Opportunities to advance equity abound in the numerous activities associated with different advocacy efforts. (2014)

Changing the challenging conditions that affect low-income people and communities of color requires a “grassroots to treetops” approach that connects the experiences of people on the ground with the decisions about policies that shape communities. (2014)

Equity advocacy does not — and should not — cease when a favorable policy outcome is first reached. In fact, it is through the continued effort of equity advocates, champions, and their allies that policy changes to promote equity are implemented and embedded into practice.

Equity advocates know the power of policy. Policy determines the rules by which opportunities are framed and delivered — what is allowed, encouraged, discouraged, and prohibited. Advocacy — the art of influence and persuasion — is essential for fostering the creation, adoption, and implementation of promising policy solutions that catalyze social change. (2014)

This brief introduces strategies for planning for health equity at a regional scale and summarizes the movement for building healthy communities. It draws from the experiences of regional equity coalitions and metropolitan planning organizations to identify five important conditions that must be met to achieve effective results.

Achieving equitable growth in cities and regions will require a new set of tools, innovative leveraging of resources, and unprecedented levels of collaboration. This report draws from the work already underway in more than 40 cities and regions to connect low-income people and communities of color to the economic mainstream. It lifts up strategies concentrated in seven areas, all helping communities to plan for equitable growth, remove employment barriers, grow good jobs, and strengthen the education pipeline.

This brief presents case studies and promising practices for connecting hard-to-employ job seekers, men of color, and low-income residents to temporary and permanent job opportunities in the infrastructure sector. Featured are targeted first-source hiring and contracting programs implemented through community workforce agreements (CWAs), community benefit agreements (CBAs), and/or project labor agreements (PLAs). The document draws on a scan of national best practices originally developed for the City of New Orleans.

This brief presents promising practices for wrapping young men of color in supports such as pre-employment services, transitional jobs, and job placement services. It draws on a scan of national best practices originally developed for the City of New Orleans.

This brief identifies a number of promising programs and practices in the health-care sector that promotes access to economic opportunities for people of color and other individuals facing barriers to opportunity. It draws on a scan of national best practices originally developed for the City of New Orleans.

Anchor institutions are large, place-based organizations, often public or nonprofit, that exist as core fixtures in local communities. This brief provides promising examples where anchor institutions have engaged in activities to advance economic inclusion, promote access to employment, and otherwise improve the circumstances faced by boys and men of color. It draws on a scan of national best practices originally developed for the City of New Orleans.