The Foundation Review // Vol. 12, Iss. 4
This issue of The Foundation Review is focused on how foundations and nonprofit organizations support efforts to create “inclusive growth” communities. Inclusive growth is defined as more people sharing in the rewards of a growing economy and community. In this context it is considered a process and an outcome. These are communities that invest through philanthropy, public policy, private and public financial decisions, and community commitments. The process involves collaborations across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors in tackling the complexity of creating upward mobility for everyone, especially marginalized communities. These entities contribute to inclusive growth by addressing health inequities, access to quality education, affordable housing, and community and economic development. Philanthropy also contributes through roles such as leader, convener, influencer, and advocate.
Strategies to achieve inclusive growth involve many facets, including examining organizational processes, establishing robust measurement tools, applying systems thinking, utilizing reflective practices, creating cross-sector collaborations, and investing in long-term commitments.
Inclusive growth communities will only develop and flourish if we are intentional about addressing disparities within our communities. We hope you will learn from these articles as we all strive to create different results from current reality.