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…
“The question of how to collaborate across boundaries admits no easy, universal answer. There are, however, striking similarities between the types of challenges that different collaborations face. From 2018 to 2020, the authors of this article—researchers from the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy…
In fall 2015, Hart Research Associates convened six focus groups on behalf of The Intersector Project to explore citizens’ views toward the business, government, and non-profit sectors and toward cross-sector collaboration. The key takeaways from those discussions are the subject of this report. This discussion…
In 2005, the Indian state of Kerala banned the production of Coca-Cola products in the region, due to the company’s excessive use of water and poor record of pollution. It was clear to Coca-Cola that the corporation could improve its water efficiency and overall water…
In this podcast, “Willa Seldon, a consultant at Bridgespan … gives some pointers on successful collaboration and how to productively evaluate common goals. To support her viewpoints, she engages Stephanie Couch and Carolyn Nelson, two experienced collaborators who provide insights on their own collaborative work…
This podcast from SSIR features interviews with Gwen Ruta, who directs the Environmental Defense Fund’s Corporate Partnerships program, and Bob Langert, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at McDonald’s. Ruta and Langert discuss cross-sector partnerships in environmental and social innovation that stemmed from the partnership…
This resource includes guidance for non-profit and for-profit organizations looking to enter into a “mutually beneficial and well-defined relationship … to achieve common goals” and includes sections related to: Choosing the optimal level of “intensity” (from cooperation to collaboration to integration) for a new partnership…
“Non-profits and corporations can achieve their goals by working together. In this panel discussion, 2007 Nonprofit Boot Camp panelists describe the various forms of partnerships between non-profit and for-profit organizations, their benefits, and their pitfalls. They talk about how to start and develop successful partnerships…
“This guide focuses on collaborative governance, an emerging set of concepts and practices that offer prescriptions for inclusive, deliberative, and often consensus-oriented approaches to planning, problem solving, and policymaking. Collaborative governance typically describes those processes in which government actors are participants and/or objects of the…
“The experience of homelessness places individuals at greater risk of exposure to a variety of infectious diseases including hepatitis A, tuberculosis, and influenza, and contagious parasites including lice, scabies, and crab louse. The recent hepatitis A outbreaks occurring in multiple states throughout the country among…
“This report is designed to provide an overview of the attributes and benefits of university-led Grand Challenges, with a summary of best practices and strategies for universities currently engaged or considering starting their own programs. The report also makes the case for a new Community…