Investors for Sustainable Communities is sponsored by Living Cities, a consortium of 22 of the world’s largest foundations and financial institutions working to revitalize America’s cities. Participants in Investors for Sustainable Communities include national philanthropies such as the Ford, Surdna and Rockefeller foundations, regional funders such as the McKnight Foundation, and financial institutions such as Citi and Morgan Stanley (a full list is provided below).
The working group’s three-part approach, known in policy circles as equitable Transit-Oriented Development (equitable TOD), seeks to: develop healthier, more affordable neighborhoods that offer convenient and safe access to jobs, stores, schools and services; expand transportation options connecting these neighborhoods to the regional economy (e.g. job centers); and ensure that all people—regardless of income, race, age, ability, and similar considerations, can participate in development decisions and share in the benefits.
From 2008 through 2010, participants in Investors for Sustainable Communities invested over $100 million in equitable TOD. Going forward, participants will coordinate their investments, aligning them as appropriate with federal grants such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Sustainable Communities Planning Grant Program, and invite others to invest alongside them - leveraging more than $150 million over the next three years. The effort will also benefit from the participation of national nonprofit organizations such as the Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, a learning and action collaborative of national and regional foundations and other funding partners, and Reconnecting America, a national organization working to integrate transportation systems and the communities they serve.
