Our focus on community power building realizes our vision of promoting collaborative, community-based efforts that build the power and influence of those with the least access to opportunity. Through this work, the Forum for Community Solutions supports communities to come together to expand mobility, eliminate systemic barriers, and create their own solutions to their most pressing challenges.

The work we do in this area relates to two main organizational objectives: supporting place-based and community-centered solutions to local issues; and emphasizing equity-based approaches in our work and in our partnerships with others.

Place-Based, Community-Centered Work

The Forum for Community Solutions believes strongly in the power of local communities to come together to solve the challenges their own communities face. People know their own communities, and are best positioned to offer solutions. Three examples of our work in this area include our partnership with the Neighborhood Funders Group, the Collective Impact Forum, and our support of the 24 communities of the Opportunity Youth Forum.  Read more about all those efforts here.

Equity

The Forum for Community Solutions defines equity as just and fair inclusion in a society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. Collectively, we know what works. We recognize that the antidote to fear, hate, inequity and injustice is to dismantle structural racism and design systems of inclusion. We endeavor to infuse equity throughout all our initiatives and projects, including efforts such as our work across the U.S. with communities focused on opportunity youth, and in our work supporting youth leadership directly. Find out more about our equity focused efforts here.