The Florida Prosperity Project is a Chamber-led approach to cut childhood poverty in half – A key objective of the Florida Equality of Opportunity Initiative and essential for achieving the Florida 2030 Blueprint goals overall.
About the Florida Prosperity Project
The latest government reports show there are 763,527 children living in poverty in Florida’s 983 zip codes. Our research shows half of them live in just 150, or 15%, of Florida’s zip codes. With a belief that no child’s zip code should dictate their future, and the business community can lead the efforts to change those outcomes, the Florida Chamber Foundation created the Florida Prosperity Project. We invite you to join us in this effort, helping lead Florida and each of its zip codes on the path to prosperity.
As part of the Florida 2030 Blueprint, the goal of the Florida Prosperity Project is to cut Florida’s childhood poverty in half over the next decade – that’s nearly 382,000 kids we can lift out of poverty if we unite the business community for good.
To do this, the Florida Prosperity Project has created the Florida Model – identifying the 10 root causes of poverty and their unique impact on each one of Florida’s 983 zip codes. The key to our success is the willingness of Florida’s business leaders to leverage best practices and collectively impact their communities.
- Lack of employment opportunities
- Inequities in education & workforce development
- Unaffordable & unattainable housing
- Insufficient transportation options
- Disproportionate health access and outcomes
- Food insecurity
- Inaccessible & unaffordable child care
- Unsafe environments
- Imbalanced outcomes in the criminal justice system
- Lack of recognition and access within a community
See what Florida business leaders are saying about the importance of ending generational poverty in our state:
Data Insights
Ending generational poverty can’t be done from the national or state level. In fact, counties can even be too large. To end generational poverty, we must identify the hurdles blocking one’s path to prosperity, understand each neighborhood’s unique identity and troubles, and work with business leaders within those neighborhoods to provide solutions tailored to their communities. To facilitate this chain, the Florida Chamber Foundation has created an innovative set of tools that not only raise awareness to the issues in our state and its communities, but provide the insight and analysis needed to prescribe the remedies.
TheFloridaScorecard.org
TheFloridaScorecard.org is a dynamic online tool that identifies and tracks the key factors impacting Florida’s future. The Florida Scorecard™ provides Florida leaders and local stakeholders with the metrics needed to measure progress within their own communities as we work toward meeting the goals outlined in the Florida 2030 Blueprint.
Metrics tied to the Florida Prosperity Project on TheFloridaScorecard.org include Poverty Rates, Children in Poverty, ALICE Households and Homeless School Children, information all found under the “Quality of Life” tab. This information is available for every Florida county and zip code.
See you county’s progress on the Path to Prosperity here.
TheFloridaGapMap.org
TheFloridaGapMap.org dives deeper into the issues each community faces by setting the stage for each zip code in Florida. This interactive tool illustrates the intersection of third grade reading scores for every public school in Florida with childhood poverty rates, combining the efforts of the Florida Prosperity Project and the Florida Business Alliance for Early Learning Project. With access to childhood poverty rates within each zip code and third grade reading statistics for every school in Florida, TheFloridaGapMap.org brings the reality to your front door, framing the magnitude of the problems your neighborhood faces.
Join the Florida Prosperity Project
We have seen what happens when we unite business for good at the statewide level. Now it’s time to unite your local business community for measurable and lasting results. We invite you to join the Florida Prosperity Project and make a commitment to elevating communities in Florida, one zip code at a time.
The key to our success is the willingness of Florida’s business leaders to leverage best practices and collectively work to impact their communities. To propel our efforts to end childhood poverty, we are looking for businesses to join us in the following ways:
State Prosperity Project Advisory Board
A small group of Florida’s business leaders dedicated to ensuring a path to prosperity for all. These advisory board members will financially support the efforts of the Florida Prosperity Project and provide guidance, collaboration and consultation as the leaders of this effort.
County-Level Prosperity Project Leaders
County-level leaders will act as the lead partners in each one of Florida’s 67 counties. These organizations will be responsible for convening zip code level leaders and guiding county-specific needs.
Zip Code-Level Prosperity Project Leaders
True leaders in their communities, zip code-level leaders will act as the quarterback of their designated zip code. These organizations will be responsible for convening and supporting all root cause leaders and ensuring consistent participation and progress in their neighborhoods.
Root Cause Prosperity Project
Champions
With a passion for tackling the issues in their communities and the knowledge related to the specific root cause adopted, these champions are responsible for addressing one of the ten root causes in their zip code.
As the Florida Chamber Foundation works to secure the future of Florida’s up-and-coming talent, our Florida Prosperity Project has partnered with the Florida Prepaid College Foundation to offer scholarship opportunities through the Path to Prosperity Scholarship Program. With the goal of raising $10 million in funds from businesses, organizations and private donors, and a dollar-for-dollar match from the Florida Prepaid College Foundation of up to $10 million, the Path to Prosperity Scholarship Program aims to provide a total of $20 million in scholarship and academic opportunities to rising talent living in Florida’s most economically disadvantaged areas.
To learn more about the Path to Prosperity Scholarship Program and to get involved with securing Florida’s rising talent, visit the website here.