Released June 4, 2020 We are grieving the senseless murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and the uncountable more who have lost their lives to white supremacy. We acknowledge that systemic racism is deeply rooted in the history of this country and that white supremacy manifests itself every day in the […]

SPARCC’s second Virtual Learning Conversation: Engaging for Equity in a World of COVID-19 included over 175 participants from Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Memphis. It brought together local and national advocates, planners, policymakers, and development partners working to advance radically re-imagined community engagement practices that government can utilize and […]

With the ravages of COVID-19 illuminating disparities in racial equity, health, and environmental conditions, we must reiterate a fundamental principle from the last three years of SPARCC work:Community-driven development rooted in multi-sector collaboration must be at the core of supporting equitable, healthy, and resilient communities. COVID-19 is affecting low income and families of color disproportionately, […]

Quick Navigation to Categories: Impacts from COVID-19 and the accompanying economic strain will have far-reaching effects on our communities, especially those that have historically suffered disproportionately from under-investment and neglect. As communities across the country come together to respond, the local and national partners at the Strong, Prosperous, and Resilient Communities Challenge are taking action […]

By Marissa Ramirez The past five years have been the warmest ever recorded on record globally, and spring flooding, hurricane and wildfire seasons are once again upon us, with summer months and their expected warmer-than-average heat not far behind. Between hurricanes in the southeast and wildfires in California, over 1.2 million people were displaced by […]

Click here to download the full report. Click here to download the executive summary. Since its formation in 2017, the Strong, Prosperous, and Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC) has had an exacting goal – help shift decades of racially discriminatory policies and investments that have resulted in harmful disparities in health and climate resilience in communities […]

SPARCC is excited to announce that we will continue work and investment in our original six sites–Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Memphis and the San Francisco Bay Area. It will continue to partner with the national organizations, Enterprise Community Partners, the Low Income Investment Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council with funding support from The […]

You can tell a lot about a community by the state of its parks. No parks? That says something. Neglected or dangerous parks? A clue that residents are struggling to raise healthy families. We tend to think that the state of the neighborhood dictates the state of its parks. But what if the reverse were […]

How a $40,000 SPARCC grant helped community organizers show Google what was needed to prevent displacement of working families in San José Google has announced it is committing $1 billion for new housing across the San Francisco Bay Area. The tech giant promises to build 20,000 new residences (including 5,000 affordable homes) over the next […]

SPARCC provides a path to building “the muscle of collaboration” for more equitable investments in LA communities As the city of Inglewood plans for construction of three major sports arenas, the developments are ushering in new shops, restaurants, hotels, parks, and high-end housing, leading to the gentrification of the area and potential displacement of over […]