Large entities such as the University of Louisville and UofL Health with a large workforce and significant purchasing power are anchors in their communities. The hundreds of individuals who work for the University and UofL Health contribute significantly to the local community through their everyday purchases, which can total into millions of dollars. Coupled with the purchasing power of the institutions who purchase supplies and conduct regular construction on campuses, and the economic impact is even greater.

Anchor institutions are immobile and therefore are tied to their community. This immobility makes them stable and creates permanence in the community as they are not likely to pack up their offices and move to another city. Anchor institutions have two important facets, they have the resources to help revitalize and stabilize the local community and they have a skilled and educated workforce. Both play a critical role in strengthening the community where they are located and thus make them anchors.

Harkavy, I. & Zuckerman, H,. (1999). Eds and Meds: Cities’ Hidden Assets. Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy. The Brookings Institute.

Taylor, H.L. & Luter, G. (2013). Anchor Institutions: An Interpretive Review Essay. Anchor Institutions Task Force University of Buffalo.

A group of faculty and staff mobilized by the anchor concept are collaborating with the Office of Community engagement to promote the idea of UofL and UofL Health as anchor institutions. They meet monthly to explore issues of local purchasing. As a large employer, the University of Louisville by its sheer size with approximately 7,000 employees, (excluding UofL Health) and its purchasing power, is an anchor in the community. This group seeks education on the issue of local purchases as they explore how as a University and community we can promote local purchasing by supporting minority-owned businesses. The group also engages in educating members of the UofL community through workshops and presentations on local and minority-owned purchasing. They also collaborate with University administrators to promote local and minority-owned businesses for University and individual purchases.

In an effort to capture the economic impact UofL is having on the local community the group created the Purchasing Priorities and Planning (P3) Tool ^TM. They are encouraging members of the University community to track their personal purchases using the tool. The goal of the P3 Tool is to help individuals gain insight into their purchasing priorities, compare 5 product or service purchased to their priorities, and, if needed, plan changes. Access the Purchasing Priorities and Planning (P3) Tool ^TM.  The Anchor Mission group would love to tally how purchasing priorities of the UofL community and the economic impact we are having on the local community. We ask that you share a copy of the completed form with the group by submitting it to ceserv@louisville.edu.

The group meets monthly via Microsoft Teams on the first Tuesday of the month from 4:00-5:00 p.m. If interested in participating in these meetings, please contact ceserv@louisville.edu or Henry Cunningham at 852 8946.