City: El Paso, TX
Arts - Private/Public Partnership - Revitalization
Date Published: September 2006

The El Paso Community foundation is directly responsible for leading an initiative to save the Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Centre in El Paso, TX. Once known as The Showplace of the Southwest, the Performing Arts Centre stood to be demolished in 1986. The announcement of the demise of this community treasure spurred the El Paso Community Foundation to action, and in March of 2006, twenty years after the building was almost destroyed, the Plaza Theatre reopened as a major performing arts facility, thanks to the public/private partnership between the Foundation and City of El Paso.

City: Santa Rosa, CA
Environment - Business - Regional Development
Date Published: October 2006

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors first began the Environmental Business Task Force in 1995 in light of growing concerns about sustainable and green development in the Sonoma County Area. Members of this original task force included representatives from businesses, environmental organizations, and government. In December 1995, this Task Force recommended that a permanent Business Environmental Alliance be created, which would formulate a voluntary program of responsible environmental practices for local businesses to follow. The focus of the Business Environmental Alliance is to implement business-to-business communication to encourage the adoption of environmentally responsible practices by businesses. One of the main principles behind the Business Environmental Alliance is the belief that "green begets green," or that sound business environmental policies can benefit a business financially.

City: Pittsburgh, PA
Arts - Neighborhood Development - Urban
Date Published: October 2006

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust (PCT) seeks to lead the way in uniting public and private interests in pursuit of mutually supportive cultural and economic development objectives, particularly through the creation and fostering of a cultural district. The PCT was established in1984 to deal with the economic downturn which afflicted many ‘rust belt’ cities. Through the established 14 block downtown area of Pittsburgh, the PCT has created and renovated first class performance facilities and brought in new patrons and businesses that have economically revitalized the area. Additionally, the PCT emphasizes that comprehensive efforts at revitalizing downtown Pittsburgh would be impossible in the absence of extensive public/private partnerships. Pittsburgh is preserving its arts heritage while inspiring economic development.

City: San José, CA
Housing - Workforce Development - Urban
Date Published: October 2006

The Teacher Homebuyer Program, run by the San José Department of Housing in conjunction with San José Public Schools, is a program that seeks to attract and retain talented teachers in the San José Public School system by offering them deferred repayment homeownership loans. Like many cities across the country, San José has had difficulty securing sufficient amounts of teachers and other professionals such as police and firefighters. In addition, the high cost of housing in San José provided another deterrent from attracting teachers to the San José Public Schools. The Teacher Homebuyer program was started in 1999 through the mayor’s administration, which hoped to enhance a quality school system and become the most teacher- friendly city in California by offering teachers access to affordable homes. The program is also based upon the belief that the school system will be stronger by having teachers who are members of the communities in which they work.