The W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, a nonpartisan, independent research organization and CMF member has released a new report which shares how communities can build shared prosperity by leveraging innovative place-based models.

The report, Building Shared Prosperity: How Communities Can Create Good Jobs, examines college scholarship models and workforce development opportunities that can be modeled and scaled in small and medium sized cities and rural areas.

This latest report emerged following the Institute’s 2018 launch of a research initiative into place-based strategies for local prosperity.

“We hope this report generates new thinking about how communities can pursue a jobs-based strategy for broadly shared prosperity by simultaneously investing in the human capital of residents and providing targeted support to business,” researchers said.

We’re highlighting several models from the report that relate to Michigan philanthropy.

Place-Based Innovations in College Scholarship Programs

The report highlights the Promise Scholarship model, which was first introduced in Kalamazoo in 2005. The report shares that this model, which is offered to people who live in a specific place, can build local prosperity through economic and educational improvements.

One example of this model in action is the Challenge Scholars program, a Promise scholarship, where the Grand Rapids Community Foundation covers tuition and fees for two or four years of college tuition for students graduating from Union High School, a Grand Rapids Public School.

The report highlights the impact such Promise programs can have but also notes the scholarship model is one component and aligning it with place-making efforts such as neighborhood development and workforce development can lead to community transformation.

Place-Based Innovations in Workforce Development

Neighborhood Employment Hubs are an example shared in the report of what place-based workforce development can look like on the neighborhood level. Neighborhood Employment Hubs developed by Michigan Works! Southwest (MWSW) in partnership with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) are currently being piloted in Battle Creek. The hubs provide a one-stop center for workforce resources serving African-American and Latinx populations with an income below 200 percent of the poverty level. The hubs are located in a church, housing complex, a community action agency and within the Calhoun County Jail. The goal of the hubs is to place at least 25 percent of individuals into jobs where the pay averages at least $15 per hour and achieve a one-year job retention rate of 85 percent.

Employer Resource Networks (ERNs) are another example cited in the report. ERNs began in West Michigan and leverage community support and help businesses find and retain talent they need through employee training and support services.

For example, in 2017-2018 Southwest Michigan ERN (SWMERN) served more than 1,400 employees, providing services such as coaching, financial literacy, finding child care and navigating government agencies.

CMF highlighted a member partnership with an ERN that shows what this work looks like on the local level in our 2018 rural philanthropy video series. Pennies from Heaven Foundation of the Community Foundation for Muskegon County, a CMF member, entered into a partnership with United Way of Mason County and 13 local employers to support the Lakeshore Employer Resource Network of Mason County, which strives to break down barriers for employees to be successful in the work place.

These are just some examples of innovative partnerships and models involving Michigan philanthropy that researchers say have been successful in building a future toward shared prosperity in their community.

“As with the place-based scholarship movement and many other innovations in U.S. social and economic policy, the best solutions often emerge through experimentation and insights at the local level. Place-based development for shared prosperity is hardly any different,” the researchers said.

Want more?

Check out the full report.