• Emphasizing the role and possibility of anchor institutions in building public trust in civic institutions in their localities in the midst of divisive political and social contexts;
• Alongside these strategic directions, AITF will continue to prioritize and demonstrate AITF’s values - a commitment to place, democracy and democratic practice, collaboration, social justice and equity – with continued attention to the significance of racial equity and racial justice. 

Prioritizing Equity Video Series - Anchor strategy: A place-based approach for health equity



The Prioritizing Equity series illuminates how COVID-19 and other determinants of health uniquely impact marginalized communities, public health and health equity, with an eye on both short-term and long-term implication.

Webinar Recording:

Design and Development of Mixed-Use Health Districts

This webinar featured experts on how hospital-oriented development works, and how it can benefit cities. Ben Schulman of the Memphis Medical District Collaborative, Erik Aulestia of Torti Gallas + Partners, and Joanna Lombard of the University of Miami, had an in-depth discussion exploring the latest thinking on this topic.

University of California Awards More than $80 Million in State-Funded Grants to Spur Climate Action - from University of California

August 23 - As part of a historic partnership between the University of California and the state of California, the University announced it is awarding over $80 million in climate action grants. The California Climate Action Seed Grants and Matching Grants will fund 38 projects that collectively involve more than 130 community, industry, tribal, and public agencies, as well as 12 University of California (UC) locations, 11 California State University (CSU) campuses and two private universities. 

Barcelona Community Resource Named World’s Best New Public Library - from The Guardian

August 22 - A Barcelona library specializing in Latin American literature has been named the best new public library in the world by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions at its congress in Rotterdam. In awarding the prize, the jury praised both its architecture and its innovative approach to encouraging local people to use the resource, the interaction between staff and the local community, the flexibility of the spaces and services, the commitment to learning and the sustainability of the building.

The Potential of Mixed-use Health Districts - from CNU

August 11 - Hospitals are economic anchors in both large cities and smaller communities, employing 6.7 million people and generating $900 billion in revenue a year, nationwide. Hospitals large and small, working alone and collectively, are beginning to adopt a more urbanist approach that has potential to transform cities and towns—much like transit-oriented development of 20 years ago.

Are Anchor Institutions the Forgotten Piece of BEAD? - from Fierce Telecome

August 9 - As state leaders forge proposals for Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding local stakeholders are imploring them not to forget about the role of community anchor institutions (CAI). “If you're building out to those unserved homes, and there are anchor institutions, you might as well connect the anchors while you're there,” said John Windhausen, founder and executive director of the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition.

Harvard, Axim Partner with UNCF to Build Digital Platform for Historically Black Colleges and Universities - from The Harvard Crimson

August 5 - Harvard is collaborating with the United Negro College Fund and Axim Collaborative to develop HBCU Virtual, a new platform to support digital learning and educational access for historically Black colleges and universities.

Can Free Public Libraries Catalyse Communities? - from idr

August 3 - India reportedly has 54,856 public libraries (although there is no definitive source and data differs depending on where one looks), but many suffer from systemic neglect. Free public library can emerge as that third place between home and work—for people to gather, socialize, and actively build community life. This means the library has a huge role to play for non-readers too.