Tools
Public Policy Resources
BestColleges.comThis guide includes links to free public policy online resources that will help one get a better sense of the entire field.
Public Policy Career Outlook
BestColleges.comThis guide provides you with in-depth information on degree planning including program structures, concentrations, and skill development and application for a Public Policy career.
Earning a Public Policy Master’s Degree
BestColleges.comThis resource will help you learn about the common Master's in Public Policy admission requirements, coursework, and jobs available for graduates.
Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture
Tema Okun, dRworksThis is a list of characteristics of white supremacy culture that show up in our organizations. The characteristics listed below are damaging because they are used as norms and standards without being proactively named or chosen by the group. They are damaging because they promote white supremacy thinking.
Honor Native Land: A Guide and Call to Acknowledgement
Sponsored by: U.S. Department of Arts and CultureCreated in partnership with Native allies and organizations, the Guide offers context about the practice of acknowledgment, gives step-by-step instructions for how to begin wherever you are, and provides tips for moving beyond acknowledgment into action.
Vision, Values, and Voice: A Communications Toolkit
The Opportunity AgendaThis toolkit focuses on the broader goal of identifying universal themes and values that tie together a range of issues.
Rights for Renters Messaging
Public Will Initiative with ToposThis tool reiterates focusing on the positives instead of the negatives when it comes to messaging. Even though the series is called Rights for Renters, it isn’t actually limited to renter issue areas—such as the Critiquing Without Undermining Government brief.
A Progressive’s Style Guide
Hanna Thomas (SumOfUs.org); Anna Hirsch (ActivistEditor.com)A Progressive’s Style Guide is explicitly multi-voiced and is created with the following commitments. 1) We combat discriminatory language. 2) We seek advice or more information when we’re unsure. 3) When writing, speaking, or using images, we aim to use examples that reflect a broad range of identities and perspectives.
Housing Matters
Urban InstituteHousing Matters is an online resource for the most rigorous research and practical information on how a quality, stable, affordable home in a vibrant community contributes to individual and community success.
The Public Health Information Tool (PHIT) Walkthrough
Massachusetts Department of Public HealthA how-to for the use of the PHIT (below), and a guide on looking at publicly available data through a population health lens.
Population Health Information Tool (PHIT)
Massachusetts Department of Public HealthThe Population Health Information Tool (PHIT) is a data portal for Massachusetts health data. As a service of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, PHIT aims to provide data for a healthier Massachusetts.
Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast
Race ForwardA podcast that features movement voices, stories, and strategies for racial justice. Co-hosts Chevon Drew and Hiba Elyass will provide you with their fresh takes on race and pop culture, as well as, uplift narratives of hope, struggle, and joy, as we continue to build the momentum needed to advance racial justice.
Radical Imagination
Angela Glover Blackwell; Powered by PolicyLinkTo imagine radically, means to think big, demand better, and redefine the terms of the struggle; the Radical Imagination podcast delivers all that. The debut season confronts the challenging issues facing our nation, including immigration, the need for big new economic ideas, the impact of climate change, revolutionary approaches to community safety and justice, and more.
Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General Hospital and HMO Community Benefits Reports
MA Attorney General's Office (AGO)The Attorney General's Office (AGO) provides guidance on how non-profit hospitals and health plans should develop and report on the benefits and programs they provide to the public. The Attorney General's Community Benefits Guidelines gives expectations on how hospitals and HMOs should determine the health care needs of their communities, plan programs with their community partners, and report those activities to the AGO. This tool allows users to browse and search reports and to download report data.
Six Maps That Reveal America’s Expanding Racial Diversity
William H. Frey, Brookings InstituteA pre-2020 census look at the wide dispersal of the nation’s Hispanic, Asian and black populations.
The 1619 Project
The New York TimesThe 1619 Project is a major initiative from The New York Times observing the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe the country’s history, understanding 1619 as our true founding, and placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of the story we tell ourselves about who we are.
Internalized Racism Inventory
Cultural Bridges to JusticeFundamental questions to ask when taking an internalized racism inventory.
The Move
Ceasar McDowell, Founder; Ayushi Roy, Podcast co-host; Misael Galdamez, Website Author; Julia Curbera, Website AuthorThe Move is a movement to rebuild our public’s muscle for democracy. This movement aims to bring together people of all backgrounds who are seeking to facilitate real civic engagement in today’s democracies. The Move rebuilds our public muscle in three ways: We will partner in the design and implementation of at least one civic engagement project each year. We will provide a collaborative learning and knowledge exchange platform on TheMove.MIT.edu and it’s adjacent social media channels for cities, institutions, and community organizations. We will advance learning, experimentation, and innovation in civic design using eight design principles.
Massachusetts Defense For Eviction (MADE): Self-Guided Eviction Help
Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS)This completely free guided interview is for Massachusetts tenants who are being evicted. It is estimated to take between 25 and 90 minutes for a typical tenant to use on their own. It will help you make sure that you respond to your landlord's eviction case correctly.
Boston Neighborhood Change Interactive Map
Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard UniversityA new interactive mapping tool showing the dramatic demographic, social, and economic changes that have occurred in Greater Boston since 1990. The tool includes data from the 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses and from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates for 2010 and 2016.
Prosperity Now Scorecard
Prosperity Now ScorecardA comprehensive resource for data on household financial health, racial economic inequality and policy recommendations to help put everyone in our country on a path to prosperity.
The National Equity Research Database, Boston Edition
Brandeis Institute for Child, Youth and Family PolicyThis is a database of 286 socio-economic indicators on a wide range of subjects, including demography, education, employment, health, housing, earnings and ancestry covering the Boston metropolitan area.
Building Blocks: Connecting People, Places and Policies
Enterprise Community PartnersA podcast for thought-provoking conversations about the current issues, trends, ideas and big questions facing the affordable housing and community development field in the United States.
MASSCAP Trainings: Recorded Webinars
MASSCAPThis resource contains all the past recorded webinars from MASSCAP (Understanding Immigrant Rights, Community Action Impact, Succession Planning, and More!)
Operationalizing Racial Equity & Inclusion at Living Cities: Tools for Getting Started and Keeping At It
Living CitiesThese are some of the resources and contacts LC has shared with organizations who are looking to embed racial equity and inclusion into their work.
Racial Identity Caucusing: A Strategy for Building Anti-Racist Collectives
CrossroadsThis toolkit describes methods for anti-racism work and the value of caucusing
Understanding Systemic Racism
Race Forward"What Is Systemic Racism?" is an 8-part video series that shows how racism shows up in our lives across institutions and society: Wealth Gap, Employment, Housing Discrimination, Government Surveillance, Incarceration, Drug Arrests, Immigration Arrests, Infant Mortality
Rejecting Bigotry, Demanding Action
Opportunity AgendaTogether with UnidosUS, The Opportunity Agenda completed public opinion and messaging research with this goal in mind: to tell a story of American diversity that reflects our values and our aspirations as a country stronger because of our myriad backgrounds, ethnicities, races, experiences – because of the parts of us that may make us different, but ultimately also make us stronger. This research provides guidance for those using their platforms to reject bigotry while demand action.
Rolling Back Inclusion
The Democracy CollaborativeIn order to help communities across the country—both rural and urban—speak up in a moment in which the administration has made clear its intentions to scale back or dismantle these key federal frameworks, we will be tracking the new federal attacks on inclusive community development here, along with state-level measures enabled and encouraged by the new federal context.
Racial Wealth Audit
The Institute on Assets and Social Policy; DemosThis interactive online tool uses real-world examples to help policymakers and advocates explore and understand the causes and effects of the racial wealth gap.
Documentaries about Gentrification
Gentrification Learning CommunityThese films can be used to learn about issues of gentrification in America
Gentrification Learning Community Resources
Gentrification Learning Community-Mel King InstituteThis compendium of resources studied by the gentrification learning community includes broad perspectives for defining and tackling issues of gentrification
Racial Equity Tools
Center for Assessment and Policy DevelopmentThis site offers tools, research, tips, curricula and ideas for people who want to increase their own understanding and to help those working toward justice at every level – in systems, organizations, communities and the culture at large.
Ready to Respond: Disaster Staffing Tookit
Enterprise Community PartnersToolkit outlines roles for staff in the case of natural disaster to protect properties, residents and ensure business continuity
Advancing Racial Equity and Transforming Government: A Resource Guide
Government Alliance on Race & EquityResource guide includes lessons learned from practitioners on how to advance racial equity in governments
Social Justice Communications Toolkit
Opportunity AgendaThis toolkit provides communications strategies for promoting equity and social justice
Child Opportunity Map
Diversity Data Kids and the Kirwan InstituteMap shows areas of opportunity for childred based on health, educational, social and economic indicators all over the United States
Healthy Food Access Portal
PolicyLinkOur three organizations created this web information portal in 2013 to maximize the impact of these new opportunities and better support communities seeking to launch healthy food retail projects.
Applied Technology Factsheets
Local Initiatives Support CorporationAs technological advances lead to new tools for police and communities dealing with safety issues, the use of technology may increase the effectiveness of traditional crime-fighting techniques.