Jan. 13, 2015 1:12 pm

Social Impact Across the U.S.

This week in Social Impact Across the U.S.: major announcements from the White House about higher education, huge investments in community development, and good news for renewable energy and community justice. President Obama announced a plan last week to make the first two years of community college free. There are conditions, including maintaining a 2.5 grade […]

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This week in Social Impact Across the U.S.: major announcements from the White House about higher education, huge investments in community development, and good news for renewable energy and community justice.

  • More national foundations are putting money into “creative placemaking,” reports the Philanthropy News Digest, further supporting the idea that art and creativity are key to community development and to healthy neighborhoods. In addition to investments in Nashville, Toledo and Albuquerque, three Philadelphia community development organizations received grants worth a combined total of $400,000, according to press release from the Kresge and Surdna foundations.
  • The Christian Science Monitor reports on a resurgence in the use of “community courts,” which focus on non-violent, quality-of-life crimes ranging “from loitering and panhandling to shoplifting and trespassing” in high-crime, urban neighborhoods. According to sources in the article, community courts allow for a more personal touch, where judges can work to address the root problems of an offense. They also take the load of criminal courts — though some dispute their efficacy in reducing recidivism.

What do you think about what’s happening in social impact across the U.S.? How might Philly learn from other cities and states? Please leave a comment to help us bring the national and local conversations together.

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