Who We Are

Inspired by the successful model of the Harlem Children’s Zone, the Promise Neighborhoods Institute at PolicyLink supports Promise Neighborhoods—communities of opportunity centered around strong schools—to wrap children in education, health, and social supports from the cradle to college to career. By effectively coordinating the efforts of schools, families, social services, health centers, and community-building programs, all children can fulfill their promise.

What We Do

The Promise Neighborhoods Institute at PolicyLink—a nonprofit, independent organization—helps build and sustain Promise Neighborhoods to ensure children are healthy, succeed in school, reach their full potential, and that families and neighborhoods support the healthy development, academic success, and well-being of their children.

The Institute works to strengthen and expand Promise Neighborhoods across the nation by managing a hub of high-quality technical assistance providers and consultants, including PolicyLink, the Harlem Children’s Zone, and the Center for the Study of Social Policy. The Institute leverages these and other supports to:

• Mobilize neighborhood leaders to build communities of opportunity;
• Build a national community of practice for local leaders to share tools, resources, and successes;
• Provide a suite of supports through trainings, webinars, strategic planning, and conferences;
• Strategically engage urban, rural, and tribal neighborhoods in long-term community building work;
• Systemically align public and private funding to ensure longevity and stability.

Our Principles

The Institute supports Promise Neighborhoods to operate by the following principles used by the Harlem Children’s Zone:

• Serve an entire neighborhood comprehensively and at scale;
• Create a comprehensive pipeline of programs for children from birth through college graduation, and wrap that pipeline in supports for families;
• Build community among residents, institutions, and stakeholders who help to create the environment necessary for a child’s healthy development;
• Evaluate program outcomes and create a data feedback loop to help management improve and refine program offerings;
• Cultivate a culture of success rooted in passion, accountability, leadership, and teamwork.

Our Ongoing Work

Our work—which includes accelerating leaders’ ability to get results for children and families by providing high-quality technical assistance, building a robust community of practice, and advocating on behalf of Promise Neighborhoods and other efforts in alignment with the Institute’s vision and mission, among other services—has supported the planning of dozens of Promise Neighborhoods, and strengthened connections with leaders in the field and funders who share our commitment to support place-based solutions to end the cycle of generational poverty.

For more information on the Institute, please click here.

Every Child Deserves a Promise Neighborhood.