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Every employee at this grilled cheese restaurant has a criminal record

Adele Peters

October 05, 2018 |

FastCompany |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Emily Turner, an attorney-turned-activist, runs the restaurant All Square, which only employs people with a criminal record. After years working in the field of prisoner reentry for the government, she decided to create a solution that would directly help people: providing jobs. By paying a living wage, providing mental health support, and teaching business skills, the “fellows,” as they are called, are finding a sustainable way to bounce back.

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Can Zoning Actually Save Manufacturing Space in San Francisco?

Emily Nonko

October 03, 2018 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

Kate Sofis created SFMade in San Francisco to find creative ways to support local manufacturing. The organization has helped push the local government to create more inclusionary industrial zoning, which incentivizes developers to build manufacturing space along with traditional office space. Funded by grants and a New Markets Tax Credit, SFMade has opened 150 Hooper, a manufacturing hub. Its challenge now is how to maintain a sustainable funding source in the pricey city.

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In Montana, a Tough Negotiator Proved Employers Don't Have to Pay So Much for Health Care

Marshall Allen

October 02, 2018 |

ProPublica |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Montana

Montana hired a former insurance industry worker to administer its health plan. She had a new strategy: simply tell the hospitals what the state would pay and also require a full accounting of drug costs. None of the hospitals have reported struggling after lowering costs.

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San Antonio's Public Montessori Program, Designed for Diversity — and Inclusion

Beth Hawkins

October 01, 2018 |

The 74 |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Antonio, Texas

Steele Academy is "Montessori education for students who don't normally get it," according to Laura Christenberry, the driver behind San Antonio's first public Montessori school. Drawing on detailed census information, leaders at the combined preschool and kindergarten ensure that 50 percent of the population comes from the bottom of the income spectrum. Now, the challenge is building trust and making a diverse group of families aware of the nontraditional model.

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'Startup in Residence' Wants to Help Entrepreneurs Understand City Hall

Linda Poon

September 28, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

A program in San Francisco to help small-businesses win government contracts is scaling to cities across the United States and Canada as more entrepreneurs look for ways to partner with government instead of just disrupting local markets. The program works by giving businesses an inside view of government processes, with four months dedicated to working in various departments, interviewing employees, and generally collaborating to produce products before entering into a contract.

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Changing the way people access the burliest waters in the country

Jason Blevins

September 28, 2018 |

The Colorado Sun |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado

When faced with the challenge of creating a better raft to access unexplored whitewater, a family devised what is now known as the Alpacka Raft. Changing the way people can explore the outdoors, the family company has turned into "one of the largest custom outdoor gear manufacturing shops in the country."

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Can American Men and Women Ever Really Be Equal?

Irin Carmon

September 27, 2018 |

Time Magazine |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Sweden, Stockholm

Sweden has a reputation for being one of the most socially-progressive and gender-equal countries in the world. This article breaks down the different policies that Sweden has become so famous for and looks at its myriad of effects on citizens. Author Irin Carmon concludes that this case study tells us that working towards gender equality will be long and arduous and not always perfect, but entirely possible.

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England has more than 200,000 empty homes. How to revive them?

Mattha Busby

September 25, 2018 |

The Guardian |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, Stockton-on-Tees

There are an estimated over 200,000 vacant homes across England, and Community Campus 87 is one group attempting to bring those homes back to life. By employing apprentices, some who have experienced homelessness, to learn skills such as house painting, the social enterprise is helping homes as well as homeless people bounce back. This is just one example of a handful of social enterprises that are funding the rebuilding of vacant properties with the goal of filling the old homes with more affordable and sustainable housing.

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Locals Unite to Stop Hog Farms From Polluting Their Community

Wyatt Massey

September 24, 2018 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Iowa

When large-scale hog farms began moving into rural Iowa, many local families were forced to start making decisions about their ways of life, especially concerning their own farms and health. To fight back, the community gathered together to create a covenant. Although small in scale, other communities in the state have reached out in hopes of following their so-far successful approach.

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How to Rewrite a Region's Story

Dwyer Gunn

September 24, 2018 |

Pacific Standard |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Hazard, Kentucky

In Hazard, Kentucky, the future of coal remains uncertain. However, efforts by KVEC, or the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative, led to funding from the Department of Education. This grant is helping train students across eastern Kentucky in robotics, computer science, drone technology, and more. The goal is to build a qualified technical workforce, and hopefully some students will remain in the region to contribute to its economic development. Though this is just an initial investment, leaders are optimistic about the long term positive effects of this educational transformation.

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