Block By Block Challenge

Join the inaugural Block by Block Challenge hosted by William Julius Wilson Institute at Harlem Children’s Zone. Through this ambitious national initiative, we aim to end intergenerational poverty in communities across the country, one block at a time.

Join the Challenge
Kids outside smiling

About Block by Block Challenge

Join Block By Block Challenge, a powerful movement to transform neighborhoods and the trajectory of the young people who live there. By participating in the challenge, you will help communities implement a neighborhood-based, cradle-to-career strategy — focused on a defined local area — to unlock opportunities for economic and social mobility. 

Your organization will collaborate with local stakeholders to identify one or two specific goals that meaningfully advance at least one key principle of a cradle-to-career, neighborhood-based approach. The work will support the shift from awareness to adoption, and ultimately, toward achievement of successful implementation and stronger, measurable outcomes in your community.

How to Join Block by Block Challenge

To participate in Block by Block Challenge, your organization will pledge to create, grow, or refine a neighborhood-based, cradle-to-career initiative by defining your target geographic area and setting clear, ambitious goals; and building a coalition of partners, including parents, K-12 leaders, local organizations, public sector representatives, and private sector allies to help you advance your work.

To indicate your interest in joining Block by Block Challenge, complete the form below.

Join the Challenge

Frequently Asked Questions

A: All organizations interested in pursuing neighborhood-based, cradle-to-career strategies are encouraged to participate — including municipal government, school districts, neighborhood-based organizations, and regional backbones or coordinating organizations interested in neighborhood work, among others.

A: By accepting the Block by Block Challenge, your organization will gain access to valuable resources, including:

  • A community of other place-based organizations and experts who can help you scale and accelerate the change that you’re creating in your neighborhoods
  • The opportunity to showcase your work through HCZ’s national platform, including the potential of a profile of your organization across multimedia formats  
  • Webinars on cradle-to-career strategies, featuring insights from leading experts
  • Written resources to inform your goal setting and implementation
  • An invitation to an in-person convening with other neighborhood-based, cradle-to-career leaders in your region to build connections, community, and sustain your momentum throughout the year
  • An invitation for you and key stakeholders in your community to attend the HCZ National Impact Team’s Power of Place convening in 2026, to build your awareness and understanding of the national place-based, cradle-to-career movement

A: Participants will commit to doing the following between November 2025 and July 2026:

  • Complete the HCZ National Impact Team’s cradle-to-career readiness survey at the start and end of the challenge, in Fall 2026, to help us understand how your work has evolved
  • Engage in 1-2 webinars with field experts
  • Develop and share with the HCZ National Impact Team 1-2 concrete, actionable goals for refining or deepening your organization’s practice around one or more of the central principles of neighborhood-based cradle-to-career strategies  
  • Join a day-long, in-person Challenge Check-in Convening in your region (Spring 2026)
  • Share stories and photographs highlighting your successes during the Challenge period
  • Complete the place-based, cradle-to-career inventory survey to deepen our shared understanding of the field — our collective strengths, timely challenges, and potential

A: Organizations interested in deeper engagement and support from HCZ’s National Impact Team may be considered for the Adopters Cohort, a more intensive cohort experience for organizations prepared to commit time and resources beyond what is required for the general Block by Block Challenge to pursue neighborhood-based, cradle-to-career strategies. In addition to the benefits and commitments outlined above, Adopters Cohort participants will join an in-person kick-off workshop, receive consistent coaching support, and go on site visits to HCZ and another field exemplar.

A: Reach out to us at wjwi@hcz.org.