Matthew Billings’ Post

📢 Great Read Alert! 📢 Check out this insightful article from Stanford Social Innovation Review by Archana Sahgal and Nan Chen on the power of government partnerships for nonprofits. Some Key takeaways: 🤝 Governments are vital partners for achieving large-scale social impact. 🚀 Collaboration with government unlocks crucial resources and pathways for change. 🌟 Last Mile Health's partnership with Liberia showcases successful government collaboration in action.

By influencing where and how community development dollars are spent, we can help make the community development finance system more durable and equitable.      Impact investments are a great tool to level the playing field for all communities—including those of color, with low incomes, and in rural places—to get access to the resources they need to build thriving local economies and support their residents.    Zoila Jennings describes what this looks like in practice in ImpactAlpha: https://lnkd.in/euWEB87y 

Most of the traction I am seeing these days is built up on the things I believed were false starts previously. Before The Urban Pinnacle, I wanted to develop a community center focused on skill development of entrepreneurs coming out of my area. Still rough around the edges, only using the will power and natural competence from lived experience guiding me to some key wins and through some dramatic (or at least I believed them to be at the time) losses, I had to acknowledge that I had bit off more than I could chew when it came to this specific endeavor. Rather than pack it up and go, I took accountability for even this phase of my journey being plagued with obstacles and assessed what was needed. However, I would be lying if I said that I knew that that was what was happening at the time. Becoming a professional, after years of believing that I was going to be the only employer to give me a shot, was the catalyst for me finding purpose. While in pursuit of my bachelors, I entered into an incubator at Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change at Columbia University and had the pleasure of being a part of a team that was awarded a grant to further develop out their endeavor. Those funds led to the formalization of our non profit and onboarding into The Front Yard at Pace University start up in residence program. This summer we are working on onboarding our own inaugural cohort of individuals from underserved communities around NYC into our Urban Empowement Program (UEP), situating them with the skill sets, the experience, and the support necessary to secure self sustainability in todays economic landscape. If I would of let the insecurity of not being ready for the first time I stepped into a room actually stop me from walking in them, I would never see the pinnacle of my purpose. Here’s to every endeavor that has given me the ability to step into the shoes I’m stepping so securely in today. Everything is a learning opportunity so please… #Neverstop #TheUrbanPinnacle

In our calling as community change agents, we are privileged to serve with and guide government agencies, health systems, and others in imagining and building a thriving world. As we've learned through community transformation work in 40 states, no single organization can address societal challenges alone. System orchestrators, who serve as bridges between community partners, help create solutions that are greater than the sum of their parts—exactly what we strive to achieve. We’re inspired by the examples and insights shared in this Stanford Social Innovation Review piece on this topic and hope you are too. https://bit.ly/401Oppo #ConnectedCommunities #Collaboration #SystemOrchestrators #GovernmentPartnerships

Innovating ideas to revitalize communities that have been historically and racially divested is not just a necessity; it is a moral imperative. These communities have endured decades of systemic neglect, economic exclusion, and social disenfranchisement, which have perpetuated cycles of poverty and inequity. Traditional approaches often need to address the deep-rooted challenges faced by these areas, making innovation crucial. New strategies that blend economic development with social justice, sustainable practices with cultural preservation, and community-driven solutions with institutional support are essential to fostering true revitalization. By reimagining how we invest in these communities—economically, socially, and culturally—we can create pathways to prosperity that are inclusive, equitable, and sustainable. Innovation in this context means not just rebuilding structures but also restoring hope, dignity, and opportunities for generations to come.

While I'm not necessarily a fan of setting arbitrary dates for trusts/foundations to 'sunset' themselves (although I can see the point), it would be far better to set *impact* goals as the closure trigger - perhaps with a sunset date as a backup. As long as there is transparency in what the goals are and how they are measured and communicated I would have thought this far preferable. An interesting article from the latest Stanford Social Innovation Review. https://lnkd.in/gnv6pfzw

RurALL - Introducing the 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗭𝗦𝗜) 👋 We are happy to introduce our partner ZSI - Centre for Social Innovation, based in Vienna. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 💪 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 We are a private non-profit institute for applied social sciences. We support the design and diffusion of socially accepted and sustainable innovations. 🌍 𝗔𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 In this way, we aim at meeting global challenges and contributing to desirable future ways of life. 🤝 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 Following our mission statement “all innovations are socially relevant”, we investigate and shape the social embedding and impact of innovations through interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary methods. 🔄 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝘂𝗿𝗔𝗟𝗟 In RurALL, we will put our expertise on participatory methods to use by developing a community engagement plan. This will support our partners in reflecting on and strengthening their own approaches of community engagement. 🏡 𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 By combining local knowledge and existing resources with innovative approaches to revitalization, RurALL will promote locally specific and sustainable solutions to revive depopulated rural communities. #Depopulation #DanubeRegion #RuralRevival #NewEuropeanBauhaus #CommunityEmpowerment

City leaders worldwide—the largest-ever Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge is here. And we’re looking for city halls that want to unlock major improvements—radical breakthroughs!—in the delivery of the basic services people rely upon every day. Whether that’s a rethink on housing affordability, new approaches to public safety, or a big new take on trash pick-up or civic space, we want to hear from you. 25 cities will each win $1M USD, additional funds for staff, and world class implementation support as you refine, test, and bring your innovation to life. Many of you know that we’ve conducted the Mayors Challenge five times before, with 38 winning cities having taken home the prize. 🏆🏆🏆 We’ve learned a lot about what it takes to win, so I’m sharing a few insights for any city leaders preparing to join: ⭐️ Leaders from winning cities have generally used the Mayors Challenge as a moment to push their teams to dig deeper and press harder beyond the ideas already on the table. Mayors Challenge-winning ideas must be really ambitious—and the mayors who win have usually “shaken the rugs” for ever more creative ideas. ⭐️ In fact, some winning mayors have set up special processes to solicit new thinking and inspiration from frontline staff, residents, entrepreneurs, and others commonly left out of city policy and program design. A core value of the Mayors Challenge is that co-creation and collaboration often lead to new approaches and better policy and programs—so bring in new voices and partners! ⭐️ Winning ideas are always ideas that respond to a well-defined problem. The selection process weeds out shiny new things that sometimes generate excitement, but often fail to address a critical challenge. ⭐️ Many winning ideas do incorporate technology but this is not required. Winning cities that have incorporated technology did so in the service of a vision, usually as an enabler, but never as the end goal in itself. ⭐️ Because this is an innovation competition—not a standard grants program—winning cities took seriously the call to present something novel. That novelty could come in the form of service innovations, business model innovations, resident experience innovations, or innovations in governance. And, yes, almost all new ideas build on knowledge and experience from other places or periods, so we hope your innovative ideas do, too. *** My team at Bloomberg Philanthropies has a ton of supports available for competing cities. Be sure to check out the Innovator’s Toolkit, live office hours, and webinars as places to ask questions, get tips, and move your city forward. Applications are open through December 20, 2024. Cities with over 100,000 residents—apply now at https://lnkd.in/eS95NZ8. Good luck.

How do we build trust and belief in the effectiveness of place-based change? One of the dilemmas of place-based change is the difficulty to demonstrate value and impact in a way that works equally for those that fund it, for those who do the work in communities, and for the local people who benefit from it.  We need different approaches to evidence over the journey of change. We need to consider the needs of all stakeholders in accessing meaningful evidence that the change that is important to them is happening and creating a positive impact. We need methods that deal with complexity, messiness, nuance and emergence. Check out this wonderful #blog from Place Matters explaining the beauty and challenges of an #IntegratedApproach to place-based #systemschange and the announcement of 'The Stewardship Group', made up with our very own Julie Harris!

I often tell changemakers that it is likely that the 'more beautiful future' they are trying to create is already alive somewhere (in their organisation). And that rather than starting from nothing, to try looking for inklings of it, a hint or intimation. Which requires a different skill set from being a pure disrupter or innovator. It requires skills like curiosity, optimism and the mindset of #emergence. It's about midwifing, and creating the conditions for the new to thrive. And this is true for so much of the #future that we want to see. Its everywhere. All around (and in) us. To celebrate this and bring together this hopeful and optimistic community around the beautiful future, Donnie Maclurcan from Post Growth Institute proposed an event while he is in Amsterdam, with the amazing Natasha Hulst from Schumacher Center for a New Economics. Join us for a hopeful and participatory conversation about what's already working in the realm of #postgrowth. 🗓 July 2nd - from 12 noon - 2 pm ✨ De Veemvloer in Amsterdam 👐 Entry is free, but please register here: https://lnkd.in/erJPQV9y Come and be part of an expansive discussion that will cover a wide array of topics, including money, post-capitalism, work culture, commons, community development, and embodied leadership. Illustrated by real-world, self-organized initiatives such as community food parks and housing collectives to solar cooperatives and ecological restoration projects.