Category: Data Informed Features

As a learning organization, we at the Foundation are committed to continuous knowledge–building about ideas and approaches that are shaping our work. This commitment to learning and growth helps ensure all the members of our team are “speaking the same language”—a key requirement for not only sustaining our work but also for walking together with […]

A Decade of Making a Difference Through the Foundation’s decade of impact, we’ve helped produce and fund more than a dozen research reports on topics ranging from education, to the access and utilization of medical care, to economic opportunity. One of the most notable reports we helped produce for our community is An Equity Profile […]

By Dr. Stephanie Rosado, Senior Research, Evaluation and Learning Associate On February 26th, 2025, the Foundation hosted a data walk, an innovative engagement strategy designed to share the research findings from our recent The South St. Pete Health Equity Profile with local community members. This interactive event featured five distinct data stations, each allowing community […]

For Immediate Release Contact: Barbara Green barbara@healthystpete.foundation (727) 440-7963 New research report offers a hyper-local look at health outcomes in South St. Pete, revealing stark geographic and racial disparities amid strong social ties (St. Petersburg, Fla.) – The Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg released its latest research report last week, offering a rare hyper-local […]

Below we answer five key questions to break down some of the report’s most important information.   1. Why was the BIPOC mental health scan done and what was its purpose? The purpose of the scan, which was conducted on the Foundation’s behalf by Dr. Keesha Benson and Dr. Stephanie Reed, is to better understand […]

Grow Smarter is a strategic plan within the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce that aims to reduces gaps by race and place in St. Petersburg, Florida, by introducing equity to economic development efforts. Since its start in 2014, Grow Smarter contributed to increasing St. Petersburg’s median household income by 25% and decreasing the city’s poverty rate by 14%.   Jocelyn Howard, the Grow Smarter Program Manager, stated that the plan brings to […]

The economic cost of the COVID-19 pandemic is estimated to be $16 trillion or roughly 90% of the annual GDP of the U.S. The largest drop in active business owners ever recorded occurred from February-April 2020 with the number plummeting by 22% or 3.3 million. Businesses owned by people of color were especially hit hard. Black-owned businesses experienced a 41% drop in business activity, […]

Unconscious, implicit racial bias—rather than individual, White supremacist action—plays a role in nearly every stage of a person’s life.  Americans, including people of color themselves, hold a range of unconscious biases against people of color. However, research on mindfulness-based interventions provides grounds for optimism and potential long-term solutions. Mindfulness Provides Grounds for Optimism Mindfulness can […]

In the U.S., 25% of all renters are severely rent-burdened. In Florida, that percentage is 21%. But when we look at the data by census tract in Pinellas County, there are several communities—mostly comprised of people of color—that are up to 91.5% severely rent-burdened. People of color in these communities disproportionately spend at least 30% of their income on rent and most spend over 50%. Upscale development, rent spikes, and stagnant wages continue to cause barriers for equitable growth in Pinellas County.  Beyond shelter, […]