Whether you’re working on a local collective impact initiative or a national public-private partnership; whether you’re a practitioner or a researcher; whether you’re looking for basics or a detailed look at a particular topic, our Resource Library can help you find the information and tools you need for your cross-sector thinking and practice. The Library — which includes resources from research organizations, advisory groups, training organizations, academic centers and journals, and other sources — spans issue areas, sectors, and partnership types.
Learn More
There are a number of academic courses, programs, and certificates offered in the United States in which cross-sector collaboration is a major theme. We hope this list will be useful for educators who are interested in how this topic is being taught at universities across the country…
In this paper, Living Cities offers “a strategic framework for cross-sector partnerships including describing and defining the traits that make up a strong foundation, factors that influence success, and behaviors of high-impact efforts. In addition to the theory, the paper steeps these ideas in four…
This landmark SSIR article introduced the concept of collective impact and its five conditions of collective success. “Collaboration is nothing new. The social sector is filled with examples of partnerships, networks, and other types of joint efforts. But collective impact initiatives are distinctly different. Unlike…
✴︎ Available only with purchase from publisher “Theoretical and empirical work on collaboration has proliferated in the last decade. The authors’ 2006 article on designing and implementing cross-sector collaborations was a part of, and helped stimulate, this growth. This article reviews the authors’ and others’…
“This report focuses specifically on a cross-sector collaborative effort to significantly reduce traffic congestion in the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minnesota. The organizers of the program concluded that a collaborative, multi-modal approach was crucial to making real headway on a longstanding, costly, nearly intractable…
This article highlights lessons learned from a session at the International Data Responsibility Conference about the potential and value of data collaboratives. “Several of society’s greatest challenges — from climate change to poverty — require greater access to big (but not always open) data sets,…
“As part of an ongoing effort to build a knowledge base for the field of opening governance by organizing and disseminating its learnings, the GovLab Selected Readings series provides an annotated and curated collection of recommended works on key opening governance topics. In this edition,…
“The role of private stakeholders in disaster operations goes far beyond the delivery of profits to its shareholders. Disasters and humanitarian operations literature acknowledges the importance of private sector in disaster lifecycle; however, it lacks an analysis of the risks and benefits of each different…
“Multi-sector partnerships play an increasingly significant role in the movement to improve health, equity, and economic prosperity. These partnerships recognize that many of our most pressing challenges defy sector boundaries, and cannot be effectively addressed by any one institution alone. Progress Along the Pathway to…
“Since its introduction, the concept of pay for success (PFS) financing has attracted attention from leaders interested in innovative social financing approaches. The model — which establishes outcomes-driven contracts between government and service providers, with up-front capital from private funders — shines a spotlight on…
“The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) convened public, private, and nonprofit leaders to share their insights on how to improve health and housing outcomes. Individual…
This report summarizes the findings of the a series of convenings, hosted by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, in which “a broad range of experts and stakeholders, including representatives of the federal government (both…
These principles from the National Council of Nonprofits are “designed for use by nonprofits, governments, foundations, and for-profit entities when considering launching pay-for-success initiatives, social impact bonds, or other new funding mechanisms. … [These principles aim to] help parties contemplating alternative funding arrangements set expectations…
“The Rockefeller Foundation has long recognized the importance of meaningful engagement of the private sector in addressing many of the world’s most complex problems. While many social sector leaders understand that engaging the private sector matters, far fewer understand how to do so, or the…
“Agreeing on a common agenda is one of the chief tenets of collective impact — and one of the prerequisites for moving collaboration forward,” write the authors of this Nonprofit Quarterly contribution. “However, our experience working with collective impact initiatives and other similar networks suggests…