Tools
The Push and Pull: Declining Interest in Nonprofit Leadership
This report presents findings from BMP’s 2022 survey of more than 3,000 nonprofit staff on the factors related to their aspiration to top leadership roles, as well as the experiences of current nonprofit leaders.
The Gap - A Shortage of Affordable Homes
No State Has an Adequate Supply of Affordable Rental Housing for the Lowest-Income Renters
Global Greater Boston: Immigrants in a Changing Region
For as long as it’s been a city, immigrants have been central to Boston’s identity. For this new report Boston Indicators partnered with Immigration Research Initiative to analyze who makes up immigrant communities in Greater Boston, quantify what they contribute to our regional economy, and detail the immigration pathways they take to get here.
Advocates' Guide 2024!
Every year, the National Low Income Housing Coalition publishes the Advocates’ Guide to educate advocates of all kinds about the programs and policies that make housing affordable to low-income people across America.
A VISION FOR INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES
MASSACHUSETTS COALITION FOR RACIAL EQUITY IN HOUSING
Compare Project Management Software
Search and select project management software to build your own comparison and see which provider best fits your requirements.
Boston Builds Credit
Boston Builds CreditHere, you’ll find free and low-cost resources to help Boston and area residents understand how credit works and learn how to build, protect and improve your credit scores. With a trusted network of partners working with the City of Boston and United Way of Massachusetts Bay & Merrimack Valley, our team can put you in contact with a trained financial coach and financial wellness workshops.
COVID-19 Community Impact Survey Webinar
MA Department of Public Health, Health Resources in ActionIn this video, representatives from Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Health Resources in Action, and the COVID-19 Community Impact Survey (CCIS) Regional TA Providers provide a brief background of the CCIS, what resources are available including technical assistance, and outline the process of engaging in technical assistance to transform data into action.
Dirty Data Cost Calculator
Association TrendsDownload this whitepaper and learn how to: Calculate how much dirty data is currently costing your association, and how much it will continue costing as time passes without clean-up. Quantify this cost so you are able to communicate the importance of data hygiene to your boss, board, and/or stakeholders.
National Housing & Financial Capability Survey
NeighborWorks AmericaOn June 24, 2021, NeighborWorks America released findings from its 2021 Housing and Financial Capability Survey, which was conducted in April. The survey showed that many people see the advantages in owning a home but are unequipped to handle financial challenges that stall their dream of homeownership. Since 2019, NeighborWorks America has conducted its annual Housing and Financial Capability Survey to collect data that helps set the foundation for the stabilization of communities. Prior to 2019, the organization released a spring consumer finance survey and a fall homeownership survey. The findings from the survey help NeighborWorks America understand who still needs the organization's help and the areas that need the most attention.
Doing Engagement from Home A Toolbox for Municipal Staff
MAPCDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, the Community Engagement Department of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) conducted extensive research on digital engagement tools and methods. This document includes many tools that municipal staff can use to engage the public remotely. This document is intended as a resource and does not constitute endorsement of any of these tools. MAPC does not use every tool in this list— for questions about individual tools, reach out to the tool’s Help or Support staff.
Hybrid Engagement Hub: Navigating Together
MAPC Community Engagement DivisionThis project hub is designed to be a central source of information to support you as you develop your approach to hybrid meetings, investigate tools, and design public participation at the local level.
Worforce Training Fund Express Program - Passive House and LEED certifications
BE+Any company is eligible for $30,000 of training per year through this grant application. There are many certification for building sustainability measures.
Commonwealth Workforce Training Fund Express Program
Workforce Training Fund50 courses approved to provide PHIUS Certified Passive House Consultant training.
Highlights from Cool, Climate-safe Cities: New Solutions & Research
BU Institute for Sustainable EnergyWebinar Recording for Event
Turning Towards Each Other: A Conflict Workbook
Jovida Ross and Weyam GhadbianThe exercises in this workbook are offered as a way to bring love into the hard parts of our relationships. Of course, when we’re in the middle of a tense situation, it may not feel like love. It can be helpful to remember that there are always multiple truths present in a conflict: We each experience a situation differently, and interpret what is going on from a different vantage point. Making space for our feelings and experiences to be acknowledged can help us surface deeper insights hidden in the tension and uncover new solutions.
Impact of Climate Change on Health
National Institute for Health Care Management FoundationClimate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity and it is disproportionately felt by the most vulnerable and disadvantaged according to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) special report. This infographic explains links between climate change and health.
Updated Toolkit: COVID-19 Booster Dose Messaging and Outreach Tools
Public Health Communications CollaborativeMillions of Americans are now eligible to get a COVID-19 booster dose. The following communications resources — including topline talking points, answers to tough questions, sample social media posts and graphics — can help you answer questions about COVID-19 vaccine booster doses and support your local vaccination outreach.
Getting Capital to Small Businesses in Low-Income Communities
The Aspen InstituteHeeding the call for greater race and gender equity, policymakers, donors, and investors want to uplift small businesses in underserved communities. But boosting access to capital for business owners of color is easier said than done. In this video, we identify the importance of microloans in meeting firms owned by people of color where they are in terms of their capital needs. And we highlight the work of community development financial institutions (CDFIs) in serving this vital role. Members of the Aspen Institute’s Microfinance Impact Collaborative, for example, issued over 8,300 loans in 2018, 75% of which were to entrepreneurs of color.
Project Manager Core Skills Toolkit
Mel King InstituteThe Tracker tool was designed to support the growth and development of non-profit real estate project managers. The tool can be adapted to suit needs of various project managers, as job titles and the division of work will differ for each organization. It can be used with a supervisor/supervisee relationship or as an individual project manager self-assessment.
Organizing and Engagement Core Skills Toolkit
Mel King Institute, Rising Sun ConsultingThis toolkit was designed to support the professional growth of community organizers and community engagement staff. The toolkit was developed by and for organizers! Front line organizers helped identify the 6 competency areas and piloted the tools, offering feedback on content and format.
Know Your Rights: Source of Income Discrimination FAQ
Attorney General, Commonwealth of MassachusettsMassachusetts residents who rely on public assistance, including rental assistance programs, often face unique challenges in securing housing, which is a key pathway to economic security. Because we recognize the importance of access to housing, we have prepared this guide to help educate residents and landlords on their rights and obligations in this area.
State and Local Antidiscrimination Laws Could Help Renters Access Emergency Rental Assistance and Keep Their Homes
Urban InstituteDespite the needs of both renters and landlords, some landlords are not accepting rent relief. We don’t have much data on how many landlords are refusing rental relief or their motivations for doing so, but we know that the outcomes can be dire for tenants, especially low-income renters and renters of color, who often face housing discrimination when using federal assistance.
COVID Eviction Legal Help Video - Ed's Story
COVID Eviction Legal Help Project (CELHP)Last October, the COVID Eviction Legal Help Project (CELHP) was created through the Governor’s Eviction Diversion Initiative. Since its inception, CELHP has provided legal help in over 3,650 eviction cases.
Creativity and Community Action
David M. Greenberg, LISCIn a new essay and workbook from David M. Greenberg, LISC's vice president for Knowledge Management and Strategy, practitioners are posed with two parallel questions: how can community development and activism enhance artistic and cultural work? And how can cultural practice community development and activism? Using paintings, poetry, and the work of artist-activists in Logan Square, Chicago, as “cases,” the resource helps enhance the reach, ambition, and impact of collaborations between artists and community organizations.
Facing an Eviction Informational Videos
COVID Eviction Legal Help ProjectLearn what to do if you are facing an eviction in Massachusetts.
Climate Resilient Land Use Strategies
Metropolitan Area Planning CouncilLand use regulations can be a powerful tool to provide climate resilience. From floodplain and wetlands restrictions, to tree protection and water conservation, to design standards and zoning, communities are using their regulatory authority to address the growing impacts of rainstorms, sea level rise, heat, and drought.
YW Boston’s 2021 Small Biz Map
YW BostonSupport businesses run by women and people of color in Greater Boston
Existing Buildings and Climate Change Resources
Boston Society for ArchitectureWe cannot meet our future goals without utilizing our greatest built and cultural assets: existing buildings. Below are some resources to support the industry as we forge ahead.
COVID-19 Reopening Guide for Small Businesses
Chamber of CommerceThis guide will cover all that business owners need to know about reopening and navigating current government requirements.
Move The Money: Practices and Values for Funding Social Movements
Building Movement ProjectA set of resources geared towards grantmaking institutions eager to expand and deepen their support of organizations, networks, and leaders involved with social change movements.
South End Affordable Housing Tour
Corcoran CenterSouth End Affordable Housing Tour with Vince O'Donnell
National Low Income Housing Profiles by State
National Low Income Housing CoalitionOur Housing Profiles provide a one-page snapshot of the information advocates need to make the case for socially just housing policy. The State Housing Profiles are perfect to take with you when meeting with a state elected official or U.S. Senator. Take the Congressional District Housing Profile for your congressional district with you when you meet with your U.S. Representative.
MA Self-Guided Eviction Tool
Greater Boston Legal ServicesThis 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.
State Support for Local School Construction: Leveraging Equity and Diversity
Lauren Mittman, Nikhil De, and Philip TegelerHistorically, state support for suburban school construction facilitated white flight and metropolitan segregation. The least we can do today is think more carefully about the impacts of future school construction funding. PRRAC has prepared a policy brief on this question, based on a state-by-state survey of current practices.
Best Practices for RAD "Choice-Mobility" Implementation
Poverty & Race Research Action CouncilThe Rental Assistance Demonstration has become the most significant public housing redevelopment program in the U.S., bringing new funds to support aging properties around the country. One essential element of the program is that, after conversion, all tenants have a right to request a portable Housing Choice Voucher, and move to a community of their choice (thus opening up their apartment to another eligible family on the waiting list). Few housing authorities have worked out plans for implementation of this Choice-Mobility feature of the program, so we have developed a guidance document for PHAs and advocates, based on extensive policy research and interviews.
Delivering Credit to Entrepreneurs of Color Impacted by COVID-19: Why Community Financial Institutions Are Essential
The Aspen InstitutePrior to the global pandemic, the relatively high small business start and ownership rates among entrepreneurs of color were a bright spot in a period of declining US entrepreneurship. But small businesses have endured some of the hardest stresses of the pandemic, as forced closures and physical distancing have decimated earnings for restaurants, salons, childcare centers, and other services we all rely on. Businesses owned by entrepreneurs of color have been particularly impacted by declining revenues, and despite government efforts to get money into people’s hands, many small businesses have not received the support they need. This is partly a problem with the delivery systems used: programs that flow through banks miss those that have historically been underserved. Fortunately, there are lenders who serve these businesses and communities: Community Development Financial Institutions. CDFIs are mission-driven lenders that serve the parts of America that too often get left behind, inc
Beyond the Board Statement: How Can Boards Join the Movement for Racial Justice? (Part Two)
Jeanne Bell & Nonprofit QuarterlyIn this second part of a two-part series, nationally renowned board and equity consultants Vernetta Walker and Robin Stacia answer participants’ questions about how to transform a board so it embraces a racial equity agenda, In this session, you’ll find many practical examples of ways to approach the work, discussions of the barriers to change, and tools to help organize and ground racial justice in your organizational mission. Stacia and Walker bring an interactive approach that is deeply insightful, grounded in both research and practice, and unrelentingly focused on creating a different and more racially just future.
BoardSource Racial Equity Tools Glossary
BoardSourceRacial Equity Tools has created a glossary of terms to create a shared understanding of words to enhance the way we talk about race. Language is an essential tool in racial equity work, and the terms we use have evolved as this work has developed. Having a common language allows us to better engage, discuss, and reflect on these important issues together. Terms in the glossary include: Implicit bias, Institutional racism, Microaggression, Restorative justice
Fifty Years Of “The People v. HUD”
Poverty & Race research Action Council (PRRAC)HUD has benefited enormously from strong civil rights advocacy, and many of HUD’s most important regulatory guidelines have emerged from this advocacy. We offer this selected timeline as a tribute to this ongoing history and, we hope, an inspiration to a new generation of civil rights and tenant activists.