Photo by Mark Ostow. Angelique Santiago at Cafe Zing.
As we tackle our strategic goals of economic mobility and social cohesion in Cambridge, two new partnerships with the Barr Foundation and CFLeads are deepening our work through research support, technical assistance, and access to a cohort of community foundations across the state and country working on similar challenges.
As a member of the Barr Foundation’s Creative Commonwealth Initiative (CCW), we are part a select group of eight Massachusetts community foundations providing resources and support to build and strengthen the arts and culture strategy in their communities. We also recently joined CFLeads’ Economic Mobility Action Network (EMAN), a year-long learning network of 20 community foundations across the country who are building Economic Mobility Action Plans and we’re among 10 community foundations in the EMAN Advanced Cohort.
“We’re thrilled to partner with CCW and EMAN, working alongside some of the most innovative community foundations in our state and country,” said President Geeta Pradhan. “These partnerships will help us shape, refine, and execute our ambitious strategic goals to further economic mobility and strengthen social cohesion in Cambridge. We look forward to maximizing the resources provided through these unique networks and pouring them back into our community.”
Both partnerships are exciting steps in our strategy launched last year to reduce economic disparities and strengthen community bonds, because we know economic mobility and social cohesion are inextricably linked. Where social cohesion exists, economic mobility thrives.
The programs were designed with the belief that community foundations are catalysts for positive change. As place-based philanthropies with deep local knowledge, trusted relationships, and capability to enhance civic life, we convene across sectors, bring civic insights to policymakers and the public, cultivate partnerships with donors, and spur collaborations that promote more equitable ecosystems. Learn more about each partnership below!
Creative Commonwealth (CCW) Initiative
Barr Foundation is partnering with us to celebrate, and elevate, Cambridge arts and culture. With CCW support, the Foundation is developing a new arts and culture strategic initiative in partnership with local arts and culture nonprofits, artists, and community stakeholders. Our aim is to invest in arts for social cohesion and meet key needs in our local arts and culture sector.
The Cambridge Community Foundation is one of only eight community foundations, among the eighteen in Massachusetts, selected by Barr to advance more diverse, equitable, arts and creative expression across the Commonwealth. Barr, the state’s largest private arts grantmaker, is building long-term alliances with community foundations through the Creative Commonwealth Initiative.
“It’s exciting to see how arts and culture are core to Cambridge Community Foundation’s commitment to social cohesion,” said San San Wong, Barr Foundation’s director of arts and creativity. “Barr is thrilled to be in partnership with this team. They bring a long track record in arts grantmaking and do vital work with organizations based in communities of color and immigrant communities. They have great passion and potential to lead equitable change in Cambridge.”
CFLeads
CFLeads works with community foundations in developing and refining an economic mobility agenda in their communities and building their foundations’ capacity to advance the work. Participating community foundations also work together with a focus on racial equity in economic mobility and receive a capacity-building grant. Through this partnership, we will build an Economic Mobility Action Plan that will be used to monitor progress toward meeting our objectives and deliverables along our multiyear economic mobility strategy.
“By aligning our shared focus on racial equity with a community leadership lens, we’re driving systemic change that truly reflects the needs and aspirations of our communities,” said Mary L. Thomas, president and CEO of CFLeads in a press release.
CCF was selected by CFLeads through a competitive national process, by demonstrating strong capacity to drive meaningful change and advance economic mobility in the community.
