Call for Essays

Communications & Storytelling about Anchor Institutions & Community Partnerships

A Collection of Essays

About

The Anchor Institutions Task Force (AITF) is seeking essays on strategies to communicate about and tell the story of what it means to be an engaged anchor institution in localities and regions.

AITF has been paying greater attention to messaging on anchor institutions and telling the story of the value of anchor institutions to their communities and to society as a whole. We realize that many do not use the term, “anchor institutions”, especially in the manner we discuss these dynamics in AITF. AITF defines anchor institutions as enduring organizations that remain in their geographic settings and play a vital role in their local communities and economies. There is an objective element of organizations being rooted in their places, which is very important. In AITF, we pay greater attention to the action orientation of being an anchor – how enduring organizations in their localities perceive of their role in the community, how they interact with their neighbors, and how they actively contribute to enhancing their communities.

Another reason we are prioritizing communications and storytelling is the need to clarify and emphasize the significance of anchor institutions in their communities guided by AITF’s values in our current social and political context. AITF’s values are as follows – a commitment to place and community; collaboration and partnership, including cross sector collaboration; democracy and democratic practice; social justice and equity, including racial justice and racial equity.

Essays should be 2000 to 3500 words in length.

Thought Questions

The essays should reflect an anchor institutions experiences communicating about and telling the story of being an engaged anchor institution locally. The essays can include stories about specific programs, projects and actions that illustrate the internal and external realities of being an engaged anchor institution.

Here are some thought questions to consider when developing your essay:

  • What is your institution’s philosophy of what it means to be an anchor institution in your locality?

  • What audiences do you consider when communicating about being an anchor institution?

  • What are some examples of how you communicate about being an anchor institution to some particular audiences?

  • What are you struggling with in communications and storytelling regarding your institution as an anchor institution?

  • In what ways do you feel you are succeeding in your communications and storytelling regarding being an anchor institution?

  • What is a story you can share that accurately illustrates the impact of you collaboration with community partners as an anchor institution?

  • What have you learned about communicating effectively about being an engaged anchor institution during the current social and political context?

  • What should your field (higher education, health care, arts, etc.) consider about the value and significance of being an engaged anchor institution?

  • How do you hope to enhance your communications and storytelling on being an engaged anchor institution in the coming years?

Submissions

Please submit your essay to dmaurrasse@margainc.com by September 15, 2026.

The target release for the online publication is November 1, 2026.