12/07/2021

Centering Racial Justice and Grassroots Ownership in Collective Impact

Prioritize equity and community engagement

In 2012, several organizations—including the Franklin Regional Council of Governments and Community Action Pioneer Valley—came together to address the significantly elevated rates of youth substance use in the region.

Together, we formed the Communities That Care Coalition of Franklin County and the North Quabbin (CTC), which aims to improve youth health, wellbeing and health equity in the 30 small towns of rural Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region in Western Massachusetts by bringing together key stakeholders, collecting local data, and following national research and best practices.

Soon after we began, FSG’s Fay Hanleybrown, John Kania, and Mark Kramer highlighted our coalition as an early example of collective impact. In their Stanford Social Innovation Review article, “Channeling Change: Making Collective Impact Work,” they noted how our initiative reflected the five conditions that set collective impact apart from other forms of collaboration.

Please select this link to read the complete article from SSIR.