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Learning Labs: Advancing Community-Driven Solutions

We bring nonprofits together to share insights, build capacity, and drive change in housing, food access, healthcare, and youth development.

What are Learning Labs?

Learning Labs are a new way of investing in the Triangle’s future. More than funding streams, they are collaborative spaces where nonprofits and partners exchange knowledge, strengthen networks, and uncover what it takes to move the needle on critical community issues.
Each Lab provides:
  • Unrestricted funding that supports organizational stability
  • Skill-building and networking opportunities tailored to partner needs
  • Data-driven insights, including ecosystem maps for core issue areas
  • A pathway to deeper impact and preparation for future Action Labs

This model shifts focus from short-term programs to long-term systems change, aligning resources with what communities need most.

Focus Areas

Housing

Ensuring everyone has a safe, stable place to call home.

Key areas: Homelessness, eviction prevention, rapid rehousing

Partners: Arise Collective, CASA, Families Moving Forward, Housing for New Hope, Oak City Cares, PLM Families Together, SouthLight Healthcare, InterAct, The Hope Center at Pullen, Women’s Center of Wake County

Food Access

Connecting families with nutritious meals and fresh produce.

Key areas: Meal preparation and delivery, food pantries,
access to produce

Partners: A Place at the Table, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, MAAME

Access to Healthcare

Expanding access to care and support for health equity.

Key areas: Direct service delivery, benefits enrollment,
maternal and women’s health

Partners: Alliance Medical Ministry, Diaper Bank of North Carolina, Equity Before Birth, Johnston Health Foundation, Refugee Community Partnership, The No Woman, No Girl Initiative, Urban Ministries of Wake County

Youth Development

Building brighter futures through education and mentorship.

Key areas: Early childhood education, tutoring, mentorship,
SEL, after- and out-of-school learning

Partners: Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Triangle, Book Harvest, Boys and Girls Club of Wake County, Empower All, Empowered Parents in Community, Neighbor to Neighbor, Partnership for Children of Johnston County, Purpose Learning Lab, The Daniel Center for Math and Science, Southeast Raleigh YMCA, TheGifted Arts, Thomas Mentor Leadership Academy, Village of Wisdom

Spotlight: Mental Health

Expanding access to care and support for health equity.

Key areas: Direct service delivery, benefits enrollment,
maternal and women’s health

Partners: Boys & Girls Clubs of Durham & Orange Counties, El Futuro, NAMI Wake County, Shining Light in Darkness, The Foundation of Hope for Research and Treatment of Mental Illness

Why Learning Labs Matter

By focusing on collaboration instead of silos, Learning Labs ensure that every investment strengthens not just one program but the entire ecosystem of support. This approach helps nonprofits do their best work, communities access the resources they need, and the region move toward lasting change.