Our Work

We blend public, private, and philanthropic financial resources in new ways to better meet the needs of cities and improve the lives of low-income people.

We are working to ensure that our commitment to accelerating progress on issues of racial equity and inclusion at the systems level is reflected in all of our work. To do this, we have adopted value and culture norms and are working to take action.

The strength of American cities—and the nation as a whole—depends on generating inclusive growth for people of all races, ethnicities, and incomes.

We are investing in Pay for Success partnerships to test new ways of investing in human capital, and to develop a commercially viable market for doing so.

Living Cities and the National Democratic Institute are launching a new partnership to find and tell stories of civic innovation in selected megacities around the world.

We work with and support selected leaders to test, adopt, and apply a new type of urban practice aimed at dramatically improving the economic well-being of low-income people in cities.

Our signature, multi-city initiative supports cities that are reshaping programs, policies and resource allocation to achieve enduring change that benefits low-income people.

Our new blog series, with contributions from our members, grantees and many other leaders, highlights ongoing efforts across the U.S. that show promise of contributing to closing the racial opportunity gaps.

Racial Equity Here supports five U.S. cities committed to improving racial equity and advancing opportunity for all.

Public, private, and nonprofit leaders across Massachusetts and Rhode Island are teaming up to help resolve economic issues in smaller cities – and they're challenging leaders in those communities to do the same.

We deploy concessionary, flexible debt from socially motivated investors to improve the lives of low-income people and the communities where they live.

We work with public sector leaders to foster more nimble, collaborative and data-driven local governments.

Using data in decision-making is one the biggest challenges for collective impact initiatives. We’ve created several free resources to help you better manage the use of data for collective impact.

We work closely with networks of practitioners and civic leaders who are at the forefront of change aimed at dramatically improving the economic well-being of low-income people in cities.

The City Accelerator, an initiative of Living Cities and the Citi Foundation, works within and across cities to advance and promote the spread of promising innovations that will have a significant impact in the lives of residents.

Addressing the complex challenges cities face today requires collective effort from across sectors: public, private and nonprofit.

We are working with Code for America and the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership to support teams of civic technologists, data practitioners and government officials in cities to develop data and technology solutions to address pressing pro…

Living Cities established a working group with Board Members and their staff to approve grants to define a common funding and knowledge agenda that would help low-income families move from poverty to financial stability.

The Brookings Institution and Living Cities State and Metropolitan Prosperity Collaborative was a peer exchange forum intended to promote deeper collaboration between state and metropolitan leaders on issues critical to creating economic opportunity.

Living Cities launched the Admiral Center in 2009 for the express purpose of maximizing the engagement of celebrities in systems change on behalf of low income people.

Living Cities and our member institutions invested together in the Gulf Coast, where the magnitude of the post-Katrina challenge was unprecedented and the groups and organizations requiring help were exceptionally burdened.

Living Cities hit the road with former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak to survey the partnerships between mayors and schools with an eye toward improving outcomes for kids.

Living Cities worked with HUD, the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University, and other partners to help create a plan that would facilitate increased comprehensiveness, integration and overall effectiveness of region…

From 2010-2013, Living Cities supported several cities experimenting with the potential of Anchor Institutions—local universities and hospitals to transform economic systems

The Green Economy Working Group was established to provide a forum for our board members and their staff to align and coordinate efforts in the green economy, identify emerging areas of opportunity in the field, and drive an agenda that promotes eco…

We developed a research and experimentation agenda that helps communities to strengthen their ability to deploy investment for public purpose.

In 2008, responding to the impact of concentrated foreclosures on urban neighborhoods, and in the absence of promising large-scale solutions, Living Cities launched an initiative to catalyze, test and learn from 10 local pilot initiatives to reclaim…

We are working to improve the economic well-being of low-income people by ensuring that they are prepared for quality 21st century jobs.

We have worked to increase affordable access to job opportunities and essential services by advancing equitable transit-oriented development financing strategies and exploring the potential of other emerging models.