Purpose Built’s Roadmap for Supporting Neighborhood Pathways to Prosperity

We envision an America where every neighborhood offers pathways to opportunity and prosperity for the people who call it home. This vision doesn’t happen overnight or by accident. It is crucial to us as leaders at Purpose Built Communities to be intentional and collaborative as we plan for the future, and one way we do that is through our Strategic Plan.

Lesson Learned

Why is early learning a central element of neighborhood revitalization?

An essential component of the Purpose Built approach to ending intergenerational poverty is a focus on early childhood education. Most of the resources and formal interventions dedicated to preparing children for school don’t start until age four. And while pre-kindergarten is critical, the science is clear: life outcomes are best for children when education starts as close to birth as possible.

Jill Biden visits Woodlawn in Birmingham, Alabama

On April 9, 2021, Dr. Jill Biden visited the James Rushton Early Learning Center and a YWCA in Birmingham, hosted by Purpose Built Network Member Woodlawn Foundation. Biden spoke about how the administration’s $1.9 trillion stimulus law can help address child poverty. Both centers she visited run Head Start programs that benefit from the law. “This pandemic will not break us,” Biden said in her remarks. “I know that you would do anything for your child. You want to give them the world. Every parent does.”

AmplifyGR is Driving Change with a Holistic Approach

Building from a rich history, community quarterback AmplifyGR is driving change with a holistic approach to neighborhood revitalization. Working in partnership with residents and a host of organizations, AmplifyGR is focused on cradle-to-college education opportunities, community wellbeing resources, mixed-income housing and economic development. Watch this great video to get to know this community and meet some of the people who are working to make it stronger than ever.

Network Member Leaders Kickoff 10th Annual Purpose Built Communities Conference

Since 2009, Purpose Built Communities has grown from just a handful of place-based holistic initiatives to more than 20 across the country. This network is now home to valuable innovations in community building, tackling racial and health inequities, creating strong cross-sectoral partnerships, and delivering better outcomes for children and families. Hear from some of the leaders who have been living and breathing this work with their community partners and neighbors and the lessons they have learned along the way.

Building a High-Quality Early Learning Center

Early learning is one of the key pieces of a holistic revitalization to break the cycle of poverty. Learn about “The Ins and Outs of Building a High-Quality Early Learning Center” from practitioners and experts in education, community development, health, and finance how to build a high-quality early learning center that prepares children to learn and develop successfully starting from birth.

Philanthropy and Community Development

Philanthropy is a key ingredient in place-based, holistic revitalization efforts. This session with Eric M. Kelly, President, Quantum Foundation, West Palm Beach, FL and Kristin Williams, Director of Community Initiatives, Sherwood Foundation, Omaha, NE, explores how two foundations in different parts of the country are engaging in holistic, place-based efforts and how community development can build partnerships that will create sustainable solutions for neighborhoods and families.