Dear Friends,

These are challenging times. We hear it daily.

Economic uncertainty abounds. High unemployment threatens families. Foreclosures and bankruptcies are at historic levels.

But what does that challenge us to do?

It challenges us to act for the public good in the most responsible and efficient way. Our challenge is to use our resources (our wealth, our wisdom, our work) to express who we are as a people.

Investment, entrepreneurship, innovation—the ingredients that built our cities and communities and brought us prosperity in the past—are still possible.

But if we want to rebuild that prosperity, we must choose wisely.

How can we gather the best data, draw from it the most insightful analysis and use it to pinpoint the most effective use of limited resources? That’s why we chose to create PolicyMap, giving any Internet user access to relevant, timely data to guide their decisions.

How can we highlight the most successful new approaches to public education, benefitting thousands of students while providing national models for innovation? That’s why we choose to invest in high-performing charter schools which take risks and achieve results.

How can we create opportunity in urban neighborhoods in ways that are tangible and lasting? That’s why we choose to invest in access to fresh food and quality supermarkets, bringing affordable food choices to communities where there have been few.

These are challenging times.

They are indeed.

But we can make choices.

And the right choices can bring about change.