Raise the Region

Raise the Region
Name	Raise the Region
Formation	2018
Type	Nonprofit
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois
Region served	Midwestern United States
Leader title	Executive Director
Leader name	Jane Doe

Raise the Region Raise the Region is a nonprofit initiative launched in 2018 focused on coordinated regional revitalization across metropolitan areas in the Midwestern United States. It works through civic networks, philanthropic foundations, municipal agencies, and academic centers to catalyze infrastructure projects, workforce development, and cultural programming. The initiative engages public officials, private investors, and community organizations to align planning efforts across county lines and metropolitan planning organizations.

Background and Origins

Raise the Region was established in the context of post-industrial shifts that affected cities such as Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Gary. Founders cited examples from urban policy efforts in New York City and Los Angeles as models for large-scale coordination, drawing on research from institutions like University of Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Michigan, and Ohio State University. Early advisory partners included philanthropic organizations such as the Ford Foundation, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, the Cleveland Foundation, and the MacArthur Foundation, along with civic leaders from Mayor Lori Lightfoot's administration and county executives from Cook County and Wayne County. Raise the Region's formation references planning paradigms from the Regional Plan Association, lessons from the Rust Belt transition, and frameworks promoted by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute.

Objectives and Principles

Raise the Region's stated objectives include equitable economic development across metropolitan regions, coordinated transportation investment, and cultural revitalization in legacy industrial centers such as Birmingham, Alabama's steel towns and Pittsburgh post-industrial districts. Principles emphasize inclusivity learned from initiatives like My Brother's Keeper, environmental resilience strategies from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration collaborations, and workforce alignment similar to programs at Manufacturing Institute and National Skills Coalition. The initiative aligns with policy agendas advanced in the Inflation Reduction Act era and complements federal grant streams from the Department of Transportation and the Economic Development Administration. Raise the Region promotes arts partnerships modeled after NEA collaborations and housing approaches informed by projects in Minneapolis and Kansas City.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs launched under the initiative include regional transit coordination projects inspired by the Chicago Transit Authority and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, brownfield remediation efforts resembling work by the Environmental Protection Agency's brownfields program, and workforce apprenticeships modeled on partnerships with United Auto Workers and Siemens. Cultural programming has connected museums and institutions like the Field Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Walker Art Center, and the Art Institute of Chicago to neighborhood activation efforts. Entrepreneurial support draws on accelerators such as Techstars and Y Combinator-style mentorship, while housing pilot programs referenced models from Habitat for Humanity and Enterprise Community Partners. Educational collaborations include local community colleges, Columbia University urban planning labs, and regional chapters of AmeriCorps and Teach For America for youth engagement. Environmental initiatives partner with groups like The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, and regional water authorities that manage watersheds tied to the Great Lakes.

Governance and Funding

Raise the Region operates through a board comprising leaders from civic institutions, philanthropic funders, and municipal governments, drawing governance concepts from boards of the Rockefeller Foundation, Kresge Foundation, and regional development corporations such as METRO Hart. Funding sources have included major gifts from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, contributions from corporate partners like Caterpillar Inc. and General Motors, and competitive grants from federal entities including the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the National Endowment for the Arts. The initiative coordinates with state economic development agencies in Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan and leverages local tax-increment financing mechanisms used in places like St. Louis and Cincinnati. Transparency practices reference reporting norms used by Charity Navigator and auditing standards common to the United States Internal Revenue Service for 501(c)(3) organizations.

Impact and Criticism

Reported impacts cite joint investments in transit corridors, brownfield remediation, and workforce pipelines with measurable outcomes similar to projects tracked by the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program and evaluations published by the Urban Institute. Case studies point to redevelopment in neighborhoods comparable to transformations seen in Shoreditch in London or DUMBO in Brooklyn, though situated in Midwestern contexts like Flint and Youngstown. Criticism has come from local advocacy groups and labor unions referencing concerns raised in debates involving AFL–CIO, tenant rights organizations modeled on Tenants Union chapters, and community land trust advocates associated with Community Land Trust Network. Critics argue about gentrification risks analogous to controversies in San Francisco and Seattle, the adequacy of community benefit agreements seen in disputes around Amazon HQ2, and governance accountability similar to scrutiny faced by regional authorities like Metropolitan Council (Minnesota).

Regional Partnerships and Collaborations

Raise the Region collaborates with metropolitan planning organizations such as the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, transit agencies like Metra and Pace (transit), and regional economic development organizations equivalent to Choose Chicago and Team NEO. Academic partners include urban studies centers at University of Minnesota, Rutgers University, Indiana University, and Purdue University, while public sector partners include state departments of transportation in Michigan and Ohio. Cultural and philanthropic collaborations involve institutions such as the Knight Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and local arts councils following models used by the Mid-America Arts Alliance. International exchanges reference sister-city frameworks like those maintained by Sister Cities International and comparative lessons from European regional initiatives in Manchester and Ruhr (region).

Category:Nonprofit organizations based in the United States