Investing in Local Solutions | The AIR Opportunity Fund
The AIR Opportunity Fund's place-based investment strategy focuses on partnering with communities to expand opportunity where people live, learn, and work. We believe the best ideas for solving tough challenges come from the people closest to them. Local leaders, organizations, and residents are often best positioned to drive knowledge about what works, what doesn't, and what it takes to create lasting change.
Our role is to listen, learn, and bring research, resources, and hands-on support to help those ideas grow. Our work is nonpartisan, grounded in evidence, and guided by a simple goal: help communities test and scale practical solutions that improve everyday life.
How We Work with Communities
Across our “Priority Places,” we support efforts that expand opportunities in education and the workforce, foster safe and secure neighborhoods, and improve health and well-being. In each place, we:
- Listen first, learning from local partners and residents about their priorities, strengths, and history.
- Co-design solutions that address real needs and build on what is already working.
- Pair funding with research, connecting partners with AIR experts to design, test, and strengthen their ideas.
- Learn and share by tracking what works, adjusting along the way, and sharing lessons so other communities and decisionmakers can benefit.
Our support goes beyond grants. We provide multi-year funding for community-driven projects, partner on research and evaluation to clarify goals and track progress, and offer technical assistance to help teams plan, manage, and sustain their work. We also help partners use data and stories to inform local and national conversations about what helps people thrive.
Where We Focus: Priority Places
We use both data and local insight to identify where we can be most helpful. In choosing Priority Places, we look at conditions on the ground—such as access to quality schools, jobs, and healthcare—as well as existing community strengths, readiness for partnership, and potential for learning that could inform work in other communities.
We are currently making place-based investments in rural, suburban, and urban communities across states like Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, and Ohio.
In each place, we work with local organizations, public agencies, and community leaders to design efforts that reflect local priorities and context. The list of Priority Places may evolve over time as we learn more and deepen our partnerships.
Our Commitment
Priority Places is a long-term commitment to partnering directly with communities to expand opportunity for all. Over time, we aim to strengthen local organizations and leaders, expand opportunities for residents in education, work, health, and public safety, and develop practical evidence that can guide scalable decisions in our Priority Places and other regions across the country.
Most of all, we want every community we work with to feel seen, supported, and heard—as co-architects in building a future where more people have a fair chance to succeed. Together with our colleagues across AIR and partners nationwide, we are investing in people, partnerships, and progress that can make a lasting difference.
