Strategic Roadmap

For more than 25 years, JRE has worked alongside nonprofits, grassroots organizations, community leaders, funders, and advocates. These relationships have shaped what we know, how we work, and what we continue to learn. They have also helped ground us as racial equity and justice face growing opposition, reminding us why this work remains essential to creating the conditions for children and families to flourish.

What is a strategic roadmap?

Our strategic roadmap helps us put our mission into practice. It guides decisions about funding, partnerships, and advocacy and explains what we hope to accomplish, why it matters, and how we are approaching the work.

How did JRE create the roadmap? 

As we updated the roadmap, we kept returning to one question: How can JRE better support the nonprofits and grassroots organizations working to strengthen children’s social-emotional health in Wake County?
2018

We created our first roadmap with a focus on strengthening the organizations, relationships, and leadership that support children and families across Wake County.

2023

We updated the roadmap with input from community partners, board members, racial equity consultants, and others who brought valuable knowledge and perspective to the process.



Looking Forward

Our 20-year vision is a resilient, equity-centered ecosystem that is better equipped to support the social-emotional health of children in Wake County.



Where We Focus Our Work

We work toward this vision by focusing on six connected areas:

Strengthening Organizations and Systems

  • We support organizations so they have the leadership, infrastructure, relationships, and resources they need to fulfill their missions in changing conditions. We also support efforts that help organizations, coalitions, and public systems work together more effectively for children and families.

Advancing Equity and Supporting Leadership

  • We move resources toward work that addresses the root causes of inequity and changes how power and decisions are shared. We learn from and support leaders whose knowledge comes from close relationships with children, families, and the conditions shaping their lives.

Building Collective Power and Working Together

  • We support movement and narrative infrastructure that shifts mindsets, builds shared vision, and helps more people understand that children’s well-being is a responsibility we all share. We also work with funders, advocates, policymakers, and community partners to align efforts and advance change over time.

See How We Put This Into Practice

How We Work
masthead curve

The Future We’re Working Toward

Our roadmap looks beyond the next few years because we have learned that systems change takes time. JRE is only one part of that work, and nonprofits cannot carry it alone. Reaching this vision will take sustained commitment from funders, public leaders, organizations, and people across Wake County.

The Latest

Monthly Newsletters

July 17, 2026

JRE News, Nonprofit Capacity Building & Coalition Effectiveness

BREATHE: Summer 2026 Cohort

June 26, 2026

JRE News, Nonprofit Capacity Building & Coalition Effectiveness

Systems Thinking Lunch & Learn, Part 2

June 17, 2026