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Paying for success: The story of how Utah became a leader in social impact investing

Emily Hoeven

February 08, 2019 |

Deseret News |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Salt Lake City, Utah

Utah played a key role in passing federal legislation that set aside $100 million for underserved communities — without the government having to pay a dollar upfront. In this model, the government doesn’t pay for any social program that isn’t successful. If there isn't a measurable impact, private investors take the financial hit — not taxpayers. If carefully measured data proves that the program was successful, only then does the government pay back investors.

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Punjab's marginalised communities struggle for their right to cultivate common lands

Kundan Pandey

February 07, 2019 |

Down To Earth |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Punjab

Balad Kalan’s Scheduled Castes, popularly called Dalits, collectively bid to win the rights to fertile common lands that big landlords had taken control of. Each family contributed what they could and, after protests due to the lack of transparency in the bidding process, won 53 hectares, or one-third of the common land, which was distributed among 145 families. Fifty other villages have since won collective land rights by replicating the joint bidding process. An 11-member cooperative manages the land in each village, which is distributed to families in proportion to their monetary contribution.

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Baltimore enacts new rules to root out squalid rental properties. But some tenants could lose their homes

Doug Donovan

February 07, 2019 |

The Baltimore Sun |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore passed a law that cracks down on rental property owners that have been operating without required inspection, leaving renters living in squalor. While critics fear that owners and landlords may lose business, advocates note that living conditions have drastically improved for those renting homes in these buildings.

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The Battle Over Teaching Chicago's Schools About Police Torture and Reparations

Peter C. Baker

February 07, 2019 |

Longreads |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

In response to the discovery that Chicago police officer Jon Burge led a "Midnight Crew" torturing mostly Black men to coerce criminal confessions, the city council's agreement to make cash reparations to the victims included a mandated curriculum in public schools to teach high school students the truth of what happened. Critics called the curriculum, "Reparations Won," anti-police propaganda. But a rare and lengthy observation of one class' experience showed its effects on youth. Not only did they learn the history, but they also learned the possibility of change in the face of systemic injustice.

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These probiotics for plants help farms suck up extra carbon dioxide

Adele Peters

February 07, 2019 |

FastCompany |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Florida

A startup called Locus Agricultural Solutions has created a "probiotic" for soil that uses a mixture of beneficial fungi and bacteria. Not only does it increase productivity of crops, but it also absorbs enough carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere per acre to offset the emissions of a passenger vehicle. Tests done on an orange grove in Florida showed that areas treated with the product took up an extra 4.38 metric tons of CO2 per acre.

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When refugees need emergency help with a language barrier, this app connects them to a translator

Adele Peters

February 07, 2019 |

FastCompany |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States

A new mobile app called Tarjimly connects refugees with much needed translation services, especially in times of emergency. With over 8,000 volunteer translators who speak over 90 languages, the adaptable app can break down language barriers in any situation in which a refugee has access to a mobile phone.

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In Nigeria, documentary films spark social change

Innocent Eteng

February 07, 2019 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nigeria, Port Harcourt

A local, grass-roots art project in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, spreads awareness about and encourages action against government-sponsored evictions in the city's low-income communities. Cinematic films, music, and journalistic storytelling help spread the humanity and character of the communities to appeal to government entities to let people stay.

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Thailand's Bamboo School

Fred de Sam Lazaro

February 07, 2019 |

Under-Told Stories Project |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Thailand

A unique boarding school in Thailand has inspired close to 200 more of its kind. At Mechai Bamboo School, students benefit from a combination of traditional classroom instruction and hands-on activities, including starting their own small businesses. Targeted at some of the most disadvantaged students in Buriram Province, the lessons in economic development encourage students to give back to their home communities instead of migrating.

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Community Solar Developers Get Creative to Finance Big Projects

Zoe Sullivan

February 06, 2019 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Organizations across the country work to make sustainable solar energy accessible for low-income communities. Through creative financing models that allow community members to maintain ownership over their neighborhood solar panels, these organizations keep financing in the hands of community members rather than corporate entities.

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What we can learn from Canada's universal child care model

Allison Herrera

February 05, 2019 |

Public Radio International (PRI) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Canada, Montreal, Quebec

By reducing daycare costs to nearly nothing, Québec's universal child care program allows more women than ever to join the labor force, rather than stay home and care for their children. The United States now looks to this Canadian province as a working model that sheds light upon the benefits of government-funded child care programs.

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