Collective Impact is “the commitment of a group of important actors from different sectors to a common agenda for solving a specific social problem,” according to John Kania and Mark Kramer. They observe that successful initiatives typically have five conditions that together produce true alignment and lead to powerful results: a common agenda, shared measurement systems, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication, and “backbone” support. 

In stark contrast to the traditional and largely unsuccessful practice of investing in and implementing discrete and fragmented services – what Kania and Kramer call isolated impact – Collective Impact calls for cross-sector coordination in which local institutions, community-based organizations, higher education, business, philanthropy, the government and the public join together around a common vision and hold themselves accountable for achieving shared outcomes.

SBRT is a member of the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network and is committed to promoting the four key pillars of its Theory of Action: shared community vision, evidence-based decision-making, collaborative action, investment, and sustainability. The South Bronx joins more than 60 other communities nationwide in this effort and also benefits from being part of the SUNY-sponsored New York State Cradle to Career Alliance, a state-level intermediary for StriveTogether that connects six partnerships.

Stated simply, SBRT's theory of change is that a shared vision, combined with informed collaborative action, leads to meaningful, sustained impact.