The Casey Foundation's Investment in Community Change
Our Vision: Improving the quality of the environments in which vulnerable children and families live can make a measurable difference in their ability to succeed.
Data show that the nation’s most vulnerable children and families live in fewer than 700 disinvested inner-city neighborhoods and declining rural regions across the country. Despite some signs of improvement in economic conditions for families across the country, perisistant and widening gaps in income, employment, assets, and school success continue to exist. Far too many families are cut off from the opportunities and supports they need to succeed -- both as parents and in the workforce.
Casey’s two-generation approach seeks to change the futures for large numbers of at-risk kids by finding ways to help their parents succeed in the present. We know that kids do well when their families do well and families do better when they live in supportive neighborhoods and communities. That is why we are committed to improving the environment in these neighborhoods so that families can connect to economic opportunity, social networks, and reliable services and supports.
One of the most important goals of our place-based investments is to connect families to pathways – supported by strong and innovative local partnerships -- that lead to increased earnings, savings, social networks, and school success. Casey’s Community Change investments, such as our Making Connections initiative and our Civic Sites, seek to strengthen communities and families by:
- Linking adults to jobs and financial education to create family economic success;
- Building a skilled workforce to attract industry, developers, and partners;
- Connecting families to strong social groups: neighborhood associations, congregations, civic clubs;
- Mobilizing parents and residents to take responsible leadership actions;
- Locating high-quality services close to home: health care, child care, education opportunities, crisis assistance;
- Preparing children to enter school ready to learn and succeed; and
- Leveraging resources from partners at the local, state, and national levels.
Results from our place-based work demonstrate a different and better way for communities to improve outcomes for vulnerable kids and families. They are providing local leaders, elected officials, faith and community-based organizations, service providers, and others with the evidence they need to advocate much more effectively than before for practices and policies that strengthen families and improve outcomes for disadvantaged children.
The Foundation’s community change work is also supported through collaboration with numerous national family and youth serving organizations, and partnerships with the National Governor’s Association, National Conference of State Legislators, U.S. Conference of Mayors, and other policy and advocacy organizations across the county.
Casey Funding in Action
- Making Connections San Antonio used a Casey investment made to Accion Texas, a national nonprofit working with small business, to expand and create small businesses within the Making Connections San Antonio community. Through micro-enterprise loans, San Antonio projects the creation of 525 new jobs over the next five years. This is an important job creation strategy considering 80 percent of all businesses within this community have fewer than eight employees. Accion established offices in the Making Connections neighborhoods to offer comprehensive counseling services to existing and potential small business owners.
- The East Baltimore Redevelopment Initiative is a project designed to rebuild East Baltimore and create better circumstances for resident families and children. East Baltimore Development Inc., the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Johns Hopkins, the City of Baltimore, and the state of Maryland are the lead partners in this initiative working to create new homes, new jobs, and a more vibrant community for East Baltimore residents. Casey involvement includes helping residents become active contributors to the relocation plan. More than a dozen organizations have joined us in supporting the relocation and family-strengthening efforts. For example, JP Morgan Chase developed the Chase Home Ownership Academy for family financial education and the State of Maryland provided funding for housing tax credits and loans. Survey results from relocated residents show that over 80 percent feel they are better off in relation to housing, neighborhood quality, and safety.
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