“The belief that social problems such as high poverty, low employment, and health disparities are
best addressed through cross-sector collaboration — partnerships involving government, business,
nonprofits and philanthropies, communities, and/or the public as a whole — has inspired a number
of prominent interventions in recent years. As part of a larger initiative focused on distressed
small and midsize cities, [the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston] investigated the state of cross-sector collaboration in 20 cities and towns in Rhode Island by surveying organizational leaders in these sectors, [sending] 6,000 surveys to leaders in business, education, government, law enforcement,
nonprofits, and religious institutions across the state and [receiving] 324 complete responses.” This report captures key insights from the survey process, including patterns of interaction, intra- v. inter-sector ties, and frequency of collaboration.