What is “Place-based”?
Place-based work is about people in a given place working together for sustainable, long-term transformation. Rather than applying broad, one-size-fits-all solutions, place-based initiatives focus on specific neighborhoods, deeply engaging local voices, culture, challenges, and opportunities to design solutions that truly fit that place. These efforts emphasize community leadership over external directives, collaboration over isolation, and holistic approaches over narrow, sector-specific fixes—connecting housing, education, health, family support, and neighborhood vitality into an integrated strategy for systemic change.
In practice, successful place-based work engages residents as partners, brings together many stakeholders, and layers investments over time to reverse decades of disinvestment and build flourishing communities.
Who's involved?
Welborn has partnered with these organizations who are actively engaged in place-based initiatives:
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Welborn's Role
By investing in place-based efforts, Welborn supports community-led solutions that strengthen people, neighborhoods, and systems. These priorities are realized through our grant cycles and in our roles as collaborator, convener, and intentionally layered investments. All of which reflect Welborn’s commitment to cultivating communities that flourish and advancing strategies that drive sustainable change across our region.
Welborn's Layered Investments Towards Place-based Work
Place-based work is most effective when practiced within a comprehensive ecosystem of care and support. This is reflected in efforts that address physical challenges such as safer sidewalks, increased access to green spaces, and affordable housing. It also engages children, families, neighborhood agencies, food insecurity, and school resources.
As a result, Welborn strategically layers its investments across these areas of need in communities that have experienced years of disinvestment—guided by each place’s greatest asset: its people.
One example of this approach is the deep collaboration among dozens of agencies within the Evansville Promise Neighborhood (EPN) initiative. EPN focuses on building strategic partnerships that unlock resources and empower residents to lead the change they envision for their community. The initiative works with residents, neighborhood and regional nonprofits, schools, and local consultants in defined geographic areas of Evansville with strong potential for positive transformation.
Welborn is deeply committed to the success of the EPN initiative and complements its support through direct and indirect partnerships.
Where You Live Matters
Did you know that where you live impacts your health, education, and economic opportunities?
The Where You Live Matters data report from Grow helps you explore how neighborhood conditions shape life outcomes. This report takes an in-depth look at the Greater Evansville region and area neighborhoods’ strengths and challenges.
