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The National Center for Family Philanthropy and Youth Philanthropy Connect, a program of the Frieda C. Fox Foundation, have joined together to bring new resources to the field of philanthropy focused on engaging the next generation of donors and family members. Igniting the Spark: Creating Effective Next Gen Boards is the first publication of its kind, offering a comprehensive overview of the growing practice among family foundations and donor advised fund holders of using next generation boards.
The issue brief outlines creative options for involving children as young as 8 in family philanthropy. It is supplemented by case studies of seven foundations using next gen boards and other approaches for engaging youth in philanthropy. Throughout both resources, the voices of next gen donors describe what works — and what doesn’t — providing family members and staff with guidance and insights new to the field.
On April 24, 2008 a $19 million landmark award was announced that will strengthen Newark public charter schools. The award comprises grants from seven funders including four national family foundations -- the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Doris & Donald Fisher Fund, Robertson Foundation, and The Walton Foundation -- and three New Jersey funders -- the MCJ and Amelior Foundations, Prudential Foundation, and Victoria Foundation.
The national funders have pledged $4 million each and the New Jersey foundations have earmarked $1 million each toward the initiative. “We welcome these generous national foundations to Newark, and we are grateful for the new investment from three of the city’s longstanding philanthropic partners,” Mayor Cory Booker said.
The $19 million is part of a larger $25 million campaign to help expand and strengthen the capacity of Newark’s charter schools. For further information, visit the website of the newly established Newark Charter School Fund.
Grantmakers Convene Around Prisoner Reentry
A group of 30 grantmakers and Newark officials gathered on April 28 at the offices of the Charles Edison Fund to get a close-up look at the City’s strategies to address the growing issue of prisoner reentry, one of Mayor Booker’s key priorities. Newark faces an influx of 1,500-2,000 men and women every year returning from incarceration. At the same time, 15,000–20,000 individuals are currently on probation or parole in Essex County, the majority in Newark.
Funders seeking to positively impact the city and its residents have a vested interest in helping to improve prospects for the rising number of incarcerated persons returning home. The challenges are complex and intertwined with issues of public safety, job creation and job-readiness, family reunification and fatherhood, access to housing and addiction services, and vigilant case management.
Cornell Brooks, executive director of the New Jersey Institute of Social Justice, gave an overview of the barriers which prevent ex-prisoners from successfully reentering society. Among the most burdensome hurdles are prohibitions on conditional driver’s licenses and inflexible fine payment plans. Such measures effectively close the doors to viable employment options upon release. Another barrier is the effect of exorbitant surcharges on collect telephone calls from prison. The high charges contribute to the erosion of family ties during incarceration, thereby reducing successful family reunification post-release.
Richard Greenwald, an executive on loan to the City from the Manhattan Institute, cited the importance of creating transitional jobs immediately upon release as a proven means of reducing recidivism. Wanda Moore, Director of the Prisoner Reentry, explained the need to mobilize and organize multiple nonprofit and government partners to better serve ex-prisoners. She described “Opportunity Reconnect,” a one-stop center operated by the City, which is helping link ex-prisoners to case managers, job services, and myriad agencies. Performance measures and data-communications systems are in the development stage to help the City assess and evaluate its effectiveness at helping individuals successfully return to the community and their families.
This guide was designed to help the state’s philanthropic community understand their ethical, legal, and fiduciary requirements and obligations.
Small BIPOC organizations and/or historically excluded/led
organizations have greater access to funding.
Affirmation: We must center the most marginalized, underfunded, and impactful organizations.
BIPOC, grassroots, and/or historically excluded1 leaders are the most proximate to the populations and communities that face the most pressing social issues and should be central to designing solutions and funded; yet they are often overlooked or ignored as real change-makers.
They are underinvested in by major funders and are often left to struggle on their own; and when they are funded, grants are small and often highly restricted.
Some funders have artificially high budget requirements, require collaboration with larger “more sophisticated” organizations, won’t fund fiscally sponsored groups, or emphasize leadership requirements that are increasingly out of date or exclude vital lived experience.
Community organizations are exploring innovative and egalitarian management structures, such as co-directorships, collectives, and collaboratives, that do not resemble the constructs of the past.
Leadership comes in all structures, sizes, and identities; funders must seek to recognize and fund those who are doing effective work and re-evaluate their views of accepted leadership patterns. For BIPOC, grassroots, and/or historically excluded leaders to succeed, we must provide flexible resources and professional development support while they are leading.
Activities
Below are activities your organization can engage in that will advance your equity focus
• Agree as a community of practice to a shared definition of BIPOC, grassroots, and/or historically excluded-led organizations to foster a common frame of reference to help guide this work.
• Create networking and referral opportunities for BIPOC, grassroots, and/or historically excluded leaders to expand their access to funding and opportunities similar to that of larger, mainstream groups.
• Invest in the development and pipeline of BIPOC, grassroots, and/or historically excluded leaders.
• Remove funding barriers for small BIPOC, grassroots, and/or historically excluded organizations that have traditionally been precluded from funding because of budget size, leadership structure, auditing requirements, and similar obstacles.
• Actively partner with BIPOC, grassroots, and historically excluded organizations to make funding decisions on issues closest to their communities.
• Provide significant, multi-year, general operating funding to organizations and movements led by BIPOC, grassroots, and/or historically excluded communities.
Short-term Outcomes
• Progress is tracked into addressing the barriers to funding BIPOC, grassroots, and historically excluded-led organizations in NJ.
• A greater number of BIPOC, grassroots, and/or historically excluded-led organizations are funded than before, by new and existing funders.
• Professional development and capacity building as requested by BIPOC, grassroots, and/or historically excluded leaders is funded.
Long-term Outcomes
• BIPOC, grassroots, and/or historically excluded leaders can access funding and opportunities similar to that of larger, mainstream groups.
• A greater percentage of support to organizations and movements led by BIPOC, grassroots, and historically excluded communities is provided as significant, multi-year, general operating funding. In this context, “significant” can refer to both the quantity, size or percentage of grants awarded by the funder in any given year.
How to Begin Doing Good Better on Equity
Learning opportunities
• Which criteria and practices are creating, perpetuating or exacerbating exclusion of BIPOC, grassroots, and or historically excluded-led organizations?
• For funders that exclude or limit funding to small organizations, why are these barriers in place? What biases or missed opportunities are resulting from these obstacles?
• When funders are actively prioritizing BIPOC, grassroots, and historically excluded -led organizations in their philanthropic partnerships, what definitions, outreach, and partnership strategies are being used? How has this evolved based on lessons learned?
Pre-Work
• Funders should become educated about how traditional ways of identifying grantees and other criteria often excludes BIPOC, grassroots, and/or historically excluded-led organizations.
• Actively seek and share ways to center, identify, fund, and partner with applicants or community-based partners to create solutions in all efforts.
• Identify forums or protocols for introductions, dialogue, and relationship-building between funding community and BIPOC, grassroots and/or historically excluded-led organizations to pave the way for ongoing or stronger partnerships.
Native Voices Rising is a joint research and re-granting project of Native Americans in Philanthropy and Common Counsel Foundation. This report focuses on the practices and challenges of community organizing and advocacy, focusing on the need for increased investment in and sustained support for American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities.
