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

We held AITF’s first in-person event since 2019 on November 3 in Philadelphia – The Power and Potential of Anchor Partnerships. This strategic dialogue hosted by the Netter Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania explored the role of multi-institutional anchor partnerships in equitable growth and racial equity. Entitled, “The Power and Potential of Anchor Partnerships”, the event helped set some direction for our understanding of these efforts, and their evolution and expansion. This gathering was an engaging opportunity to explore priority issues facing multi-institutional anchor partnerships. The roughly seventy attendees represented a wide array of fields and sectors. A smaller scale group representing various fields was by design for this meeting, which provided a useful opportunity for cross-sector dialogue. Thanks so much to all who were able to participate in the event. 

As we want to ensure that the entire AITF membership can benefit from this event’s content, here is the entire audio recording of our presentations and discussions during this stimulating experience (Passcode: jXQ%5i?Q).

Throughout 2022, AITF has been laying the groundwork to further explore and strengthen this next level of work in the anchor movement. The Anchor Partnerships Subgroup was formed at the beginning of the year. The group has eight members of partnerships/collaboratives/networks that participate in teams. Six of the Subgroup’s members presented on November 3. 

The teams in the Subgroup have been meeting on a quarterly basis to exchange lessons, ideas, and strategies with respect to how to sustain anchor partnerships over time, how to engage in mutually transformative partnerships that intentionally seek to assess and enhance anchor institutions’ policies and practices, and other matters.  

Looking forward, we hope to be more intentional about assisting in the creation of new multi-institutional anchor partnerships. We will also explore how to create useful tools that can benefit anchor partnerships and assist leaders representing various fields in how to collaborate across sectors in their localities.

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Webinar: Newark Anchor Collaborative: Promoting Racial Equity and Equitable Growth

One other upcoming resource regarding anchor partnerships is a webinar featuring the Newark Anchor Collaborative (NAC). NAC is one of the most compelling community partnerships created in recent years. NAC brings together various institutions of higher education, health institutions, cultural organizations, and corporations to strengthen Newark with an emphasis on equitable growth. Earlier this year, we shared a comprehensive case study on NAC.

The webinar will take place on March 9 at Noon Eastern. Register here.

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Also during 2022, AITF:

• Completed a first phase of resources to assist aspiring and existing anchor institution leaders in advancing AITF’s values internally in externally through our Leadership Guide. Our next phase will include voices and experiences from particular anchor leaders and their institutions.

• Engaged our second cohort of Anchor Fellows in dialogue and site visits, drawing upon the wisdom of existing anchor leaders in AITF’s membership. We also named the third cohort of Fellows, and look forward to working with them throughout 2023.

• Organized an important meeting furthering AITF’s commitment to racial justice and equity on reparations for higher education presidents and chancellors. This strategic dialogue and informational session was organized in collaboration with Higher Education for Reparations Engagement (HERE) and Crafting Democratic Futures (CDF) at the University of Michigan. AITF’s Higher Education Presidents’ Subgroup will continue this dialogue, and AITF will continue to collaborate on periodic learning sessions.

• Continued to share AITF’s policy brief and engage legislative staff on the alignment between policy intentions and the role of anchor institutions in helping to strengthen and reimagine communities through democratic collaboration. Stay tuned for the development of the next stage of AITF’s policy strategy in 2023.



• Amplified AITF’s voice and perspective globally through a June Global Forum in Dublin Ireland. AITF’s leadership was well represented among the event’s speakers, and a substantial number of attendees were AITF members.

Many more relevant conversations transpired throughout the year in AITF’s various Subgroups. Thanks to all AITF members for your important work. Best wishes for the holidays and the upcoming New Year. 

Nonprofit Institute Certificate Program, Netter Center – Dec 12-16

The Netter Center for Community Partnerships invites you to share the following information about its FREE accelerated Certificate Program that will give the tools needed to manage nonprofit or faith-based organizations more efficiently. This program will take place over the course of five days, and will feature workshops by local experts in the field of nonprofit management.

Monday, December 12th – Friday, December 16th

Classes are from 8:30AM – 4:30PM



To RSVP email Isabel Sampson-Mapp at sammapp@pobox.upenn.edu.

Anchored in Evidence: Showcasing Anchor Case Studies

Wednesday, 14 December 2022. 12:30 - 13:30

The event is for anyone responsible for, or interested in, anchor approaches to health. Attendees will leave with examples of anchor projects which can be adapted to their local context and inspiration for new areas of anchor work in their organization. If you have an example of work you'd like to share please fill in this form. You can register here.

Improving the Economic Health of a Community Through Supply Chain Purchasing Power - from AHRMM

Quarter 4 Issue - From a health care perspective, how can supply chain activities be more intentionally leveraged to support health care’s expanding community health mission and operational priorities around high quality and lower costs? An impact purchasing strategy that prioritizes the participation of diverse, sustainable, employeeowned, and other local and inclusive businesses, alleviates economic insecurity while addressing operational needs.

New Article: A Moment of Promise for the Community Schools Movement - from PHENND

November 29 - In this Spotlight Exclusive, Marcus Ransom, senior associate at Freedman Consulting, discusses the community schools movement and how the current academic landscape can better serve students and families, with support from government and philanthropy. In a recent article, Ransom highlighted the impact of the pandemic on educational achievement and student health and the game of catch-up schools must play in order to combat these regressive effects.

How Philips, HealthAlliance Health System Teamed Up to Bring Leading-edge Tech to Rural Communities - from Los Angeles Times

November 21 - A recent study published in JAMA Health Forum found that rural hospitals screened for a similar number of social determinants of health as urban hospitals but implemented fewer programs, interventions and community partnerships, a gap largely attributed to waning financial stability. Some organizations are attempting to reignite investment with a multi-pronged approach of improving rural facilities, boosting community partnerships and expanding virtual care.

New Legislation and Research Reaffirm the Importance of Regional Public Universities for Local Economies - from the Brookings Institution

November 18 - Regional public universities (RPUs) are public, four-year, community-oriented universities, and they have long been anchor institutions for regions across the nation. As our previous work has shown, the presence of a RPU in a community can help bolster employment growth and increase residents’ income and educational attainment. In recent months, policymakers and researchers have been increasingly recognizing the important role these universities play for communities. 

The Untapped Potential of Nonprofits to Provide Affordable Housing - from Governing

November 17 - For the past few years, Jabari Simama has worked as an adviser to nonprofits, faith-based institutions and historically Black colleges and universities interested in developing their properties for the greater good of the community. He argues that many of them want to develop their properties to help revitalize their communities. Partnering with them can be a challenge for governments, but there’s much they can do to help these institutions build capacity to help.

Where Higher Ed Should Be More Businesslike - from the Inside Higher ED

November 17 - John Waner argues in his book, Sustainable. Resilient. Free.: The Future of Public Higher Education, education is properly viewed as “infrastructure,” rather than merely a consumer good. Even if some disruptive technology appeared that provided a good-enough alternative to the current system when it comes to the credentialing function of postsecondary institutions, we should be very cautious about what would be lost should these institutions cease to exist.

St. Louis Anchor Action Network Marks First Anniversary by Setting Ambitious Goals for 2023 and Beyond  - from UMSL Daily

November 15 - Over the past year, a coalition of some of the St. Louis community’s largest corporations and organizations has worked to build a new framework for more equitable hiring, purchasing and investment practices throughout the region, with the hopes of fostering a future where everyone can thrive.

Libraries Under Attack - from WNYC Studios

November 12 - Emily Drabinski, the recently elected president of the American Library Association (ALA), talked with host Brooke Gladstone that libraries should focus on the ways that they remain important anchor institutions in their communities. They also speak about how libraries across the country are providing communities with far more than books: with public spaces and vital services, like diaper banks, COVID vaccine sites, internet hotspots, and workshops to apply for rental assistance. 

Universities Need to Rethink Efforts to Create Impact in Their Communities - from Policy Opinions

November 10 - The mission of today’s universities extends beyond teaching and research. Universities are “anchor institutions.” As such, they are expected to leverage their own economic power as well as their human and intellectual resources to improve health and well-being, and create value for society.