As the High Impact team has grown this year, the skills, backgrounds, and roles of our team have become more diverse. A critical thread is shared among all of us, though: a commitment to positively impacting America's most distressed communities. But what impact are we seeking, and how will we make it happen? The answers to these questions are crystallized in High Impact's first-ever vision statement: Conscious capital and innovative partnerships create thriving communities. We want not just to expand economic opportunities in low-income communities. We don't only want to contribute to the production of quality affordable housing, or improved facilities for high-performing schools. Rather, it is the sum of all those parts and more that we seek--it is the creation of thriving communities. A thriving community has opportunities to earn an income and build wealth, it has residents who don't feel the stress of housing insecurity, and it has schools that equip students to reach their potential. But it also has happy, fulfilled people, neighborhood pride, big dreamers, and the comfort of safety. Helping all communities thrive is what our work is all about.
With the goal defined, the next step was figuring out how we can pursue such an ambitious vision. We concluded that conscious capital and innovative partnerships are the two critical, non-negotiable ingredients that will be core to our success. Conscious capital acknowledges that money is necessary to move the needle on these intractable problems, and it has to be money that's used in a thoughtful, human-first way. It's capitalism that understands and privileges the simple idea that people are greater than profit. Innovative partnerships are so important to us because while we are ambitious, we know that we can't make the big changes that we believe in on our own. We need to bring our specific skill set to the table and combine that with the expertise and capacity of our collaborators to maximize our impact. We need to encourage ourselves and others to think differently, act boldly, and work together to drive positive change. Our vision statement is a commitment. It is a motivator. And it is our greatest dream as a company. We invite you to join us as we bring it to life.
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