The most effective philanthropic strategies for improving water infrastructure to advance climate resilience and protect low-income communities from flooding include a full suite of capital tools including grants, program related investments, and market-rate investments, a report from Mission Point Partners and California Environmental Associates...

Increasing diversity in the teaching profession while simultaneously raising the selectivity of teacher preparation programs is not only possible but critical, a report from the Center for American Progress argues. The report, America Needs More Teachers of Color and a More Selective Teaching Profession, found that there is a growing gap between...

Official voter record websites for thirty-five states and the District of Columbia were vulnerable to “voter identity theft” attacks in 2016, a report from the Harvard University Institute for Quantitative Social Science finds. The report, Voter Identity Theft: Submitting Changes to Voter Registrations Online to Disrupt Elections, found that...

An integrated curriculum that simultaneously builds students' social, emotional, and academic understanding also tends to enhance their learning and acquisition of life skills, a case study from the Aspen Institute's National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development finds. The report, Putting It All Together (12 pages, PDF),...

More than halfway through 2017, two-thirds (67 percent) of Americans are getting at least some of their news via social media, up from 62 percent in 2016, a report from the Pew Research Center finds. Based on a survey of nearly five thousand U.S. adults, the report, News Use Across Social Media Platforms 2017 (17 pages, PDF), found that 55...

Although a vast majority of NGOs in India believe leadership development to be essential, little in the way of time and resources is being invested in such efforts, a report from the Bridgespan Group finds. Based on a survey of two hundred and fifty leaders from Indian NGOs and Indian offices of international NGOs, as well as interviews with...

The Affordable Care Act helped narrow racial/ethnic disparities in healthcare access on three key indicators between 2013 and 2015, an issue brief from the Commonwealth Fund finds. According to the brief, Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Access to Care: Has the Affordable Care Act Made a Difference? (14 pages, PDF), the percentage of...

Launched in 2006, the Skillman Foundation's ten-year, $100 million Good Neighborhoods Initiative succeeded in boosting education and community capacity in six neighborhoods, a comprehensive evaluation by the foundation finds. Based on nine individual evaluations focused on the initiative's efforts to improve school quality, strengthen community...

Efforts to improve social policy through philanthropic engagement with government requires patience and persistence, flexible funding, knowledge of what 501(c)(3) organizations can do legally to create a policy environment conducive to reform, and the courage to exploit those tools, a report from Atlantic Philanthropies and the Center for...

Exposing teenagers to the juvenile justice system for status offenses such as skipping school, running away from home, or violating a curfew disproportionately punishes underserved youth, who frequently experience bias and harsher discipline, and LGBT teens, a report from the Vera Institute of Justice finds. The report, Just Kids: When...

The gap in AP exam participation rates between rural students and their urban and suburban peers has narrowed over the past fifteen years, a report from the College Board and Education Commission of the States finds. The report, Advanced Placement Access and Success: How Do Rural Schools Stack Up? (12 pages, PDF), found that the percentage of...

State and local arts agencies, public arts funders, and united arts funds are experimenting with new strategies aimed at fostering a cultural community that reflects changing demographics, catalyzes innovation, supports equity, and ensures a robust donor base, a report from Grantmakers in the Arts finds. Based on interviews with sixteen leaders...

Rising inequality, stagnant wages, and persistent racial inequities have put the long-term future of the booming Bay Area economy at risk, a report from PolicyLink and the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) at the University of Southern California finds. Funded by the San Francisco Foundation, the report, An Equity Profile of...

A budget stalemate in Illinois that lasted more than two years has done long-term damage to the state's social service infrastructure, especially services for women and children, a report from the Chicago Foundation for Women, in partnership with Voices for Illinois Children and Loyola University Chicago’s Center for Urban Research and...