Grantmakers should openly share what they learn from performance assessments, program and grantee evaluations, communities of practice, discussions with stakeholders, and other research as an integral and strategic aspect of philanthropy, a report from GrantCraft, a service of Foundation Center, argues. Based on interviews with leaders in...

Although Boston Public Schools saw its four-year graduation rate jump from 57.9 percent in 2007 to 72.7 percent in 2017, and its annual dropout rate fall from 7.9 percent to 3.6 percent, many students still are not on track to graduate, a report by EY-Parthenon finds. Commissioned by the Barr Foundation, the report, Excellence and Equity for...

While the degree of racial/ethnic and economic segregation in Chicago is expected to decline between 2015 and 2030 — in part as a result of the growth of the city's Latinx, Asian-American, and multiracial populations — segregation in the region will remain high, a report from the Urban Institute finds. The report, The Cost of Segregation:...

States that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act have seen significant increases in Medicaid enrollment and large reductions in uninsured rates, especially in rural areas, a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds. Based on research and a comprehensive literature review, the report, Implications of the ACA Medicaid Expansion: A...

The most common roadblocks social impact organizations face during project implementation are those inadvertently caused by funders, a report from Open Road Alliance finds. Based on an analysis of more than a hundred applications for mid-implementation emergency grants and loans, the report, Roadblock Analysis Report (40 pages, PDF), found that...

Low-income families experience residential instability — even if they are not homeless — at high rates, often as a result of a combination of household characteristics, housing unit conditions, neighborhood dynamics, regional housing market dynamics, broader economic conditions, and/or local and federal policies, an issue brief from the Urban...

While arts groups led by people of color account for 18 percent of arts organizations in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, they received only 10 percent of public and private grant dollars in 2016, a report from the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council finds. Based on grants data and an online survey, the report, Racial Equity & Arts Funding in...

 Only 26 percent of working U.S. adults with college experience strongly agree that their education is relevant to their work and day-to-day life, a report from the Strada Education Network and Gallup finds. Based on a survey of more than a hundred and ten thousand people between the ages of 18 and 65, the report, From College to Life: Relevance...

Between 2013-14 and 2015-16, total global funding for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex communities increased $100 million, or 23 percent, a report from Funders for LGBTQ Issues finds. Based on more than 12,000 grants awarded by 511 foundations, intermediaries, and corporations and fifteen government and multilateral agencies, the...

Youth in the United States are disproportionately affected by gun violence, which has surpassed motor vehicle accidents as a leading cause of death for those between the ages of 15 and 29 and is second only to drug overdose, a report from the Center for American Progress finds. The report, America's Youth Under Fire: The Devastating Impact of Gun...

Efforts to support social, emotional, and academic development and to address racial equity cannot be pursued separately, as aspects of the two issues are mutually reinforcing, a report from the Aspen Institute argues. The report, Pursuing Social and Emotional Development Through a Racial Equity Lens: A Call to Action (12 pages, PDF), calls for...

Battery storage can jumpstart clean energy markets and support efforts to address climate change while promoting advances in public health, equity, and justice, a report from Clean Energy Group argues. Funded by the JPB, Kresge, and Surdna foundations, among others, the report, Jump Start: How Activists and Foundations Can Champion Battery...

The United States' overall readiness for managing health emergencies has been improving steadily since 2013, an assessment by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation finds. Based on indicators tied to health security and surveillance, community planning and engagement, incident and information management, healthcare delivery, countermeasure...

In general, private debt funds focused on social impact can offer impact investors stable returns, a report from the Global Impact Investing Network and Symbiotics finds. Based on an analysis of the aggregate performance since 2012 of fifty private debt impact funds (PDIFs) and more than a hundred community development loan funds (CDLFs), the...