Because communities face many needs, Urban Strategies’ work touches on a wide range of issues ranging from housing, economic development, child care, youth and families, education, mentoring, and volunteerism. In these efforts, we serve in a variety of capacities depending on the needs and strengths of each of our community partners. Specifically, we provide services in the following ways:

Technical Assistance

Urban Strategies is passionate about providing relevant guidance that goes beyond the dissemination of information but to increasing knowledge among front-line organizations. While there is value in providing “training” in group sessions, we find our preference to be in small cohorts with even greater impact and efficiencies in providing individual, customized technical assistance.

Project Design

The cornerstone of our work is in the designing of strategies that leverage the strengths of grass-root organizations to affect communities in need. Our bias in design is to incorporate strategies that allow for the development of long-term relationships between those being served and those serving, to leverage existing investments and relationships to “wrap-around” specific service delivery, to leverage the assets of faith-based organizations (facility, outreach, etc.), to design strategies that are not stand-alone efforts but are part of a comprehensive strategy, and to focus on serving low-income communities of color.

Project Management

Urban Strategies pursues a no-nonsense business approach to achieve social good. Clear goals, timely reporting, quality delivery, measurable outcomes, and a bias for action are key components of our operating principles. Similar to a venture fund requiring an organizational board seat with its investments, Urban Strategies’ involvement in project management is most typically a pre-requisite in the provision of any other service. This ensures that we have the opportunity to make the proposed project as successful as possible and falls within our desire to develop our work around relationships rather than transactions.

Strategic Alliances

Urban Strategies has earned the trust of a diverse group of organizations and institutions, placing it in a unique position of being able to facilitate the development of win-win synergistic relationships across multiple geographic and demographic boundaries.

Examples Of Our Work

COMPASSION CAPITAL FUND

Urban Strategies has been a key architect in the design of this Presidential initiative so that the intended goals are met among grass-roots organizations. Formally, Urban Strategies was contracted to write the Requests for Proposals issued by the federal government for this program. To date the federally-funded CCF has provided more than $100 million to support capacity building activities among grass-roots organizations.

RECLAMANDO NUESTRO FUTURO

Urban Strategies designed, recruited grass-roots participation, and secured funding for this federally unprecedented initiative to support and engage Latino-focused faith-based organizations serving at-risk youth. This 3 year, $10 million project is focused on interventions with more than some 500 adjudicated Latino youth.

FUTURONOW CAPACITY BUILDING PROJECT

Urban Strategies designed, recruited partners, secured funding, and now manages this project designed to provide relevant assistance customized to the needs and strengths of each participating organization. This 18 month, $1 million project focused on providing capacity building support to 27 Latino-focused organizations in the Los Angeles area. This project is the largest of its kind focused exclusively on the Hispanic community in the four county region of metropolitan Los Angeles.

FUTURONOW HEALTHY MARRIAGE INITIATIVE

Urban Strategies designed the initiative, engaged 20 service delivery partners, and is managing the project implementation. Investing an average of $275 per person, this project will provide healthy marriage / relationship education and mentoring to 4,000 low-income Hispanic adults and high school students in the Southern California region. This project is unprecedented in that it is the largest Hispanic focused marriage initiative in the country.

BRIDGES HEALTHY MARRIAGE INITIATIVE

Urban Strategies recruited leadership partners, co-designed the initiative, mobilized service delivery partners, and currently serves as a consultant for this $10 million, 5 year project. On average, $333 / person will be invested to provide quality, transformative education to more than 6,000 low income African-American and Hispanic adults and high school students in the Chicagoland region.

TEXAS’ ONE STAR FOUNDATION

As an office under the Governor of Texas, Urban Strategies assisted in developing and implementing a methodical, systematic technical assistance initiative to improve outcomes among mentoring organizations. Utilizing organizational assessment tools and completing customized technical assistance plans, Urban Strategies provided on average of 30 hours of technical assistance and consultation to each of 17 grass-roots organizations in metro areas over a six month period.