Dear Colleague,

• Join us in person or via webcast November 18 from 1 to 3 pm Eastern Time when Democracy Collaborative Research Associate Sarah McKinley and I present the findings of our new report, the Anchor Dashboard, at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Charles Rutheiser of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and HUD officials from the Office of University Partnerships will also participate in the dialogue on how anchor institutions can consciously assess their impact on low-income communities. Last month, the Dashboard was the conversation centerpiece at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s Redefining “Rust Belt” four-city videoconference. Democracy Collaborative Research Director Steve Dubb presented the Dashboard at The Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities’ annual conference and I presented the paper at the Municipal Arts Society Summit for New York City and at the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City’s Inner City Economic Summit in Cleveland.

• Save the date for December 4 at 2:30pm EST when the Democracy Collaborative and Community Catalyst host a webinar on the opportunities that new Community Health Needs Assessment requirements create for hospitals to promote community revitalization. Democracy Collaborative research associate David Zuckerman will participate along with representatives from the national healthcare advocacy organization Community Catalyst, Indianapolis-based Community Health Network, and the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition.  

• The New York Times recently profiled Richmond, Virginia’s bold community wealth building program, the Maggie L. Walker Initiative for Fighting Poverty and Expanding Opportunity. Mayor Dwight Jones has committed to develop unique strategies and policies to create jobs, provide workforce education, foster inclusive and healthy communities, build assets, and promote equitable transit throughout the greater Richmond area.

• Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore will host Marga's annual Anchor Institutions Task Force conference on December 10. For the first time, there will be a plenary meeting featuring healthcare institutions, which will discuss their strategies for building community wealth. Other participants include experts from the White House Domestic Policy Council, The Chicago Community Trust, and other leading community-based organizations and anchor institutions. Register here for this free event.

• In a Truthout op-ed, Democracy Collaborative co-founder Gar Alperovitz and Senior Researcher Thomas Hanna discuss the challenge of sustaining and building participatory decision-making structures and organizations, highlighting the recent bankruptcy filing of Fagor Electrodomésticos Group, the principle company of the Mondragon Corporation. Gar also answered questions about his book What Then Must We Do? as part of a Reddit AMA. He further discusses elements of rebuilding US local economies in his article, "How to Democratize the US Economy," which we have profiled in more detail below.