EPI Releases Report on the State of Black Families in Rhode Island

by Posted in Advocacy, Community Development, Policy

The Economic Progress Institute of Rhode Island (EPI) recently released a report that looks at opportunities and challenges for Rhode Island’s black community, The State of Black Families in Rhode Island:  Left Behind But Making Strides, which provides details about key economic and social indicators for Black families in the Ocean State and documents the disparities with their White counterparts.

The report addresses the multitude of socio-economic indicators that have resulted from centuries of unequal treatment, and recognizes that new immigrants to Rhode Island from Liberia, Nigeria, other African nations and the Caribbean may have different experiences than native born African Americans, yet still be subject to the similar prejudices and barriers that have held back the native born population.

SOBFRI InfographicThis report highlights these continued disparities, laying the foundation for a concerted public policy response to redress historical wrongs through proactive public policy solutions.

Additionally, EPI has created an infographic that highlights key points from the report including:

  • Population Growth
  • Income Inequality
  • Unemployment and Underemployment
  • Educational Attainment
  • Judicial/Corrections Indicators

 

An earlier report titled “The State of Working Rhode Island 2015: Workers of Color” was produced in December of 2015 and looks at “economic hardships that reflect the lingering effects of the Great Recession – a recession that has left the state with over ten thousand fewer jobs today than at the onset of the recession, relative to the state’s current population.”

Impact Investing Session Follow up

by Posted in Family Philanthropy, Global Philanthropy, Impact Investing, Leveraging to Multiply Impact, Philanthropy, Resources, Social Ventures, Systems Change, Uncategorized

For those interested in additional resources on Mission Related Investments (MRI), here are some resources:

Support Organizations

Global Impact Investing Network  

Initiative for Responsible Investment  

Mission Investors Exchange

US SIF – The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment

Articles and Publications

Bay Area Impact Investing Initiative: “What is Place-Based Impact Investing?”

Center for Effective Philanthropy:  “Investing and Social Impact:  Practices of Private Foundations”

Chronicle of Philanthropy:  “Mission Critical:  Nonprofits and foundations making impact investments believe their dollars are vital to solving tough problems”

Council of Development Finance Agencies:  “Urban Revitalization and Impact Investing”

Goldman Sachs: “Right Tools, Right Time:  The Rise of Impact Investing”

Grantmakers in the Arts: “How to Invest in the Arts Without Buying a Picasso”

Invest with Values

The McKnight Foundation:  Statement of Investment Policy

Mission Investors Exchange: “Equity Advancing Equity”

National Center for Family Philanthropy: “Getting started with impact investing:  Overcoming resistance from family and board members”

Philanthropy News Digest: “Study calls on impact investors to close educational attainment gaps”

Pacific Community Ventures: What’s New in Impact Investing

Stanford Social Innovation Review:  “Mission Possible:  How Foundations Are Shaping the Future of Impact Investing” – series of mission investment articles

Surdna Foundation: ”Mapping the Journey to Impact Investing”

United Nations: Principles for Responsible Investment

Two New “Marketplaces” for Impact Investments

Impact Us 

Capital Aggregation

  • Minnesota Council of Foundations (GCRI’s sister organization) has established an impact investing collaborative with The McKnight Foundation, Bush Foundation and the Otto Bremer Trust as lead institutions.
  • Washington Area Grantmakers  (GCRI’s sister organization) has a housing investment program.

Women’s Fund Kicks Off “Gender Lens” Series with Women’s Campaign Session

by Posted in Advocacy, Member Highlights, Member News, Member Sponsored Events, Policy, Resources for Community Organizations
“Through A Gender Lens” Workshop Series on Tap
The Women’s Fund of Rhode Island’s Program Committee has created a new workshop series entitled “Through A Gender Lens,” sponsored in part by Amica Insurance.

The first installment of the series will be a workshop called “Run As You Are.”  The program features women who have run for office or conducted campaigns and is meant to inspire more women to get involved politically.

Research shows that when women make up 30% or more of lawmaking or decision making, that the policies that result are better for women and their families, regardless of political affiliation.  And while the Rhode Island Governor is female and 30% of our State House Representatives and Senators are women, women are still underrepresented in local elected offices and Congress.

This hands on workshop for women considering running for office, as well as those who want to support other women who run, will include stories from the campaign trail, brainstorming and information about the steps to run a successful campaign.

The workshop will be held on Saturday, July 22 at the New England Institute of Technology in East Greenwich, from 9-2:30.  Featured speakers include Senator Gayle Goldin (D), Providence City Councillor Sabina Matos (D), East Greenwich Town Councillor Sue Cienki (R) and Karina Holyoak Wood, who co-led the campaign to recall Kevin Jackson.

RSVP for Run As You Are

Free Youth Philanthropy Webinar Series

by Posted in Children & Youth, Events, Family Philanthropy, Philanthropy

Youth Philanthropy Connect (YPC) and Youth Philanthropy Initiative of Indiana (YPII) are partnering to host a 4-part webinar series designed to support next-gen leadership and giving opportunities.

This webinar series is FREE thanks to the generous support of Youth Philanthropy Connect.

Click the links below to learn more about each program and to register.

These FREE webinars feature national experts and youth philanthropists highlighting topics of meeting facilitation, diversifying youth programming, successful media strategies for sharing your story, and top resources on youth philanthropy. The series incorporates YPII’s 4-pillar model of Serving, Giving, Leading, and Engaging to highlight the progression of youth taking action and engaging others in their communities.  Participants will receive real-world examples and resources they can integrate into their programs. To learn more about each program, download our flyer.

Who should attend?
This series is tailored for foundations, youth-serving organizations, and families interested in engaging youth in philanthropic programming and opportunities. It is appropriate for staff, board members, supporting adults, and young people that are connecting programming to next-gen giving and philanthropy for the community.

What can you expect?

  • Learn how to incorporate concepts of serving, giving, leading, and engaging into your organization’s programming for young people.
  • Explore real-world examples and resources for you to integrate into your foundations and youth-serving organizations.

Register

Grants Administration: Make Your Grant Application Process More Nonprofit-Friendly

by Posted in Grants Management, Philanthropy, RFP

Vu Le is a popular blogger and nonprofit leader, and his “Foundations, How Aggravating Is Your Grantmaking Process” checklist is a good start for funders looking to evaluate the user friendliness of their funding request processes.  While some of the items are humorous, many point to important factors in determining whether nonprofits are able to complete your process in a positive way.  (He also has a reverse checklist for grantseekers’ ability to aggravate funders!)

Upcoming GCRI Events

by Posted in Uncategorized

Mark your calendar for these upcoming GCRI events and opportunities:

Financial and Social Returns:  Maximizing Impact Through Mission-Related Investments — Thursday, May 25, 1:00-2:30pm at the Rhode Island Foundation

Digital Security in an Age of Hacking and Cyberthreats:  What Grantmakers Should Know (Webinar) — Thursday, June 8, noon

The Power of Participation — Livestream, Friday, June 16, 9:00am-12:30

Rapid Response Grantmaking — Thursday, June 15, 9:00-11:00am at the Rhode Island Foundation

May Policy Updates from the Forum: Johnson Amendment, Charitable Deduction, Excise Tax

by Posted in Forum News, Philanthropy, Policy

Capitol Hill: Forum Submits Statement in Support of Johnson Amendment

Last week, subcommittees of the House Oversight Committee held a hearing focused on the Johnson Amendment’s effect on churches’ and other nonprofit organizations’ freedom of speech. Forum staff attended the hearing and Forum President and CEO David Biemesderfer submitted a statement for the hearing record expressing the Forum’s continued support for the Johnson Amendment. The Johnson Amendment is a 1954 amendment to the tax code that prohibits 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations from participating in political campaigns (specifically, supporting or opposing a candidate). The purpose of the law is to prevent tax-deductible money from being used to support or oppose candidates for public office. The Johnson Amendment does not prohibit all electoral activity, and 501(c)(3) organizations may still actively participate in the election process.  Forum’s position and statement

 Forum Joins Giving100 Coalition to Support Charitable Deduction for All Taxpayers

The Forum has joined Giving100, a coalition working to encourage members of Congress and the Administration to expand the charitable deduction to all American taxpayers. The Forum’s board of directors recently approved the Forum’s support of such a “universal” charitable deduction (read the Forum’s new position on the charitable deduction).  The charitable deduction, which provides a tax deduction for contributions to nonprofit organizations, has been in place for 100 years but is only available to roughly one-third of all Americans. Several provisions in recent tax reform proposals would severely reduce the number of taxpayers who would use the charitable deduction, resulting in a decrease in charitable giving of 10-20%, according to several estimates. Learn more about Giving100.

 Excise Tax Bill Re-introduced in the House

On May 4, Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN) introduced legislation to modify the excise tax on investment income of private foundations by moving to a flat rate of 1%. The bill, H.R. 2386, has bipartisan support. Aside from Paulsen, additional co-sponsors include; Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL), Rep. Patrick Tiberi (R-OH), Rep. George Holding (R-NC) and Rep. Richard Nolan (D-MN).The bill has been referred to the House Ways and Means and Budget committees. The Forum supports simplification of the private foundation excise tax on net investment income to a revenue-neutral flat rate. Visit the Forum’s website for more information and resources.

Arts & Culture Funder Resources

by Posted in Arts & Culture, Philanthropy, Policy, Uncategorized

NEA Releases Economic Data — Arts are 4.2% of Nation’s Economy

Grantmakers in the Arts Webinar on “Understanding Who Benefits from Our Funding Support”

May 23, 2pm:  With increasing urgency, the field of arts philanthropy is investigating funding inequities and seeking remedies to longstanding practices and policies that have led to them. Using anecdotal and soft evidence to address funding inequities make strategies difficult to develop and outcomes difficult to measure; we understand that to make meaningful progress towards closing funding gaps requires gathering specific data that tell us who our grantees are and who they are serving. Join Beth Tuttle from DataArts; Bronwyn Mauldin from Los Angeles County Arts Commission, a public funder; and Elizabeth Love from Houston Endowment, a private funder, as they discuss their approaches to collecting demographic data on grantees and their audiences.  Register

Grantmakers in the Arts Resource Blog on Responding to the Current Political Climate

Washington Post:  Federal Budget Agreement for FY2017 Maintains Funding for NEA, NEH

New York Times:  NYC Implements New Cultural Funding Formula to Increase Equity

National Association of State Arts Agencies Policy Brief on Government Support of the Arts

More Value to Short-Term Investment or Smaller, Long-Term, Endowment Based Giving?

by Posted in Collective Impact, Family Philanthropy, Global Philanthropy, Impact Investing, Leveraging to Multiply Impact, Philanthropy, Resources, Systems Change, Uncategorized

Atlantic Philanthropies has banked its investment decisions on the philosophy that since a foundation’s grants generate a social return, those returns compound at a higher rate than its financial assets would, so more immediate grants will generate more social value than preserving the capital and making more grants later.  This is the premise behind limited life foundations.  Value, Time, and Time-Limited Philanthropy, highlights discussions among philanthropic leaders, advisors, and scholars about the social value a philanthropic initiative can be estimated to generate — taking into account direct outlay, social value, ripple effects, and durability — and whether, considering social utility, rates of return, and the compounding or erosion of value over time, the premise holds true for three Atlantic Philanthropies-funded initiatives.  Initial study is showing that Atlantic’s short-term investments are paying off, in part because other foundations have taken a slower, more sustained approach, so there may be an important role for both approaches to funding to address systemic issues.

 

Funder Cybersecurity Webinar

by Posted in Events, Grants Management, Philanthropy

DIGITAL SECURITY IN AN AGE OF HACKING & CYBERTHREATS: WHAT GRANTMAKERS SHOULD KNOW

Thursday, 8 June, 2017 • noon-2:30pm

Non-profit organizations are increasingly grappling with the threat of cyberattacks– and turning to their funders for support. For most grantmakers, however, cybersecurity is not an area of expertise. Reflecting the universality of the cybersecurity threat, eight donor affinity groups offer this webinar focused on how funders can support grantees in addressing and responding to digital security concerns. Content will include:

  • A debrief: Digital Security & Grantscraft Guide: An introductory guide for funders.
  • Lessons learned and strategies pursued by a donor that has recently invested in digital security as an area of concern for his/her grantees.
  • Discussion of the strategies and infrastructure already built and in use, particularly as related to grantmaking focused on the Global South, for rapid response/ emergency cybersecurity-related grantmaking.

Following these presentations and a general Q&A period, donors will have the opportunity to join more narrowly-focused breakout conversations via separate, but parallel, conference calls. The focus topic for each breakout conversation is currently in development and will be announced at a later date.

Register here

Sponsored by: Consultative Group on Biological Diversity, Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation, Funders Concerned About AIDS, Funders for Reproductive Equity, Global Philanthropy Project, Grantmakers Income Security Taskforce, Health and Environmental Funders Network, and International Human Rights Funders Group