New Tool: Investments in Implicit and Explicit Dimensions of Place-based Systems Change

Posted by Equal Measure on May 11, 2021

Dismantling Disparities in Communities: Resources and Tools to Advance Systems Change

New Tool: Investments in Implicit and Explicit Dimensions of Place-based Systems Change – A Tool for Funder Reflection and Action

Given the complexity of social change in an increasingly urgent social justice and geopolitical moment, the question is no longer whether funders should be investing in systems change, but rather how.

This new tool—developed by Mathematica and Equal Measure—is intended to help funders who have elected to invest in place-based systems change strategies assess the extent to which their strategic intent, culture, and capacity can support complementary dimensions of systems change.

Our hope is that by using this tool, funders—and by extension the foundations within which they work—will further clarify how to focus their place-based systems change investments, leading to more coordinated, locally owned, and sustained impact. Funders can use this tool to co-design place-based systems change that centers community priorities, capacity, and context.

To learn more about the P-16 Community Investment initiative, and to access the resources and tools as they are published, please visit P-16 Tools and Resources. Mathematica and Equal Measure welcome the insights and perspectives of readers and hope to inspire a vibrant dialogue that will further strengthen investments in place-based systems change.