Problem In our modern economy, a college degree is still the primary way that children can become self-sufficient and contributing adults. Unfortunately for many students — especially in low-income areas — lack of sufficient savings for college has been a barrier to higher educational attainment, limiting opportunities for future economic […]Tishaura Jones | Mayor | St. Louis, MO 2014 Challenge Winner

Problem The West Coast states face a $1 trillion infrastructure financing gap over the next 30 years. The Great Recession and slow economic recovery have strained the tax revenues of state and local governments, widening the already well-documented infrastructure investment gap. Solution The West Coast Infrastructure Exchange (WCX) was created […]Tobias Read | State Treasurer | Statewide, OR 2014 Challenge Winner

Problem Government often focuses more on treatment than prevention, which leads to solutions that are more costly to taxpayers and less effective. In education, this has led us to spend more on special education, dropouts, and jail–giving us less to spend on tools that help at-risk kids learn how to […]Ben McAdams | Former U.S. Congressman | UT-4 2014 Challenge Winner

Problem Too often Cincinnati public school facilities were sitting unused after school hours, while there was a prevalent need in the surrounding communities for additional academic support and resources for students and their families. Solution City Councilmember Sittenfeld helped facilitate the creation of Town-Square Schools in Cincinnati to transform underutilized […]P.G. Sittenfeld | Former City Councilmember | Cincinnati, OH 2014 Challenge Winner