Driving Regional Cooperation
Our individual communities are connected and share a common fate. When we remain fragmented, our efforts are piecemeal and disjointed.
When we work together, we can drive positive change for the whole region. Regional cooperation may focus on many things – advancing regional plans, creating common policies, improving inefficient systems, building innovative programs – but the end goal of a better region for all is the same.
What We Believe
Metro areas with strong regional cooperation structures tend to perform better over time on economic measures such as job growth, population growth, median household income, poverty rate, and labor force participation. Structure is key: regions must create structures and processes for cooperation that function well and endure through political change. Building trust and a sense of shared fates is also important. We believe that if we build effective structures for regional cooperation and nurture a culture of trust, our region can ‘grow the pie’ for everyone.
While research shows that cooperation does not always lead to greater efficiency, the right kind of cooperation can deliver more effective, community-responsive services at a similar or lower cost. By consolidating government services, Charlotte, NC has reduced duplication, increased savings on buildings and other assets, and leveraged economies of scale. Birmingham-area Riverkeepers have lowered costs and increased quality and consistency of water quality programs through collaboration.
Regions that focus on cooperation have shown they can be highly successful at expanding high quality, regional amenities. For example, Denver has built an extensive regional transit system and dedicated $50 million in annual arts funding that flows to large institutions and grassroots organizations alike. It is important that philanthropy sits within a community of public-private partnerships that seeks creative funding solutions to build and sustain regional amenities.
The Impact We Seek
By supporting regional cooperation between organizations, municipalities, and communities, we aim to:
- Increase regional, equitable economic growth
- Increase the efficiency and effectiveness of public and private entities
- Improve the quality of regional amenities and developments
Learn More About Our Priorities
Grantee Stories
Community on the Rise is shifting the narrative for women survivors of homelessness
As executive director of Community on the Rise, a nonprofit and social enterprise dedicated to empowering the unhoused in Birmingham, Ala., Avery Rhodes is all too familiar with the perceptions that some people have of women who are experiencing homelessness.
Libby’s Friends Helps Alabamians with Disabilities Discover New Possibilities
Birmingham-area residents Lane and Kathryn Hagan know firsthand how expensive raising a child with special needs can be. At just 12 days old, while in the NICU, their daughter Libby was mistakenly given an overdose of insulin, causing a catastrophic brain injury that left her with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and other health issues.
More than a Gym: How YMCA of Greater Birmingham is Transforming Communities
When you enter the Northeast Community YMCA in Roebuck you may be surprised by what you find.
Larry Savage’s “Hearts of Wheels” keeps rolling
Larry Savage still remembers his first car. It was a 1974 Mustang that he bought in 1975 for $3,000.