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

The Anchor Institutions Task Force is at an important moment in its development, as a portfolio of programs continues to grow and evolve.  AITF conversations and initiatives are grappling with some important questions and concerns as we imagine the contributions of anchor institutions as we continue to advance during unstable times.  

How do we bring about meaningful and comprehensive mutually transformative change in localities?

An increasing number of leaders in this field are concluding that cross sector, multi-institutional partnerships are required in order to bring about more substantial change in localities. Last month, AITF launched an Anchor Partnerships Subgroup in which eight collaborative initiatives from across the U.S. are embarking on learning exchange to enhance their respective efforts. These different efforts are participating in representative teams that include institutional partners. This blend is already enabling rich communication across higher education, health care, government, the arts, business, and philanthropy. In addition to the Subgroup, we are organizing a convening on anchor partnerships to take place in Philadelphia on November 3.  

While we recognize the importance of coordinating the ecosystem of organizations and anchors in localities, we are also continually reminded of the interconnected blend of issues that define our opportunities and realities. Our Health Professionals Subgroup was emphasizing the social determinants of health before the COVID-19 pandemic. At this point, the importance of a comprehensive lens to understanding health outcomes is more apparent than ever. Our Education Subcommittee has been collectively refining strategies to increase social mobility – a reality that is also influenced by multiple issues from housing to food security to household income, and on. The Economic Development Professionals Subgroup members have also been discussing multi-institutional and multi-issue strategies in their communities.

How can we expand the incentives that enable these levels of collaboration and engagement as well as sustain the work over time? 

Much of AITF’s recent work has emphasized sustaining the work over time inside and outside of anchor institutions. The Higher Education Presidents’ Subgroup has been particularly influential in this regard, as it created the Anchor Fellows Program, which continues to progress. We continue to develop a guide for existing and future anchor leaders.  

AITF’s policy work seeks to increase attention to the role of anchor institutions in reimagining and rebuilding communities in the wake of the pandemic. We will see stronger and more sustained anchor institution partnerships when they are more consistently supported with policy.  

What is the contribution of anchor institutions to racial equity in their localities?

AITF’s increased emphasis on racial equity and racial justice is particularly significant.  Any of the particular issues – health, education, housing, employment – that arise in anchor institution-community partnerships have a racial dimension. Therefore, it is paramount that an explicit emphasis on race is incorporated into the overall thinking about the policies and practices of particular anchor institutions and the local policy discourse and action in communities.  

AITF has been in communication with some initiatives in higher education that have been directly addressing historical racial inequities, such as Higher Education for Reparations Engagement (HERE) and Crafting Democratic Futures through the Center for Social Solutions at the University of Michigan. These efforts are encouraging important community-based dialogues that expand awareness of historical atrocities and help shape strategies that expand racial equity, racial justice, and racial healing going forward. AITF is working with these efforts to expand the network of anchor leaders engaged in these conversations and strategies.

How This School Went from the Brink of Closure to a 95% Graduation Rate

This ten-minute documentary-style film features the University-Assisted Community School (UACS) partnership involving UPenn's Netter Center for Community Partnerships and Paul Robeson High School. This partnership was chosen to illustrate the potential of UACS for reimagining and significantly changing education for the better. The benefits of this UACS partnership to both the Robeson community and UPenn students, faculty, and staff have been powerful, and many are featured here.

Apply to Join the 2023 Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity Cohort

The application for our 2023 Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity cohort is now open. The application will close on May 1, 2022 11:59pm EDT. We are looking for leaders who have the courage and compassion to confront life-limiting disparities in health. Fellows will be selected based on demonstrated commitment in the area of health equity and leadership potential.

In-Person Event: Accelerating Health Equity Conference

As part of the American Hospital Association, ACHI and IFDHE are bringing together hospitals, health systems, public health, and community organizations to share considerable expertise, tested tools and resources, and success stories to help the field improve health and well-being for all people.



Join us in Cleveland on May 10-12, 2022. Registration will open in February 2022.

New Book: The Community’s College: The Pursuit of Democracy, Economic Development, and Success

The diverse narratives captured in The Community’s College demonstrate the ways in which community colleges continue to serve as powerful catalysts for social and economic mobility, not only for the students whose stories are told here, but for their families and the communities in which they are located.

Recording: Meeting the Moment: University-School Partnerships to Address Pandemic Challenges – February 8 from PHENND

On January 24, 2022, as a part of Penn’s MLK Symposium on Social Change, PHENND, the Netter Center for Community Partnerships and the African-American Resource Center sponsored a webinar, “Meeting the Moment: University-School Partnerships to Address Pandemic Challenges.”

View the recording here.

How Universities Can Support Equitable Economic Development - from Inside HigherEd

March 28 - To you and me, colleges and universities are first and foremost providers of advanced learning and credentials. But to towns, cities and states where these institutions are located, higher education is, along with health care, a primary driver of human capital formation, workforce development and economic growth.

Libraries Strengthen Their Communities during National Library Week - from SUN-GAZETTE

March 26 - The theme for National Library Week 2022, “Connect with Your Library,” promotes the idea that libraries are places to get connected to technology by using broadband, computers, and other resources. Libraries also offer opportunities to connect with media, programs, ideas, and classes — in addition to books. Most importantly libraries also connect communities to each other.

N.H. Librarians Learn How to Lead Community Conversations that Go Beyond the Book - from New Hampshire Public Radio

March 21 - New Hampshire Listens, a civic engagement initiative that helps New Hampshire residents work together to create communities that work for everyone, hosted a recent training designed to give librarians across the state the tools they need to facilitate better community conversations in all kinds of contexts.

How an Ohio Children’s Hospital Built Trust, Fulfilled Promises — and Improved Housing and Health in Its Communities - from American Hospital Association

March 17 - Nationwide Children’s Hospital is now implementing what we believe is a truly neighborhood-driven and co-designed community investment initiative in Columbus, Ohio.

How Phoenix’s Growing Diversity Is Expressed through Art - from Downtown Devil

February 22 - With this growth of foreign-born citizens, Phoenix organizations are using arts in a variety of mediums to represent those individuals. One way is through performance art and expression, both of which are key elements to live theater at the Phoenix Theater Company. The company has implemented several procedures to ensure inclusivity and diversity within its programs. The theatre specializes in performing arts, and the Heard Museum is another stage for diverse arts, and reflects Native American culture through its historical exhibits.

5 Building Blocks to Help Achieve Greater Health Equity - from The Brookings Institution

February 22 - In the authors' work examining health care and social determinants of health, they have encountered several examples of initiatives that should be considered as deliberate approaches to help improve health care and mitigate inequities in health. One example of those approaches is partnering with community assets such as religious institutions, public libraries, etc. Many hospital systems now recognize that working closely with religious centers is an effective way of building trust in communities and increasing the level of care delivered.

Paper: Regional Public Universities Make Local Economies More Resilient - from Illinois News Bureau



February 21 - Regional economies are routinely subject to the whims of the business cycle that can lead to job losses and lower incomes for residents when a recession hits or an industry declines. But new research co-written by a team of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign economists finds that counties that also are home to a regional public university are better able to withstand adverse economic shocks than other similar counties.

Report Highlights UChicago's Economic and Social Impact across Chicago - from UChicago News



February 17 -  In an effort to shed light on the spectrum of UChicago’s outward-facing programs, initiatives and opportunities, the University created a report that highlights its annual economic and social impact on the city. Entitled “Our Commitment to Chicago,” the report highlights the University’s long-term contributions in several areas: COVID-19 community response and support, educational programs, medical care and health promotion, urban research, civic infrastructure, public safety, jobs and economic benefits, and direct payments to the city.

Community Wealth Building Can Play a Key Role in Tackling Poverty in Northern Ireland - from VIEW Digital



February 15 - Destitution and poverty in Northern Ireland is predicted to soar. Now more than ever as well as helping people mitigate poverty, we need to take a solution-focused approach to preventing poverty. Community Wealth Building (CWB) is a common sense approach to local economic development that ensures the wealth in a place is kept circulating and working for the community rather than leaking away. Local public anchor institutions such as councils and universities are key to CWB.

Anchor Institutions: Innovating through Partnership in Challenging Times - from NHS Confederation



February 7 - Legislative changes provide a golden opportunity to support and enable anchor approaches. But will we seize the opportunity? Collaboration between anchors themselves and other local partners will be key to success. 

Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction: Library Community Engagement Projects Bring Communities Together during Pandemic - from WisPolitics.com



February 3 - A statewide community engagement training program provided a pathway for public libraries and local partners to work together to meet community needs. The Wisconsin Libraries Transforming Communities 2020-2021 Final Report and Evaluation released today shares the outcomes of the 18-month program developed in partnership with the American Library Association.

Philly’s Universities and Hospitals Should Spend More with Black- and Brown-owned Enterprises, Mayor Kenney Says - from The Philadelphia Inquirer



February 2 - Mayor Jim Kenney and two city councilmembers on Tuesday challenged the city’s “anchor” institutions — influential organizations such as hospitals, universities, or government agencies with roots in Philadelphia — to spend an additional $75 million this year on contracts with local Black and brown businesses.

Prudential’s Unique Partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities - from New Jersey Business Today



January 31 - Newark-based Prudential Financial has a long history of supporting HBCUs and its students through recruiting, financial contributions and more. The company’s latest efforts focus on strengthening HBCUs’ capacity and assisting students with funding through a recent round of more than $3 million in grants. But its innovative strategy goes far beyond writing a check. Employees are lending their expertise and experience to these institutions, too.

Lessons from Award-Winning Hospital-Community Partnerships - from Shelterforce



January 26 - Annapolis, Maryland. The American Hospital Association (AHA) recently recognized Luminis Health's COVID-19 Community Prevention Program as one of its 2021 Dick Davidson NOVA Awardees. “We went door-to-door and spread the message about basic COVID prevention measures,” says Christine Crabbs, Luminis’ director of community health. “We delivered bags with prevention information, phone numbers to call for care, and soap, detergent, and masks.”

Can a Foundation Collaborative Advance Economic and Racial Justice? - from The Nonprofit Quarterly (NPQ)



January 25 - There was a pre-COVID shift in the community foundation's philosophy towards collaborative strategies to in addressing structural racism and advance social and economic mobility, and the COVID has accelerated it. But community foundations are both part of the problem and part of the solution, and dismantling structural racism is a long process that is going to take decades.