Blue Meridian Partners

Solutions to our country's most pressing challenges do exist. But even the most promising strategies can't reach far enough, fast enough without significant resources. At Blue Meridian, we seek to transform the philanthropic marketplace, maximizing the impact of collaborative investing to improve the life trajectories of millions of young people and families across America. By pooling resources from multiple philanthropists, we unlock significant capital—enabling us to make large, multi-year investments in strategies that increase economic and social mobility in the US. Beyond the dollars, we provide our investees with strategic advice and capacity-building support, from collaborating on their growth plans to advising on building their evidence base and identifying measures of impact. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gW4dpABC #MeetingScaleWithScale #Philanthropy

“Where a child is born impacts everything in terms of their outcomes. It impacts their home ownership. It impacts their longevity. It impacts whether or not they’ll be incarcerated or killed. It impacts their level of wealth, their educational attainment, and overall quality of life.” Sondra Samuels, President and CEO at Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ), understands exactly why #PlaceMatters. See how her organization is changing outcomes for youth in North Minneapolis.

“Why do rural students have to ‘beat the odds’ in order to get into college?” President Jim Shelton posed this question at the annual Rural Summit recently.  Social Sector leaders like CEO Russell Booker of investee Spartanburg Academic Movement understands that “it takes community partnerships that include the school system, housing, healthcare, the criminal justice system and local government to improve outcomes for rural students” to make opportunity ‘the norm’ for certain young people born in certain regions, such as rural areas. Check out what others, like Dreama Gentry of Partners for Rural Impact, shared during the convening about the comprehensive supports required of #placebased work via The Hechinger Report: https://lnkd.in/exF4FMuQ 

Solutions to poverty in the US already exist. But without sufficient investment, these solutions can’t go far enough, fast enough, to have an impact at scale. Through our Nationwide Solutions portfolio, we provide leaders with significant, flexible capital while also partnering with them to develop and execute their plans for national scale. https://lnkd.in/gq_uEPQ

81% of HR professionals believe the quality of workers with criminal records is about the same or better than those without. Let’s make #FairChance #Hiring the norm! Through Fair Chance hiring, employers not only facilitate success for returning citizens — breaking cycles of recidivism— but also find eager, motivated workers for their organizations, build internal employee morale, and strengthen internal diversity and inclusion practices. The benefits of Fair Chance hiring initiatives are far-reaching, but the education and resources to support employers are few and far between. Our work with Jobs for the Future (JFF) aims to change that. https://lnkd.in/gxUQAwKf #SecondChances #FairChanceHiring #ReentryMatters

This #PrideMonth we’re celebrating the #LGBTQIA+ leaders and organizations creating social/economic mobility and inclusion for people of all gender identities and sexual orientations. Join us in amplifying the stories of the people and places who empower and embody #Pride with a shoutout below!

“This is how we get better—by learning from each other.”    We couldn’t have said it better than Todd Williams, Chairman and CEO of The Commit Partnership. We have much to learn from organizations doing the work to improve economic mobility in their communities.     Our Place Matters portfolio invests in promising place-based partnerships whose successes can inform strategies for change elsewhere: https://lnkd.in/eKZSMfGf  

In the philanthropic sector, we’re often faced with meeting higher demand for output and impact during times of crisis — such as a global pandemic and economic fallout from it. The work of the organizations we fund is essential to guiding communities and society safely through to the other side.     But, within our own organizations, what builds resilience for the individuals making sure that funding gets where it needs to go?     We asked team members across Blue Meridian to share how they’ve approached difficult times, how they've weathered the hardest storms, and what they’ve learned on the other side.  https://lnkd.in/gm6udx4C 

Socioeconomic outcomes are often determined by "wheres": Where you’re born, where you choose to raise a family, where you grow old. That’s why we’re investing in cradle-to-career, place-based solutions developed and driven by local leaders. https://lnkd.in/gq6SkUG  

We’re pioneering a new approach to philanthropic investment.    We work with funders to personalize their giving experience—by goal, by commitment level, or by region of interest. The result: Delivering up-front, flexible, and significant capital to fund organizations and empower leaders driving important social and economic change.    https://lnkd.in/ghbVVbC  #Philanthropy #ImpactDriven #SocialSector