Forest Restoration for Fuel

By James Gaines

Supported by the nonprofit US Endowment for Forestry & Communities, Restoration Fuels will turn wood scraps into a substitute for coal, potentially providing energy, jobs, and even environmental benefits.

Life Preservers at Sea

By Jeanne Carstensen

Proactiva Open Arms’ greatest threat to its rescue mission may not be the rough Mediterranean seas but European governments fearful of migrants seeking refuge in their countries.

Restoring the Heartland

By Kathy O. Brozek

Iroquois Valley Farms’ impact investment model ushers in a new era for farmers looking to create a sustainable future.

Smartphone Samaritans

By Alicia Clegg

The digital app GoodSAM transforms emergency medical care through its crowdsourcing network of first responders.

The Fight to End Cash Bail

By Tana Ganeva

The Bail Project began as a simple idea by Bronx public defenders to set up a fund to protect their clients from the ravages of an unfair system. Now their advocacy is part of a vanguard to overhaul US criminal justice.

The New Practice of Public Problem Solving

By Tara McGuinness & Anne-Marie Slaughter 2

A new class of innovators is advancing the public good by figuring out what people actually need and then testing, improving, and scaling solutions that may already be out there. Here are the four elements of their method.

The Crisis of Youth Mental Health

By Eliot Brenner 1

Children and adolescents confront a mental health treatment gap in which many who need help do not get it. Philanthropy can help fill this gap by investing in new models of delivering care.

The Cost of Financial Precarity

By Carrie Leana 1

Anxiety about debt and financial stability can severely reduce the productivity and health of employees, which can hurt a company’s bottom line. Businesses, government, and philanthropic organizations should embrace the case for improving the financial well-being of workers.

Communities Need Neighborhood Trusts

By Joseph Margulies 1

The current approach to community revitalization has helped arrest and even reverse the degradation of American neighborhoods. But it cannot solve the problem without local ownership and control of assets and the decommodification of property.

End Bloated Salaries in the Nonprofit Sector

By Dean Baker 18

Taxpayers should not have to subsidize excessive pay for executives at charities meant to serve the public good.