AITF Strategic Plan Fall 2023 through Summer 2026
The Anchor Institutions Task Force (AITF) has published its updated Strategic Plan for Fall 2023 through Summer 2026. Read the full plan in the link below.
Executive Summary
The last three years have been quite eventful in localities and globally. AITF and many other organizations were challenged to pivot in the midst of a pandemic and the shift toward virtual work. The field promoting the role of anchor institutions in strengthening communities has felt more justified as, especially underserved constituencies, in localities were confronted with widening inequities that required intervention from anchors. AITF served as an important resource in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and produced numerous publications on the valuable role that anchor institutions were playing in their localities during the height of the pandemic.
AITF’s subgroups continued to function as communities of practice providing supportive learning spaces for peer groups within our broader membership. We highlighted and reaffirmed the significance of multi-institutional anchor partnerships with the development of our Anchor Partnerships Subgroup, bringing together cross sector collaborations from various localities. Leadership has been a major point of emphasis in AITF’s work. We started to produce a publication series on leadership and continued to create cohorts of future anchor institution leaders through our Anchor Fellows Program. AITF developed a smaller scale format for in person events and organized numerous webinars. Overall, AITF continued to evolve and expand its breadth and reach nationally and globally.
Looking ahead to the next three years, AITF will:
· Continue to prioritize leadership and how to sustain a commitment to AITF’s values over time in communities and within anchor institutions;
· Promote and support the power and potential of multi-institutional, cross sector anchor partnerships;
· Highlight and refine our understanding of effective ways to forge and maintain trusted democratic partnerships that appreciate and are informed by community voices;
· Encourage and bolster cross sector community-based anchor strategies, centering schools, that lead to stronger educational and career pathways across the entire continuum from early childhood to careers, and ultimately greater social and economic mobility and more just, democratic, and equitable communities;
· Raise awareness about anchor institutions’ unique contributions to their communities and potential as change agents, including influencing policymakers at various levels of government;
· Emphasize the role of anchor institutions in building public trust in civic institutions in their localities in the midst of divisive political and social contexts;
· Alongside these strategic directions, AITF will continue to prioritize and demonstrate AITF’s values - a commitment to place, democracy and democratic practice, collaboration, social justice and equity – with continued attention to the significance of racial equity and racial justice.
AITF’s multi-faceted agenda with numerous programs will be the vehicles to implement these strategic directions. Initiatives that will continue and evolve during this period include Events, Webinars, Professional Development Subgroups, Publications, Policy Influence, Local Strategic Dialogues and Technical Assistance, and the Anchor Fellows Program.
