Power of Place: A Gathering of Leaders
Hosted by the WIlliam Julius Wilson Institute, Power of Place: A Gathering of Leaders is an annual convening that brings together cross-sector leaders, practitioners, and policymakers working tirelessly to drive social and economic mobility, at scale, for the most vulnerable children and families in our country.
Watch Power of Place 2022
Webinars
Watch webinars hosted by William Julius Wilson Institute focusing on critical issues around place-based, cradle-to-career work.
From Classroom to Community: Investing in Whole-Child Support Systems from Cradle to Career, 3/21/23
The event featured a panel discussion exploring how school districts are using state and federal resources, including ESSER funding, to support the full scope of student development from cradle to career.
Federal Funding Opportunities to Build Cradle-to-Career Pathways, 5/3/22
The event featured a panel of representatives from federal agencies and local nonprofits in discussion of cradle-to-career relevant funding opportunities and best practices for leveraging them.
Sharing Experiences with Regranting Panel Discussion, 11/29/21
Leaders from PolicyLink and Liberation Ventures joined Harlem Children’s Zone Chief Executive Officer Kwame Owusu-Kesse to discuss their experiences administering grants to other organizations. Panelists addressed lessons learned about mechanics of regranting, considerations for selecting organizations to receive funds, and approaches to accountability, particularly in the context of shifting resources and power to Black-led nonprofits.
Leveraging American Rescue Plan Act Funding to Accelerate Learning, 5/5/21
The first installment of a two-part webinar focused on strategies for applying funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to achieve an equitable recovery and student learning.
Applying American Rescue Plan Funding to Accelerate Summer Learning, 5/25/21
The second installment of a two-part webinar featured remarks by Harlem Children’s Zone President and Founder Geoffrey Canada and American Federation of Teacher’s President Randi Weingarten. They discussed advocacy for summer learning and the allocation of American Rescue Plan funding.
Funding, Fiscal Transparency, and a Racial Equity Government Agenda, 3/17/21
Leaders from Results for America (R4A) and PolicyLink joined local leaders from Salt Lake City to explore place-based efforts and the American Rescue Plan Act.
Leveraging the Power of Place: Strengthening the Field from Networks to Neighborhoods, 1/19/21
The virtual summit focused on place-based, cradle-to-career solutions to confront systemic inequities devastating low-income communities, especially communities of color. Practitioners advocated for systems change through neighborhood capacity building, effective school-community partnerships, and public sector engagement to change the odds for a generation of young people.
Case Studies
Read about case studies chronicling the work of William Julius Wilson Institute.
COVID-19 Relief and Recovery
COVID-19 hit Black communities disproportionately hard. Harlem Children’s Zone took swift and broad action to hit back.
In short order, the organization, as the first initiative of William Julius Wilson Institute, developed a five-pronged emergency response and recovery plan in Harlem — a critical lifeline to close resource gaps and address vulnerabilities in our community.
So impactful was our work that The Audacious Project at TED selected Harlem Children’s Zone as one of its prestigious 2020 project grantees. The organization made a generous $26 million commitment toward the organization’s goal of raising $50 million to expand its COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts to six other communities around the country. William Julius Wilson Institute led this national effort by:
- Outlining potential actions against each focus area
- Providing training and technical assistance
- Sharing public health campaign materials
- Virtually convening community leaders to problem solve and share proven practices
- Assisting in securing resources
Stay Covered For Each Other
William Julius Wilson Institute, together with national partners NAACP, StriveTogether and PolicyLink and six community partners, launched Stay Covered For Each Other. The national campaign was developed to drive awareness and public education about the importance of wearing masks to stem the spread of COVID-19.
The campaign’s message to everyone, everywhere, was simple: keep your distance and wear masks to protect your neighbors and those on the frontlines fighting the virus.