The Upside: A Data-Driven Path to Opportunity for All

We can create a Fairfield County where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. And all of us would be better for it.

Earlier this year, the Community Foundation released The Upside—Growth, Potential and the Future of Fairfield County, a one-of-a-kind study showing the payoff of closing opportunity gaps that have left our region with the nation’s second highest income inequality.

Implementing The Upside’s recommendations could add $15.6 billion to the county’s GDP, plus an additional $36.6 billion in increased home values, $603 million more in local property tax revenue, and $1.2 billion more in state income tax revenue. That growth could translate into better schools, upgraded infrastructure, expanded transit, and greater support for the people who keep our communities running—like teachers, nurses, first responders, and healthcare workers. Families could move beyond financial insecurity, fueling a more resilient region.

Last spring, the Community Foundation gathered more than 100 leaders from business, government, education, healthcare, philanthropy, and the nonprofit world to ask: What would it take to unlock this potential? The answers—and the energy—made clear that progress depends on crosssector collaboration.

To harness that energy, the Community Foundation is committing our time, talent, and resources to help build a Regional Partnership for Inclusive Economic Growth. But we can’t do it alone. We need partners to:

• Join us as founding members, funders, or advisors
• Share insights, research, and workforce needs
• Amplify the initiative by hosting conversations and presenting The Upside research.

Lasting change will require teamwork, innovation, and belief that success for some doesn’t mean loss for others. We have the roadmap. Now it’s time to get moving.

Join the Regional Partnership for Inclusive Economic Growth!
Contact Rebecca Mandell at: RMandell@FCCFoundation.org

Explore more at: FCCFoundation.org/The-Upside