Dr. Todd Foley will serve as the inaugural UC Office of Research – Urban Futures Pathway Fellow. Dr. Foley’s passion and expertise is centered on advancing the collective mission and impact of the non-profit sector in and around our community, region, and nation. Starting November 1, 2023, Dr. Foley will embark on a 12-month research project with Digital Futures NPO Affiliate, Adopt A Class (AAC). Since having been selected to serve as the Urban Futures Fellow, Dr. Foley’s focus has pivoted to partnering with AAC to collect and analyze more than 15+ years of difficult-to-come-by data that Adopt A Class has access to. Key deliverables include actionable insights about the impact of the AAC program with the ultimate objective of helping AAC scale up its efforts to the state level via a bi-partisan-supported funding mechanism called ‘ResultsOHIO’ led by the Ohio State Treasurer’s office. ResultsOHIO enables policymakers and innovators to pursue “pay for success” (PFS) projects aimed at tackling the most pressing social and public health challenges on the state-level.  

When asked, ‘how do you think being the UFP Fellow will influence your personal and professional trajectory?’ Dr. Foley responded, "Great question! If this project works out as we believe it will, we can then think about how we can apply our approach & partnership model to other nonprofits, starting with the backbone organizations co-located in the Digital Futures building. As a matter of fact, one of the most attractive features of this opportunity is having the pre-existing partnership established by the Urban Futures Pathway and Digital Futures leadership.”