While homelessness in Portland, Oregon, and the surrounding four counties declined 29 percent between 2009 and 2015, it increased between 2015 and 2017, with the number of the chronically homeless gradually edging up since 2007, a report commissioned by the Oregon Community Foundation finds. Written by EcoNorthwest, the report, Homelessness in...

Launched in 2008 as a three-year initiative at the Open Society Foundations before becoming an independent organization in 2015, the Campaign for Black Male Achievement has leveraged $320 million in national and local investments over the past decade in support of efforts to improve the well-being of and life outcomes for African-American boys...

The power of effective mentoring in providing junior researchers of color the support they need to thrive will be fully realized only when the institutional climate also changes, a report from the W.T. Grant Foundation finds. Based on insights from grantees of the foundation’s mentoring program, the report, Moving It Forward: The Power of...

The U.S. energy sector employed 6.56 million people in 2017, with the largest number, some 2.25 million people, employed in the energy efficiency subsector, a report from the Energy Futures Initiative and the National Association of State Energy Officials finds. Funded in part by the Barr Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the Nathan...

Although indigenous issues cut across many program areas, including culture, education, health, and sustainable development, most funders that currently support indigenous communities do so through their environmental, human rights, and international development programs, a report from GrantCraft, a service of Foundation Center, in partnership...

The number of elementary and secondary school students who have access to high-speed Internet has increased by 40.7 million over the last five years, with 98 percent of public school districts now meeting the FCC’s minimum standard of 100 kbps per student, a report from EducationSuperHighway finds. At the same time, the report, 2018 State of...

In Chicago, where homicide is the leading cause of death among African-American boys and men between the ages of 15 and 34, the experience of being the victim of a violent crime — or knowing one — combined with a lack of trust in the ability of the police to protect neighborhoods often motivates young men to carry guns, a report from the...

Americans are highly engaged in the arts and believe strongly that they promote personal well‐being, contribute to our understanding of other cultures, are essential to a well‐rounded education, and that government has an important role to play in funding them. Based  on a survey of more than three thousand Americans, the report, Americans...

Actively engaging local youth and empowering them to design and program a community space can foster economic opportunities and enhance perceptions of neighborhood safety, a report from the Urban Institute finds. Supported by ArtPlace America and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the report, Empowering Young People to Make Their Place: A...

Nearly a third (31 percent) of all Californians and almost half (47 percent) of the state’s workers are "working poor," a report commissioned from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) by the James Irvine Foundation finds. Based on the institute's 2018 California Workers Survey of more than thirty-three hundred California residents,...

A year after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, residents of the island are still struggling with the storm's impact on their housing, finances, and mental and physical health, a survey by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and the Washington Post finds. Based on face-to-face interviews, the report, Views and Experiences of Puerto Ricans One...

Funder collaboratives require a serious investment of time and resources by participating funders in order to be effective, a case study from the Bridgespan Group finds. The report, Collaborating Towards Kindergarten Readiness at Scale: A Funder Group Case Study (17 pages, PDF), examines how twelve foundations led by the David and Lucile Packard...

While arts funding plays an important role in fostering cultural activity and economic vitality, structural challenges and limitations need to be addressed, a report from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation finds. The report, The Arts: Making Meaning – A Synthesis of Conversations with Creative Leaders (7 pages, PDF), highlights...

A handful of impact investors have begun to create products, raise capital, and make new investments that directly target progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals, a report from the Global Impact Investing Network finds. The report, Financing the Sustainable Development Goals: Impact Investing in Action (28 pages, PDF), found that these...