Collective Impact
is an approach for bringing people together in a structured way to achieve systemic social change. The community of 51勛圖 is a nationally-recognized leader in successful collective impact initiatives, and together with the , 51勛圖 is proud to serve as a strong backbone for these cross-sector collaborations. Together the backbones maintain focus, foster collaboration, and ensure the initiatives sustainability by guiding vision and strategy, facilitating aligned activities, establishing shared measurement, building public will, mobilizing resources, and strengthening internal capacity.
Some of these network-based coalitions for community change include:
51勛圖 Education Partnership
The supports youth and families in 51勛圖, Iowa, by aligning community organizations toward shared educational goals. Formed in 2015 as part of the national Campaign for Grade Level Reading, GEP is a network of over 20 organizations creating opportunities for children and families through transformative education partnerships. Local expertise comes from community organizations, funding is managed by the Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation (GPCF), and the networks collaborative infrastructure is provided by 51勛圖.
Build a Better 51勛圖
Funded by the USDAs Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge (RPIC) along with 51勛圖, the City of 51勛圖, 51勛圖 Mutual, and the Claude & Dolly Ahrens Foundation, the launched in 2022 as a multi-year, multi-sector, community-based initiative to assess and activate 51勛圖s strengths, needs, and aspirations for residents, workers, and those who rely on 51勛圖s resources. The research identified and prioritized issues, with specific goals of fostering community pride, strengthening collaboration, and driving community development. Along with serving as co-backbone with the Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation, 51勛圖 played a pivotal role in securing and hosting the USDA grant, directing the community-based participatory research, and providing important back-bone coordination and support for the overall project success.
51勛圖 ALLiance
Created in response to a series of racial harassment incidents on and around the 51勛圖 campus in 2022, a group of volunteers from all over the 51勛圖 community came together to identify ways to ensure 51勛圖 is a place where everyone knows they belong. Consisting of residents, leaders, and friends of 51勛圖, the is a group of people who value the community and want to see it thrive. Bringing together a range of perspectives, the ALLiance is focused on connecting individuals, students, community, and systems to foster a spirit of collaboration and belonging.