Posts by Community Progress
Why Investing in Communities Matters More than Ever in the Time of Coronavirus (Webinar)
Get answers! The COVID-19 pandemic is emerging as not just a health crisis but as a community crisis. What is the role of community development investment and cross-sector partnership with healthcare in strengthening resilience and equity in our post-COVID-19 world? Dr. Akilah Watkins-Butler, CEO and President for the Center for Community Progress will join Build Healthy…
Read MoreNew Podcast: Community Progress CEO Shares on Leadership During COVID-19 & the “Existential Threat” to Nonprofits
How are nonprofit leaders across the United States “holding it together” during the COVID-19 pandemic? Authors and producers of Nonprofit Quarterly’s TinySpark Podcast, Amy Costello, and Frederica Boswell, recently took on the topic engaging senior-leaders across the country to better understand how the public health crisis is impacting non-profits today. Dr. Akilah Watkins-Butler, CEO and…
Read MoreProblem to Purpose: The Drug Activity Answer for One Lansing Neighborhood, Get Creative
Empty lots are open opportunities – for safety threats or community innovation. Pegasus Garden, located in the Prospect PLACE neighborhood in Lansing, Michigan, is a great example of what happens when communities choose option two.
Read MoreCommunity Progress Announces Upcoming Webinars Focused on Preventing Post-COVID-19 Vacancy
Over the last 30-days we’ve watched the COVID-19 health crisis forever change the fabric of this country. The lives of millions of Americans have been impacted and the need for equity will grow exponentially. As communities are grappling with the immediate health, social, and economic impacts of this unprecedented pandemic, municipal leaders are trying to…
Read MoreProblem to Purpose: Placemaking Brings Community Healing for Residents Impacted by Substance Abuse
Today’s opioid epidemic has become “the worst public health crisis in Pennsylvania,” according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. On average, 10 Pennsylvanians lose their lives to a substance abuse disorder each day. Hinge Collective principals, Alexa Bosse and Ari Miller, are working to find new ways to fight Philadelphia’s challenge through a creative placemaking solution…
Read MoreCritical COVID-19 Opportunities for Communities Combatting Vacancy
As America actively battles one of history’s most impactful public health crises, the necessity of community development work and urgent help for communities in need is growing exponentially. As with every widespread American emergency, COVID-19 presents us with both real dangers, and real opportunities to advance equity, stability, and more just communities. As we all…
Read MoreA Word From Our CEO
Dear Fellow Impact Makers, We are in a pivotal moment. Too often in our history, crises like the current COVID-19 pandemic have been followed by profound inaction and avoidable missteps that we only acknowledged and addressed in retrospect. Yet, we know better. We know that the collaborative spirit of communities, nonprofits, and funders drove innovation…
Read MoreCommunity Development Is Crucial in This Moment
The pandemic is highlighting the crucial necessity of community developers’ work. Here’s what the field will need to play its part in the recovery. One month ago, when I began the first draft of this article, the world was drastically different. Well before we became part of this new reality, I felt an urgency to reflect…
Read MoreA Love Letter to the Next Decade of Community Development (from Shelterforce)
I’m in love. When you wake up every day knowing that what you do helps improve people’s lives and where they live, it’s one of the best feelings on earth. After witnessing years of hollow promises from political and business leaders who promised to “make communities better,” I get a deep satisfaction from being a…
Read MoreProblem to Purpose: From Landlord Neglect to a Circus for Youth
Newburgh’s Creative Solutions to the Vacancy and Deterioration Challenge Kids flying through the air on isn’t uncommon in one community north of New York City. There, residents and leaders converted a vacant lot owned by a negligent landlord into what’s known today at the Zip Zap Circus — a circus for social change that works…
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