In the first part of the year, we spent time learning more about the ten counties in our geographic focus area. This time in the field — meeting with nonprofits and public and private funding partners — gave us insights into the needs and opportunities in each community. These insights, along with new research that mapped local variation in child poverty, informed our grantmaking approach for the year. We refined our Safe Spaces strategy to place greater emphasis on supporting community-based spaces that promote engagement, connection, and safety. This shift means that we’ve expanded the portfolio to include outdoor spaces, trusted community hubs, and early care/learning centers. Finally, we explored policy and advocacy opportunities across the portfolio. Given the foundation’s focus on safety net services, changing policies and funding cuts out of Washington (both real and threatened) made for a particularly challenging year for our partners and the families they serve. These uncertain times only reinforce our commitment to our communities and the providers serving them.