Rockefeller Foundation and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Announce Finalists in $10M Economic Opportunity Challenge
The Communities Thrive Challenge, a $10-million funding opportunity by The Rockefeller Foundation and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, today announced 20 finalists and 63 semi-finalists from across the country. Later this year, up to ten of the finalists will be named grantees, receiving $1 million grants and tailored technical assistance.
The Communities Thrive Challenge hopes to lift up and scale successful community-driven approaches to expanding economic opportunity for low-income and financially insecure people and communities across the country. After site visits with all 20 groups, ten will receive a $1 million grant. The other finalists will receive $5,000. Finalists range from organizations like the South Carolina Community Loan Fund in Charleston, which finances local projects to transform and revitalizes communities, to the Texas Organizing Project in Houston, which works to dismantle barriers that have held back communities of color and working families in Texas. Details on the finalists and semi-finalists can be found here.
“We believe in an America where all people can earn enough to support their families, achieve financial security, and provide their children with better opportunities for the future—and we believe that community organizations often hold the key to making that dream possible,” said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, president of The Rockefeller Foundation. “The Communities Thrive Challenge demonstrated tremendous excitement and energy from local organizations across the U.S. who want to share lessons and strategies with a broader audience...