Homeownership is deeply tied to prosperity, wealth, and the American dream. But the credit needed to achieve homeownership remains out of reach for many people of color, resulting in significant and persistent racial disparities across New York state.

In a series of posts on the CEP blog in summer 2020, leaders from more than a dozen policy-oriented foundations responded to five key questions that arose from the CEP research report, Policy Influence: What Foundations are Doing and Why. This series, packaged here in its entirety, shares these funders’ thoughts — in their own words — on why and how foundations can effectively engage in public policy to achieve their goals.

To better understand foundations and public policy influence, CEP studied the perspective of foundation leaders across the country on this topic, through surveys and in-depth interviews. This report shares what they learned.

This suite of self-assessment resources addresses all of these imperatives, but with a unique twist: It helps funders like you respond to the current moment of social foment and the enduring drive for long-overdue justice by exploring your own power.

There is a hunger for fresh approaches and urgent demand for novel policy methods that can break through our political gridlock, address the problems of our time and create new avenues for thriving individuals and communities. Targeted universalism is an approach that supports the needs of the particular while reminding us that we are all part of the same social fabric.

In this episode we hear from john a. powell, who is our director, and a professor of law and African American Studies here at UC Berkeley. In the interview we discuss a brand new primer we’ve just published on the targeted universalism policy approach, a model conceptualized by professor powell. 

This report seeks to expand the narrative associated with racial equity by adding a compelling economic argument to the social justice goal.

Opportunity in the Queen City was initiated by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo in early 2022, with support from the John R. Oishei Foundation, in an effort to further a vibrant and inclusive Greater Buffalo region with opportunity for all.

This report, the Harder We Run, uses the State of Black Buffalo Project as a reference point to determine if African Americans have made progress over the past thirty-one years. It aims to determine if the Black socioeconomic trajectory is trending upward or downward. “Progress” is a shadowy term that requires careful definition.

This paper outlines a bold vision and a strategic approach to show how we can change the Black East Side into a great place to live, work, play, and raise a family.

We write these words as practitioners, working in partnership with community, centering the needs, lived experiences, wisdom and leadership of our Indigenous, Black and brown neighbors.

In partnership with the Buffalo Together Community Response Fund, The John R. Oishei Foundation prepared a compendium of actionable research and neighborhood investment plans that are inherently connected to the East Side neighborhood of Buffalo.

Objectives: Continue processing together the root causes of racial inequities in Buffalo. Delve more deeply into strategies deployed by other place-based foundations centering racial
equity and community. Advise consultants on usefulness/applicability of peer foundations’ experience to Oishei’s strategic options. Practice elements of a learning organization.

In this blog post, you can learn how a systems approach can help you unite a community around an issue, map a system for change, and design a strategy to shift the status quo.

Website that includes trainings and tools for policy advocates, organizers, community members, volunteers, and others working toward a more just and equitable New York.

Throughout this edition, we look at the practice of emergent learning, advocating for an approach that is adaptive, inclusive, transparent, and curious. In the development of this issue, our formative conversations with guest editors Melanie Matthews and Shantelice White resonated with urgent themes regarding the processes and mindsets that allow learning to thrive.

Having wealth, or a family’s assets minus their debts, is important not just for the rich—everyone needs wealth to thrive. Yet building the amount of wealth needed to thrive is a major challenge. Nearly 13 million U.S. households have negative net worth. Millions more are low wealth; not having the assets or liquidity needed to maintain financial stability and invest in themselves.