Funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, this document accompanies Achieving the Anchor Promise: Improving Outcomes for Low-Income Children, Families and Communities, and provides infomation on dashboard indicators connected to anchor institutions. Anchor institutions are place-based entities such as universities and hospitals that are tied to their surroundings by mission, invested capital or relationships to customers, employees, and vendors. These ties link institution well-being with the well-being of the community in which it is anchored. As a result, anchor institutions are leveraging more of their economic, human and intellectual resources to better the long-term welfare of the communities in which they exist. This study seeks to introduce a framework that can assist anchor institutions in understanding their impact on the community and, in particular, their impact on the welfare of low-income children and families in those communities.
Health care and education are gaining in their share of national GDP. Anchor institutions in general are among the leading employers in nearly all major U.S. cities.
