van Beuren Charitable Foundation Transitions to New Strategic Framework

by Posted in Children & Youth, Education, Family Philanthropy, Member Highlights, Member News, Philanthropy

van Beuren Charitable Foundation Transitions to New Strategic Framework

The van Beuren Charitable Foundation recently completed a new strategic plan and has begun implementing a new strategic framework to align the van Beuren family’s philanthropic goals with community aspirations.

The Foundation’s mission continues to be to “invest in the quality of place and quality of life on Aquidneck Island and surrounding communities” but the focus has shifted from activities to outcomes in the areas of Healthy Lifestyles, Strong Starts, Community Prosperity and Excellence in the Commons.

“We hope that our new strategic framework will encourage the increased connectivity that is developing in the community, and acknowledges that community vitality is augmented by the beneficial interplay between health, education, the economy, and built and natural environments,” say Archbold D. van Beuren, Foundation Chair, and Elizabeth Lynn, Foundation Executive Director in the Foundation’s newly released annual report.

The report presents feedback from three clusters of grantees working on shared community goals, the community benefit they
strive to deliver, and the lessons learned that inform future work.

“The $5.5 million of grant funds we invested locally in 2016 inspired our planning process and reaffirmed the importance of being a community partner. Our community is hard at work taking on the challenges that will lead to children having a strong start in life, residents experiencing health throughout their lives, economic opportunity for residents and enterprises, and inspirational institutions and landscapes,” say van Beuren and Lynn.

Read the report

LISC Advances Health Equity in Pawtucket/Central Falls

by Posted in Collective Impact, Community Development, Health and Wellness, Housing and Homelessness, Member Highlights, Member News

LISC Advances Health Equity in Pawtucket/Central Falls

LISC reports that tremendous strides have been made on the Pawtucket Central Falls Health Equity Zone (HEZ) initiative after just the first two years of a four-year commitment.

In its 2017 Report to the Community, Jeanne Cola, LISC Executive Director, says, “We are enormously proud of being able to provide leadership services and act as the backbone agency for this hard working collaboration of community leaders…. After just a year of executing the plan, we are already seeing the benefits to the community. We are making strides on expanding access to nutritious food and increasing levels of activity; we are developing programs to foster intergenerational relationships, diabetes education and management, and HEZ partners are focused on creating affordable  housing solutions.”

Read the 2017 HEZ Report

Interview on WPRO

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of RI Highlights Women’s Stories, Releases Community Investment Report

by Posted in Employee Engagement, Member Highlights, Member News, Philanthropy

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island Teams with American Heart Association to Highlight Women’s Stories

As part of a new initiative, Blue Cross is encouraging Rhode Island women who have survived heart disease or stroke to share their stories, with the hope that other women will be inspired to make changes to protect their health and support the important work of the American Heart Association.  Through the Heart2Heart campaign, Blue Cross will donate a total of $25,000 to the AHA’s Go Red for Women Luncheon in the name of the selected Heart2Heart survivors.  Please encourage your networks to share their stories at https://www.bcbsri.com/heart.

Blue Cross Releases Community Investment Report

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island’s new Teaming up for a Healthier Rhode Island, highlights the company’s community investments and volunteer service for the 18 months from January 2016 through June 2017.

Through its BlueAngel Community Investment Program, BCBSRI supports nonprofit organizations and programs that address critical health issues facing Rhode Islanders, from childhood obesity to health literacy, to quality care for the uninsured. The report also highlights the company’s efforts to mobilize its employees to benefit Rhode Islanders.

In September, BCBSRI employee volunteers worked on volunteer projects across the state for Blue Across Rhode Island, the company’s annual service day.

Since BCBSRI started this annual day of service six years ago, BCBSRI employees have performed more than 18,000 hours of volunteer service to 44 nonprofit organizations around the state, and typically over 75% of the BCBSRI workforce volunteers each year.  BCBSRI provides a minimum of 35 volunteers and a charitable gift of $5,000 to each agency participating in Blue Across Rhode Island.

View NBC10 story about how the employee volunteer efforts helped another GCRI member, LISC, in the development and building of outdoor play areas at three area early child care facilities in Rhode Island.

See the list of groups and how they help Rhode Islanders.

 

Tufts Health Plan Foundation Recognized, Releases Annual Report Featuring Community Voices

by Posted in Aging, Health and Wellness, Housing and Homelessness, Member Highlights, Member News

Tufts Health Plan Recognized by Grantmakers in Aging, Releases Annual Report

Grantmakers in Aging Diversity Award

At its 35th anniversary annual conference, held in Boston, Grantmakers In Aging (GIA) presented the GIA Diversity Award for 2017 to the Tufts Health Plan Foundation.  The award was established to recognize organizations that embrace diversity as a fundamental element in all levels of their work in aging.

Therese Ellery, Senior Program Officer at the Rose Community Foundation in Denver, Colorado and a member of the GIA Diversity Award Committee, noted Tufts’ exemplary work, saying “Diversity and inclusion are embedded in all of the Tufts Health Plan Foundation’s grantmaking….A powerful example is the Age-Friendly Boston Initiative….The city recently released a 75- point Age-Friendly Boston Action Plan, which was informed by 30 listening sessions, conducted in 4 languages in 23 neighborhoods across the city. 70 organizations participated. In addition 3,700 surveys were completed in 6 languages. In sum, the City heard from 4,000+ older adults from every… single… community in Boston. In this and indeed all of its grantmaking, the Foundation seeks to minimize equity gaps in communities with limited resources and promote healthy aging for all residents. This means supporting work that engages LGBTQ older adults, communities of color, rural populations, and other traditionally underrepresented groups. ”  More information

Annual Report

This year Tufts Health Plan Foundation took a new approach to the annual report, sharing community voices to represent their work for 2016.  The audio annual report, Making Our Communities Great Places to Grow Up and Grow Old, highlights collaborations and initiatives supported by the Foundation to advance the age-friendly movement across the region.

“Listening is critical in our role as community partner and investor,” said Thomas O’Neill III, chair of the Foundation board of directors. “It informs how we engage, promote health and connect to the communities we serve.”

As part of its practice, the Foundation collaborates with and engages older adults, civic leaders and nonprofit organizations in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island to support communities that work for people of all ages.

“We are living longer, and opportunities to create vibrant cities and towns that are great places to grow up and grow old must be advanced,” said Nora Moreno Cargie, Foundation president and vice president, corporate citizenship at Tufts Health Plan. “Our annual report represents the voices of those we support.”

Included in the report are stories from Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly, the Latino Health Insurance Program, the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission and Age-Friendly Boston.  The Foundation supports work that emphasizes collaboration, catalyzes change and honors community work. Last year the Foundation invested $2.9 million through 43 grants that engage 650 community groups across three states.  Listen

 

Forum Partner Events

by Posted in Advocacy, Equity, Events, Health and Wellness, Nonprofit Capacity Building, Philanthropy, Policy, Uncategorized

One of the benefits of being a member of United Philanthropy Forum is access to content experts and funders from around the country.

Here are a few upcoming events sponsored by Forum members.  See links for registration and fee information.

Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP)

Relationships Matter:  Strong Funder-Grantee Relationships Webinar — November 16

What is a strong funder-grantee relationship — and what does it take to form one with your grantees?  Join CEP for a data-driven discussion of why funder-grantee relationships are so important to foundation effectiveness — and what areas in which program staff should focus to build and maintain strong ones. In the webinar, CEP Vice President, Research, Ellie Buteau will share findings from not-yet-released CEP research, followed by an interactive discussion with a panel of highly rated program officers about their experiences building relationships with their grantees, facilitated by CEP President Phil Buchanan.  Attendees will have ample opportunity to ask questions to the presenters and can expect to come away with a clear picture of what the data shows to constitute a strong funder-grantee relationship, as well as best practices to apply to their work at their own foundation.  More information and registration

Exponent Philanthropy

Great Funder-Nonprofit Relationships Webinar — November 9

What makes a great funder-nonprofit relationship?  Over the course of 2017, Exponent Philanthropy, in collaboration with the National Council of Nonprofits, explored that question along with funders and nonprofits from around the country.  This webinar will share findings, lessons learned, and practical strategies.  The session will cover funder and nonprofit feedback on building trust, leaning into discomfort, and navigating the power dynamics inherent in grantmaking, as well as ways to cultivate great relationships between funders and nonprofits.  More info and registration

Impact Investing:  From Concept to Reality Webinar — November 1

Through stories and examples, learn how Foundations have aligned their investment portfolios with their philanthropic missions.  This webinar was created for foundations that are beginning to explore impact investing, or for Foundations looking for ways to advance their impact investing program.  Topics will include fantasy versus reality: what can foundations expect out of an impact investing program in the first couple of years; helping trustees explore and define impact; how to implement impact investing into a portfolio; examples of customizing investment strategies to align with mission; costs associated with an impact investing program; and questions and discussion points to bring back to your trustees, or to your investment advisor.  More info and registration

Fund the People

Fund the People is offering a series of webinar case studies on the value of investing in nonprofit staff development. 

New York Community Trust Field Story Webinar — November 17
The webinar will provide a deeper understanding of The New York Community Trust’s values, philosophy, and talent-investing practices, with a focus on the impact talent-investing has on graduates of the Leadership Fellows Program, and their nonprofit organizations.  More info and registration

Community Memorial Foundation Field Story Webinar — December 12
Explore how the Illinois-based Community Memorial Foundation holistically invests in strengthening nonprofit professionals and organizations, as well as the impact the foundation’s talent-investments have on the effectiveness of Aging Care Connections. More info and registration

Funders Committee for Civic Participation

Key 2020 Census Milestones:  Preparing to Invest in a Fair and Accurate Count — November 16

Join us to learn more about important milestones before and during the 2020 Census, and ways your foundation can support “Get Out the Count” activities, including participation in state and local Complete Count Committees.  Co-sponsors:  United Philanthropy Forum, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, Funders Together to End Homelessness  More info and registration

Health and Environmental Funders Network (HEFN)

Charting a Climate, Health and Equity Agenda:  Investing in Those Most Impacted to Improve Health and the Environment — November 14 

View the agenda and register.

HEFN’s 2017 Annual Meeting, “Rewriting the Rules: Opportunities for Health and Environmental Justice in Disruptive Times”  — November 15-16

View the agenda for the 2017 HEFN Annual Meeting and register.

Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers

Philanthropy and Racial Equity: Race Matters/Responsive in Black Communities Training — November 30

This training, derived from the Race Matters Toolkit, presents a valuable framework that has guided and informed ABAG’s work since it was first offered to ABAG’s Board, Staff and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee in April 2013. This training is designed to increase grantmakers’ understanding of key concepts and definitions for racial equity and three specific tools used for applying a racial equity lens to grantmaking.

Non-ABAG member grantmakers are invited to attend this workshop for a fee of $100.00.

Disaster Relief Updates

by Posted in Basic Need, Community Development, Disaster Philanthropy, Global Philanthropy, Housing and Homelessness, Immigrants and Refugees, Philanthropy

Many GCRI members have stepped up with donations and support in the wake of multiple hurricanes, as well as the California wildfires and Mexican earthquake.  See some of their efforts

GCRI’s United Philanthropy Forum Partners are invested in various relief efforts as well:

PEAK Grantmaking Webinar

Working Together: Effective Funder Collaboration in Disaster Grantmaking, October 24

Through a national partnership with the Council on Foundations and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy this webinar will offer lessons learned and practical tools to maximize funder collaboration for effective disaster grantmaking. Participants will also get to hear about a successful funder collaboration.

California Wildfires

Forum member Northern California Grantmakers has a helpful resource page on responding to the ongoing wildfires in Northern California.

  • Forum member Grantmakers Concerned With Immigrants and Refugees, which along with NCG is located in Northern California, also has a helpful list of resources on responding to the wildfires – including a list of immigrant-serving organizations that are helping the local immigrant communities being impacted by the wildfires.

Puerto Rico — FORWARD Puerto Rico Fund / Fondo ADELANTE Puerto Rico

  • The Forum’s colleague organization in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Funders Network (Red de Fundaciones de Puerto Rico) has just launched the FORWARD Puerto Rico Fund (Fondo ADELANTE Puerto Rico). The Fund supports key nonprofit institutions that are working to achieve a better Puerto Rico in the short-, medium- and long-term. Initially, FORWARD Puerto Rico will provide funds to organizations that are assisting communities affected by the devastating hurricanes Irma and Maria. Subsequently, it will target its support to strengthening these organizations and ensuring their resilience and continued contribution to Puerto Rico. The Fund will also support work on issues of government transparency, inequality, and community economic development. The Funders Network is comprised of longstanding and prestigious Puerto Rican foundations with extensive experience in strategic grantmaking and deep involvement in the nonprofit sector. The Funders Network will administer the Fund without charging administrative costs, and will distribute the funds to nonprofits with a proven track record in Puerto Rico.  The Fund is housed at the Foundation for Puerto Rico, which has a designation of 501c3 of the US tax code, and is thus domestic.

U.S. Virgin Islands

  • The U.S. Virgin Islands were devastated by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, but seem to have lost the attention of the media and the country. So a reminder that the CARE (Caribbean Assistance and Relief Effort) Fund has been established by the St. Croix Foundation for Community Development to address the basic needs of individuals and families directly impacted by the disaster, and to support the transition of hundreds of displaced students and families who are currently being (re)settled on St. Croix.

Center for Disaster Philanthropy Update

State of Disaster Philanthropy 2017 — CDP will be presenting a half-day convening on October 25 in New York, “From Hurricanes Sandy to Maria: Can Disaster Philanthropy Be More Strategic?”  On November 8, CDP and Foundation Center will be presenting a webinar on “Measuring the State of Disaster Philanthropy”  to discuss highlights from the 2017 report and data dashboard.

Recovery from the recent string of catastrophes is going to take billions of dollars and strategic cross-sector collaboration between funders, government, nonprofits, and humanitarian organizations. CDP has established four collaborative disaster funds to support long-term recovery challenges:

Women’s Fund Hosts Cocktails and Conversations with 2017 Grantees

by Posted in Advocacy, Children & Youth, Equity, Member Highlights, Member News, Member Sponsored Events, Philanthropy, Women and Girls

The Women’s Fund of Rhode Island recently announced the six recipients of its 2017 grant funding, totalling $50,000:

  • Young Voices for a program which will unite girls of color and leaders in education to address disparities in achievement in Providence public schools
  • RI Coalition Against Domestic Violence to develop plans for coalition partners to collaborate more effectively in mobilizing community voices in the Move to End Violence
  • Center for Women and Enterprise, to provide entrepreneur training in Spanish for women who want to start businesses
  • Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education (ARISE) to promote resiliency in Asian adolescent girls through their Hidden Lotus Circle leadership training
  • Day One for materials related to its Be Empowerment program addressing survivors of commercial sexual exploitation of children
  • YearUp to train and place young women on Information Technology career paths

“We had 31 organizations submit proposals for a combined request of $261,000 in funding, so the process was very competitive,” said Executive Director Kelly Nevins. “Using a review team of volunteers from the community with training in gender lens giving, these organizations clearly rose to the top.”

Grant recipients will be highlighted at the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island’s upcoming Cocktails & Conversations event on Wednesday, October 25.  More information

Kelly Nevins, Executive Director of the Women’s Fund, was also featured on GoLocal LIVE to talk about the need to address unconscious bias in the workplace and WFRI’s initiatives in this area.  View

Advocating for School Partnership for Healthier Kids

by Posted in Children & Youth, Education, Health and Wellness, Member Highlights, Member News, Policy

The October 16 edition of the Providence Journal encouraged schools to become active partners in growing healthier kids.  Bobby Gondola, Director of Global Philanthropy and Social Impact at GCRI Member Hasbro, co-authored the column with Jennifer Quigley-Harris, a parent of a Providence student.  Gondola is a member of the Providence District Wellness Committee, a collaborative, community-school advisory groups that works to develop healthy school environments.  Read the column to learn more about the committee and opportunity for positive health outcomes for Rhode Island schoolchildren.

Collette Shows “Tourism Cares” for Providence and Internationally

by Posted in Community Development, Corporate Citizenship, Member Highlights, Member News, Member Sponsored Events, Philanthropy

Collette Shows “Tourism Cares” Locally and Globally

Collette has launched an “impact travel program,” as part of the organization’s commitment to social responsibility in both its own communities and the destinations to which its guests travel.

Twenty guests just returned from the inaugural South Africa Impact Tour – Travel with Heart, a 13 day experience that blends traditional sightseeing with giving back to local communities. Guests volunteered with local programs dedicated to improving the lives of children in the South Africa community, including a day working on educational programs and building projects with Knysna Education Trust; distribution of  Hippo Rollers in a local community to improve access to fresh water, and helping the Pebbles Project to decorate classrooms and prepare lunches.

“It is our passion to give back, connecting travelers to diverse cultures and making a positive impact on the world that surrounds us,” said John Sutherland, Manager of Corporate Responsibility. “Our guests will experience the best of both worlds on these tours by seeing the beauty in the destination while engaging in volunteer work to give back to the local community.”

During the 2018-2019 travel season, Collette will offer additional impact tours in South Africa and Costa Rica.

As part of the tourism industry’s “Tourism Cares” initiative, Collette’s strategic leadership team and CSR team also recently volunteered to beautify and restore tourist attractions around Providence on September 15.  Collette is a lead sponsor of the initiative, and its project was one of over 180 projects that  are taking place this year across North America for “2017: City Tourism.”  More info

 

Responses to DACA Decision

by Posted in Advocacy, Basic Need, Children & Youth, Education, Events, Forum News, Global Philanthropy, Immigrants and Refugees, Philanthropy, Policy, Resources

September 14 GCIR Webinar for Funders

The Forum will be co-sponsoring  a Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees webinar, Dreams in Limbo: A Look at the Future of DACA, Young Immigrants, and How Funders Can Respond, that is being held on September 14, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. PDT.

Philanthropic Responses to the DACA Decision

  • Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees issued a statement declaring that  “DACA’s repeal demands a robust response from philanthropy.” GCIR is compiling statements from foundations and PSOs, along with related resources. To add your statement or other resources to GCIR’s resource page on DACA, please send them to Michael@gcir.org.
  • Funders for LGBTQ Issues issued a statement noting that “nearly half of the estimated 75,000 eligible LGBT young undocumented immigrants have taken advantage of DACA, allowing them to dramatically improve their lived experience.”
  • Philanthropy California issued a statement urging policymakers to “develop a solution that protects these young people and upholds our nation’s promise of freedom, fairness, and prosperity for all.”