Mirle Rabinowitz Bussell

Research

My research focuses on five core areas: affordable housing, homelessness, local community development, the intersection between planning and real estate and development, and the role of philanthropy in community economic development. I have co-authored/co-edited two books on place-based philanthropy including the award-winning Catalysts for Change: 21st Century Philanthropy and Community Development (Routledge, 2013) and the recently published A New Look at Place-Based Philanthropy: Insights from Canada and the U.S. (FriesenPress 2023).

I recently completed a three year mixed-methods evaluation of the Jewish Family Service of San Diego Safe Parking Program. It is the most comprehensive evaluation to date of a safe parking program, a critical intervention that provides a safe place and access to services for people who live out of their vehicles. The research resulted in two policy reports and a journal article in Housing Policy Debate.

As a member of the NAIOP Research Foundation’s Distinguished Fellows Program, I recently completed a study that identified best practices and challenges in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in commercial real estate.

Publications

A New Look at Place-based Philanthropy: Insights from Canada and the U.S.

Edited By Jean-Marc Fontan, Maria Martinez-Cosio, Josh Newton, Nancy Pole and Mirle Rabinowitz Bussell

2023

In this edited volume, the authors present rich case studies of place-based philanthropy in the United States and Canada that make a strong conceptual and empirical argument for the importance, and growing imperative, of place-based philanthropy in 2023 and beyond. Offering a multidisciplinary theoretical grounding in the connection between philanthropy and place, the case studies range from foundations engaged in disaster recovery, a First Nations UNESCO site, to a funder collaborative engaging seven philanthropies targeting 30 neighborhoods in Montreal, and a private foundation developing a model for holistic change that is being replicated in underserved communities throughout the U.S, among others. Collectively, the case studies bring into the conversation the meaning that individuals bring to their spaces as members of diverse communities, as public and private actors seeking to effect change in underserved communities, and the tension that may result as place is redefined through philanthropic work. The themes and lessons learned that emerge from the case studies offer insights for practitioners, scholars and students of philanthropy.

Catalysts for Change: Twenty-first century philanthropy and community develoment

Maria Martinez-Cosio and Mirle Rabinowitz Bussell

2013

21st Century Philanthropy and Community fills a gap in the literature on philanthropic organizations and how they intertwine with community development. Drawing first on the history of philanthropic funding, the book look at developments in the last twenty years in detail, focussing on five key case studies from across America. The authors use their own first hand experiences and research to forge a new path for academic research in an area where it has been lacking.

With the current economic climate forcing shrewd spending, foundations need all the guidance they can find on how to appropriately channel their funds in the best way. But how can these sorts of community projects be analyzed for effectiveness? Is there a quantitative rather than qualitative element which can be studied to give real feedback to those investing in projects? Arguing against a one-size-fits-all model, the authors illustrate the importance of context and relationships in the success of these projects.

Awards

Current Research Award, Community Development Society (2014)