145 Communities, Nine New Mayors, and One Impactful Annual Report

Dear Colleagues and Partners,

Our mission has always been to create national change from the ground up by helping local leaders innovative new ideas, share best practices, and seize opportunities that improve people’s lives and accelerate economic mobility. In 2025, we:

• Supported 145 communities nationwide, up from 119 in 2024, and added hundreds of local leaders and practitioners to our network of “doers”;
• Welcomed nine new mayors to our Advisory Council;
• Renewed a longstanding partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and launched a new commitment that advances workforce development in multiple communities;
• Provided strategic support to leaders in Charlotte/Mecklenburg County on their successful $19.4 billion transportation ballot initiative; 
• Released the State and Local Housing Action Plan, which includes 15 actionable and scalable tools that state and local leaders can implement to make meaningful progress on the housing crisis; and
• Adopted AFA and AFA Action’s first-ever, multiyear strategic plan to guide our work.