The Promise Neighborhoods Institute (PNI) at PolicyLink assists Promise Neighborhoods in connecting local resources to wrap children in education, health, and social supports from the cradle to college to career and serves as a link to federal, public, and private investors. PNI also provides Promise Neighborhoods communities with leadership and management coaching, communications strategy, and other resources that support their efforts to ensure that children and their families can live in healthy communities of opportunity.

With the support of PNI, over 50 communities are planning or implementing results-focused, data-driven Promise Neighborhoods, scaling up to serve 200,000 children nationwide.

Since its establishment in 2010, the Promise Neighborhoods program has awarded nearly $277 million to over 50 urban, rural, and tribal communities representing more than 700 schools across the country.

Below are a few results from the Promise Neighborhoods program.

Berea, Kentucky

• Since 2012, the kindergarten readiness scores across the three counties that make up the Berea Promise Neighborhood (Clay, Jackson, and Owsley counties) have increased from 16 percent to 36 percent. In other words, more students are prepared to get a positive start in school.

Buffalo, New York

• The percentage of kindergartners who exhibited age-appropriate functioning at the beginning of the school year increased from 72% (2012) to 95% (2016).

Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ), Minneapolis, Minnesota

• On-time graduation has consistently improved. In 2016, 69% of NAZ students graduated from high school within four years, as opposed to just 51% in 2012.

To read more about PNI and its impact, go to the Promise Neighborhoods Institute website.