"[Community development] tends to be in places where there's a lot of adjacent blight, and the institution realizes that this is jeopardizing its ability to attract students and faculty," Grogan said.
Grogan cited Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) as schools faced with this kind of declining neighborhood.
According to Penn's vice president for government, community and public affairs, Carol R. Scheman, her university focuses its effort on its neighborhood of West Philadelphia by offering loans and grants to Penn affiliates moving into the area.
"We focus on our neighborhood where we can work and have the most impact," she said.
Harvard's initiative distributes funds to the entire Boston and Cambridge community, unrestricted by neighborhood.
"We're not pre-targeting places where Harvard has a real interest," Grogan said. "That distinguishes what we're doing sharply from what other universities are doing in their communities."