2021 - A Year of Change

Today, when I read this blog post on Exponent Philanthropy - Making a Little Go Far: How We Spark Economic Renewal in Our Rural Community I knew I had to share it as part of my Year of Change series. The post highlights the work of the William Stretesky Foundation which, in my opinion, is a breath of fresh air to traditional grantmaking.

The foundation is based in the northeastern corner of rural Colorado - Julesburg, Colorado which so happens to be the birthplace of my mother. It was formed almost 20 years ago from the estate of Mr. Stretesky that included over 11,000 acres of farmland. Grant dollars are generated through the ongoing leasing of this land to farmers.

So far, the foundation has awarded more than $7 million and is set to award $1 million yearly moving forward.

As in many rural communities, the area is struggling economically. As such, the foundation focuses on projects to enhance small businesses and nonprofits, historical preservation, and community improvement..

In the post, Kimberly Orth, executive director of the foundation highlights several projects she consideres their “most successful and popular.”

I encourage you to read the full post, but here is a teaser.

When was the last time you read of a foundation working with partners to develop a campaign focused on shopping local by allowing residents to buy $500 of local currency, called Bucks, at $450?

Or the Pay-It-Forward campaign where local businesses apply for utility credits in exchange for a small donation or item to be raffled through ticket sales? (Proceeds from the raffle benefit the local schools and nonprofits.)

Their COVID pivot was the 2020 Youth Corp campaign that employed 16 teenagers to paint curbs and buildings, pick up branches following storms, weed, help with story hours at the library, and more. A win-win for local teens and the community.

This post highlights creative thinking at its best. It is a reminder of the flexibility foundations have in awarding funding and of the impact of one man’s gift to his community. All of us can learn from Mr. Stretesky.

Photograph by Dan Meyers Dan Meyers @dmey503

2021 - A Year of Change

In following a theme of change, let’s take a look at a twist to anti-poverty efforts: providing regular cash payments to those in need. This concept played a prominent role in the recent third round of coronavirus relief. The American Rescue Plan contains several provisions to help parents. Among them is an expansion of the Child Tax Credit for 2021 whereby eligible parents (based on income) will receive direct payments of $3,600 for kids ages 5 and under and $3,000 for children ages 6 to 17.

These direct payments, however, are rife with controversy. There are many concerned these dollars will encourage parents to pull out of the workforce.

Enter SEED (Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration). Through a partnership with the Economic Security Project the city of Stockton, CA offered people in need what they needed most: cash. SEED launched February 2019. 125 people were randomly chosen from low-income census tracks to receive $500 monthly, to use as they please. These individuals were provided guaranteed income for two years. The only mandate was the project’s research team could collect data designed to understand the benefits and harms of direct cash payments. Participants could withdraw from SEED at any time.

Research, via a randomized control trial, sought to answer these questions: How does guaranteed income impact income volatility? How do changes in income volatility impact psychological health and physical well-being? How does guaranteed income impact future selves?

Preliminary findings for the first year (February 2019- February 2020) are in. Here is what they learned:

• Income levels month to month are steadier with the guaranteed dollars.

• The “no strings attached” cash payments enabled recipients to obtain full-time employment.

• Recipients were healthier with less depression and anxiety.

• The payments provided a “peace of mind” that allowed people the space to think about their future, new opportunities, setting goals, and taking risks.

As one recipient commented, the dollars allowed her to buy groceries which eliminated the need for multiple visits to food pantries each month to feed her family. This change gave her back time and gave her options.

Think back on your own lives as you were starting your working life and careers. Did you have someone helping with daily living expenses such as rent or groceries? And if that wasn’t an option, how would your life be different?

A bit of food for thought. This blog is inspired by the Nonprofit Quarterly’s article, Stockton Study Shows Power of Universal Basic Income Support written by Martin Levine and published March 17, 2021.

Image by Daniel Cheung @danielkcheung

2020 - A Year of Change

There is no doubt 2020 has been a year of change. As someone who typically goes kicking and screaming into something new, one of the positives of this pandemic for me has been to accept and even, at times, embrace change. So when I ran across these musings by Lisa Pillar Cowan in the December 8 of Chronicle of Philanthropy, I knew I had to share.

Take a look - it’s good food for thought for the coming year.

“When We Return to Our Foundation Offices, Let’s Make Them Spaces Where We Collaborate With Grantees” by Lisa Pillar Cowan, Vice President of the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation in New York City.

Image by @Jr Korpa

Foundations Favor General Operating Support in Theory but Hesitate to Make It Happen

What is your take on general operating support? And better yet, multi-year general operating support? In this time of COVID, nonprofits are challenged to evolve both in their programs and in their revenue generation. But what about foundations? Shouldn’t funders evolve their thinking and grant making as well?

This 10/21 article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy by Alex Daniels highlights a recent study by the Center for Effective Philanthropy that surveyed foundation CEOs and program officers as well as nonprofit organizations. The findings are not surprising but the reasons cited by funders to stick with the tried and true one time program funding are a bit disappointing.

Image by Steve Johnson @steve_j

Pivot - 8,000 Law School Graduates & the Bar Exam on Hold

What to do if you graduated from law school in California only to learn the state’s summer bar exam is suspended due to the coronavirus? What to do with a growing demand for low-cost legal services within the state? You pivot.

Enter the Legal Services Funders Network, a network of funders in the Bay area of California who fund civil legal services organizations as a strategy to eliminate poverty. Within just 13 days the network developed and launched its first collaborative funding project: a Post Graduate Law Fellows Program.

Through the program recent law school graduates provide 15-20 hours of work weekly for 7 months within Legal Service Organizations in the Bay area. Cases these organizations take on revolve around unemployment issues, employees working in high risk environments or conditions, eviction, clients dealing with fraud, those seeking benefits or access to healthcare, and those dealing with discrimination.

The program is a win-win in that it expands the number of clients served by the legal service organizations and the new graduates receive a first-hand look at issues impacting those most in need. The fellows receive a stipend have time to prepare for the next California Bar Exam.

As of June 1 the program placed 30 fellows (graduates from four area law schools). Each sponsorship is $18,000 with $15,000 dedicated to the stipend with $3,000 for the legal service organization.

For more, read the June 24, 2020 blog post on Exponent Philanthropy written by Claire Solot. How We Catalyzed a Fellows Program to Meet Legal Services Needs During COVID-19.

Pivot - Raising up Nonprofits Operating in Communities of Color

What is a side benefit of COVID-19? A recognition of systemic inequalities among communities of color particularly as it relates to access to food, healthcare, and health outcomes. What is the pivot? Raising up nonprofit organizations in these communities that until now have gone largely unnoticed by philanthropy.

Enter North Texas Cares, a funder collaborative among North Texas foundations and United Ways to provide emergency dollars to agencies addressing issues surrounding COVID-19.

Organizers of North Texas Cares noted the coronavirus’ disproportionate impact on communities of color and took a bit of an out of the box approach to its funding. Agencies eligible to apply include those offering direct services in response to COVID-19 along with organizations addressing racism as it relates to the pandemic and those addressing racial disparities in communities of color regarding food insecurity, access to care, and health disparities.

Through efforts of Dr. Frowsa Booker-Drew, Kimberly O’Neil, and others websites have been formed including ServeDFW and Serve South Dallas to promote the work of agencies within these neighborhoods that otherwise might fly under the philanthropic radar.

And the movement doesn't stop with the short-term needs surrounding the coronavirus. Enter Power In Action, a new platform and space for individuals and groups to come together, share dialog, share experiences, and lift up existing networks of people of color led businesses and nonprofits working within these neighborhoods.

This post recognizes a pivot within the North Texas philanthropic community and its nascent steps to acknowledging and giving a voice to the long-time systemic inequities that loom large in our own backyards.

For more, click here for a June 18, 2020 article on FWD>DFW, a forum that connects companies, causes, and communities to the short- and long-term economic advancement of North Texas.

Image by Omar Flores @omarg247.