365. Every day of the year members of our family of philanthropists make giving choices that change our communities for the better. This past year, thanks to the
Aspire Arkansas report, we have more data to help make those important choices.
Better information from
Aspire Arkansas is leading us to better communities. That’s why Arkansas Community Foundation teamed with the
University of Arkansas at Little Rock this spring to produce this major research initiative gathering county-by-county data on seven indicators of community wellbeing, from economic opportunity to education to health.
The report helps people throughout Arkansas take a look at how each county is faring on important quality of life issues. Arkansas Community Foundation’s 27 local offices are using the data to help make grants and build partnerships to address the areas of need identified through this data analysis.
When we take a look at Arkansas by the numbers we find many challenges that need to be met in our communities. One of the most difficult is breaking the cycle of poverty that leads to low educational attainment and which, in turn, slows economic development and results in more poverty.
But we also find sources of pride and hope for the future. A report released in 2009 by the National Institute for Early Education Research ranked Arkansas’s state funded pre-K program among the top ten in the nation.
2011 marked the 35th anniversary of Arkansas Community Foundation, and Aspire Arkansas is our gift to Arkansas — a way to celebrate where we’ve been, where we are now and where we need to go in the next 35 years. The entire Aspire Arkansas report, including individualized data for each of Arkansas’s 75 counties, is available
here.
Through Aspire Arkansas and the choices it inspires, we remain true to our mission — engaging people, connecting resources, inspiring solutions. You can be a part of our family of philanthropists.