This paper calls on love as a cure for injustice. It is not a formal research paper. It comes from the heart. It is meant to be used—like love itself. It is meant to start talks and make us think.

Charter for Compassion launches "With Compassion," a new podcast series exploring how compassion can transform politics and civic life. The debut episode features Greg Fischer, who served 12 years as Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky—making compassion one of his city's three core values.

"As the largest employer in the world, our federal government cannot afford to have leaders that all look and think the same. I support the Pledge for Diversity campaign because our nation was founded on the principle of unity, not despite our varying backgrounds, but specifically because of it."

— Leon Panetta, Former Secretary of Defense and White House Chief of Staff

A free online resource helping local government leaders identify and implement evidence-based strategies to improve upward economic mobility for their residents.

Over 50 high-level strategies and nearly 200 specific programs backed by rigorous research. From early childhood to workforce development, housing to financial security.

What Is Systems Thinking?

Systems thinking is a way of looking at problems that helps you see the whole picture, not just one piece. Instead of asking "What happened?" it asks "Why did this happen?" and "What patterns am I seeing?"

Think about it this way: When you see a traffic jam, you could just be frustrated about the cars in front of you. Or you could ask deeper questions. Why is there always a traffic jam here at 5pm? What about the road design causes this? What beliefs about how people should get to work led to this road being built this way?

Systems thinking helps us move from quick fixes that don't last to real solutions that change things for good.

Why This Matters

• For Renters: Rent jumped 9% in one year. Many families must choose between rent and other basic needs.

• For Homebuyers: Home prices rose faster than incomes. The typical family can't afford the typical home.

• For Communities: Over 500,000 people live in areas threatened by floods, heat, and bad air.

• For Policy Makers: Climate and housing problems are connected. Solutions must address both.

• For Our Future: Houston is becoming less affordable and less safe to live in.

As federal pandemic relief funds wind down, states across the nation are finding innovative ways to sustain and expand summer learning programs that emerged during the Covid-19 response. This report examines how nine states built infrastructure and implemented strategies to ensure summer learning remains accessible and effective.

Report Overview

The federal government has been slow to pass new laws. So state governments are stepping up to solve important problems. Bloomberg Government's 2025 State Policy Watchlist looks at five key areas where states are making big changes this year.

Why This Report Matters

• States are making new laws to fill gaps when federal government doesn't act

• 88 places (23 states and 65 cities) will raise their minimum wages in 2025

• 20 states now have laws protecting people's online privacy as of January 2025

• When many states do something, the federal government often follows

• Knowing what states are doing helps you plan ahead

Why This Matters for Dallas

• For Community Leaders: A coordinated regional approach to fragmented housing efforts

• For Policy Makers: Comprehensive framework addressing policy, production, and preservation

• For Developers: Access to capital and innovative construction approaches that reduce costs

• For Workers: Focus on "missing middle" and workforce housing for those earning 50-80% AMI

• For Dallas' Future: Addressing a projected 76,000 unit shortfall by 2035

These four webinars from the Constructive Dialogue Institute give college leaders, educators, and student organizers practical tools for building campus cultures where people can talk across differences. Learn from real examples at leading universities.

What This Series Offers

• Research-backed strategies from leading universities

• Practical tools you can use right away

• Real examples from campus dialogue programs

• Expert guidance from university leaders

• Free recordings you can watch anytime

Want to track a bill? Research how a law came to be? Find out who your state representative is? The Texas Legislative Reference Library gives you free access to all of this and more. It is your window into how state government works.

Why This Resource Matters

• Track Legislation: Follow bills from filing to becoming law

• Research History: Access bill files dating back to 1907

• Understand Process: Learn how the Texas Legislature works

• Free for Everyone: No subscription or special access needed

• Authoritative Source: Official legislative records and documents

Three hundred Fresnans came together with a big vision—to build an economy that creates opportunity for everyone. Five years later, the results speak for themselves. Fresno DRIVE shows what is possible when communities lead, when neighbors organize, and when everyone has a seat at the table.

Why This Matters for Organizers

• Proof of Concept: Community-led initiatives can move the needle on national rankings

• Replicable Model: Multi-billion dollar community-led investment plan created by residents

• Infrastructure Focus: Neighborhood Hubs build relationships, trust, and collective power

• Long-Term Vision: Five-year timeline shows sustained commitment produces results

• Systems Change: Addressing root causes of poverty, not just symptoms

When parents have good child care, they can go to work. When they can go to work, Houston's businesses run better. That's why child care is part of how our city works.

But many home-based child care providers struggle. They don't have money saved for emergencies. They don't know how to run the business side of child care. They can't get loans like other small businesses can.

What the Pilot Program Did

• Gave money to 30 home child care businesses

• Taught owners how to run their businesses better

• Helped them prepare for storms and emergencies

• Tracked what worked and what didn't

• Learned lessons to help more providers

"I've experienced a number of times where I found myself thinking, 'Oh I never thought of it that way' or I recognized that someone else's experience opened me up to a new way of seeing that topic. I found myself seeing something for the first time."

— Conversation Participant

"Avoiding difficult conversations won't bring us any closer, but treating others with respect will. Learning to discuss and disagree without being mean is the only way to rebuild our communities."

— Disagree Better Initiative