By Sasha Forbes and Nick Collins At SPARCC’s inception, we knew policy—local, regional, and national—would be a critical component for long-term systems change. But that was met with the hard reality of the 2016 election, which put many policy advocates on the defense. Where we had high hopes for an administration to work with us […]
Continue ReadingBy Mikyla Reta The Strong, Prosperous, and Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC) is a national initiative created to address the structural barriers facing low-income communities and communities of color that continue to feel the effects of historical redlining, environmental and climate injustice, lack of equitable transportation infrastructure and persistent discrimination. A key focus for SPARCC partners, […]
Continue ReadingAs part of our efforts to make federal funding more accessible, we created an illustrated video walking through: Watch the video below!
Continue ReadingLee este blog en español. Federal Grant Funding Checklist Applying for funding from the federal government is a difficult and onerous task. While the funds are ultimately meant to help a community address local needs, the process of accessing the funds and ensuring they are implemented in a manner consistent with community priorities can be […]
Continue ReadingRecovery from the Great Recession was uneven and painfully slow for lower-income areas and people of color burdened by decades of structural racism. Some neighborhoods never regained housing values or homeownership levels. One thing we know: when parts of our communities are not healthy and thriving, we all pay a price. The multiple stressors of […]
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The Bay Area has long been lauded as a place of progress, diversity, and new ideas. From jazz to flower children, the Black Panther Party to the tech boom, the Bay Area remains on the cutting edge of progressiveness. The Bay Area has always been ahead of its time – pushing, pulling, and shifting the consciousness of the region and even the country like the giant tectonic plates it sits upon.
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Some argue that the development was good for homeowners who have seen their property value go up nearly 90 percent since the stadium began construction, but is this sustainable as more people in this historically Black and brown neighborhood are pushed out? More importantly, is having a state-the-art football field worth potentially ripping the soul out of a city that means so much to so many?
Continue ReadingEven with the best intentions, disinvested communities–most especially communities of color–may be harmed by commonplace procedures established by institutions like banks and municipalities. Often, this is because these procedures are created to benefit institutions and not the communities that need assistance.
Continue ReadingThe “Second City” has always been a place of change and renewal. Chicago, a city that was devastated by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, has proved its resiliency time and time again by continuing to reinvent itself. Chicago is home to 77 community areas including Bronzeville and La Villita (Little Village), Chinatown and Uptown, […]
Continue ReadingLast week Congress passed a $1.5 trillion spending bill that was signed into law by President Biden this week. This comes on the heels of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill signed into law last November. While these bills contain funding for very worthwhile programming and resources, these funds often don’t make it to the organizations […]
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