LISC Rhode Island Grants, Initiatives and People Recognized

by Posted in Basic Need, Children & Youth, Community Development, Financial Literacy, Member Highlights, Member News, Philanthropy, Uncategorized, Workforce Development

LISC Grants, Initiatives and People Recognized 

LISC Rhode Island awarded Amos House $476,000 to implement its Bridges to Career Opportunities (BCO) model, a comprehensive education and support program designed to provide tailored services to move people into employment. The new grant is part of $72 million in funding awarded to 32 organizations through the U.S. Labor Department’s Reentry Project, which is focused on evidence-based opportunities to reduce recidivism.

Read more in  ProJo feature

With this funding, Amos House will be able to expand its job training and education programs and integrate them with the Financial Opportunity Center offerings, a highly successful program developed by LISC that helps participants with job placement, financial coaching, and access to public benefits. Amos House will adapt the BCO model to address the specific needs and services necessary for individuals recently released from prison.

“As a result of this funding, Amos House will provide intensive wraparound supports related to barriers specific to the re-entry population,” said Jeanne Cola, Executive Director of LISC Rhode Island.  “Participants will be able to complete the education and skills training components of the Bridges to Career Opportunities program and transition to employment.”

With a grant from the Social Innovation Fund (SIF), LISC launched its Financial Opportunity Center (FOC) model nationally in 2010 and featured several sites in Rhode Island, including Amos House.  FOCs provide clients with three integrated services: employment coaching, financial education and coaching, and assistance accessing income supports. This bundling of services helps clients make important behavioral changes about money and improve their financial outlook, while preparing them to succeed in the workplace. The model has been successful in helping clients see real improvements in net income, net worth, and credit scores. Additional SIF funding allowed LISC to then introduce the Bridges to Career Opportunities model, which incorporated contextualized educational services along with career training programs and provided opportunities for those FOC clients who needed to build additional foundational skills to successfully complete higher-level skills training and be more competitive in the job market.

“In addition to job training and education, providing services to help participants navigate legal and technical matters related to child support, fines, court, parole/probation, as well as help with transportation, housing barriers, and substance abuse, will translate into meaningful change for this vulnerable population,” said Cola.

Approximately 2.3% of adults in Rhode Island are on probation or parole, which as of 6/30/17 was 23,081 adults in the state, and there were 2,797 individuals released in 2017 [1]. Of this number, about 5% of sentenced releases self-reported that they were homeless or had no permanent address. The Department of Corrections also reports that of the total prison population, 52% of men and 61% of women were unemployed at the time they were incarcerated.  Additionally, of this 2017 population, 35% of incarcerated men and 25% of incarcerated women had less than a high school education, and 51% of men and 38% of women were re-sentenced within 36 months of release [2].

“We are very grateful to LISC,” said Eileen Hayes, President and CEO of Amos House. “This was a very competitive process and the funding will allow us to focus much more intensively on people entering our training programs and accessing FOC services within 6 months of being released from incarceration.”

Nationwide, there are more than 2.3 million people in prisons, jails and other detention facilities, with 650,000 released each year from prisons alone. Studies on recidivism done by the National Institute of Justice based in Washington D.C. indicate that nearly 77 percent are arrested again within five years.

The award is part of a larger grant from the U.S. Department of Labor which awarded $4.5 million in new funding for LISC Financial Opportunity Centers (FOCs) nationwide. The grant will extend the reach of LISC FOCs in Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Minneapolis and Providence that operate in communities with high rates of poverty, crime and reentry. Amos House is one of only seven organizations across the LISC footprint to receive these funds.

The FOCs are part of a broader LISC effort to expand economic opportunity for low income people. It dovetails with LISC’s community safety work that builds police community partnerships, supports data-driven strategies to take on crime hotspots, and integrates safety into broader programs on economic development, housing and jobs.

People in the News

LISC Rhode Island’s Executive Director Jeanne Cola, who was recently profiled in the Providence Business News, published a ProJo op-ed on the value of supporting childcare as a taxpayer investment.

Deputy Director Cindy Larson received the 2017 Sue Connor Special Friend of Rhode Island’s Children Award from the Rhode Island Association for the Education of Young Children (RIAEYC) during the organization’s 51st opening banquet of their Annual Rhode Island Early Childhood Conference. Larson received the award for her lifetime of work as an early childhood advocate.

In presenting the award, Lisa Hildebrand, Executive Director of the RIAEYC, acknowledged Larson’s advocacy and leadership in early learning and child care in Rhode Island, her role as the founding director of LISC’s Rhode Island Child Care & Early Learning Facilities Fund (RICCELFF), and her long history of work in education.

“We are presenting this award in recognition of her leadership, commitment, and truly tireless efforts working on behalf of the early child care and education community, as well as the children and families of Rhode Island,” said Hildebrand.

“Cindy led the team that conducted a comprehensive study of child care and early learning facility infrastructure in Rhode Island. She was instrumental in receiving special permission to use Race to The Top dollars toward facility improvement and making funding available to help address critical health and safety issues across Rhode Island’s early childhood centers,” said Hildebrand.

In accepting the award, Larson noted that there is still work to be done despite broad acceptance on the critical importance of the issues around early childhood.

“Thank you all so much, this honor means a great deal to me,” said Larson. “It should be really easy to be an early childhood advocate – all the research suggests that the early years of life are the most critical; we have widespread agreement with the importance of early education; we know that quality child care is essential to building a workforce and having a strong economy.

“Everybody agrees on all these things, and yet every single day we have programs that are struggling just to make ends meet.  So the money is not connecting to what we know, despite our best efforts. We welcome all the new champions and I hope your voices will be loud and strong.  We will continue to advocate strongly with you for the resources that you need to make a difference in the lives of children.”

 

 

 

Investing in Nonprofit Staff: Fund the People’s Field Story Webinars

by Posted in Events, Nonprofit Capacity Building, Uncategorized

Investing in Nonprofit Staff:  Fund the People’s Field Story Webinars

GCRI’s Nonprofit Capacity Building Catalyst Group seeks to build nonprofit sustainability, including nonprofit leadership development and staff capacity building.  Our Forum partner, Fund the People, is presenting two “field story” webinar opportunities to learn from funders who have implemented different models of investing in nonprofit staff.

On November 17, New York Community Trust will present its Leadership Fellows Program, and other talent investing practices, and on December 12, Community Memorial Foundation in Illinois will be sharing how it 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.

These are two valuable opportunities to learn from peers in other regions, and will help inform our Catalyst Group work here in Rhode Island.

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island’s Annual Community Meeting Features Special Opioid Presentation

by Posted in Basic Need, Children & Youth, Health and Wellness, Member Highlights, Member News, Member Sponsored Events, Policy, Uncategorized

Opioid Film Presentation at Blue Cross Annual Community Meeting

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island invites GCRI members to its upcoming community meeting on December 6 at Rhode Island PBS’ studio.  The evening will include the Rhode Island premiere of the “Overdose: Inside the Epidemic — A Second Opinion Special.”

Following the film, Gus Manocchia, SVP & Chief Medical Officer at BCBSRI, will moderate a panel of local experts who will suggest actions that can help reduce the stigma associated with addiction, and better address the overdose epidemic.  The session is open to the public, but space is limited and registration is required by November 30.   More information

 

 

 

 

 

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.

GCRI Members Support Relief Efforts

by Posted in Basic Need, Children & Youth, Disaster Philanthropy, Employee Engagement, Global Philanthropy, Health and Wellness, Housing and Homelessness, Member Highlights, Member News, Philanthropy, Uncategorized

GCRI Members Support Relief Efforts

Tufts Health Plan Foundation

The Tufts Health Plan Foundation matched employees’ contributions to nonprofit organizations providing hurricane relief to communities affected by Hurricane Harvey and Irma.  150 Tufts Health Plan employees and board members donated nearly $23,000, and the Foundation match meant that $45,000 were given for relief efforts.  Hurricane Harvey donations were given to the American Red Cross, Massachusetts Chapter.  For Hurricane Irma, the donation was given to One America Appeal.    

Tufts Health Plan was also one of the first organizations to partner with the Massachusetts United for Puerto Rico effort, committing a minimum of $50,000 to this effort to help Puerto Rico, which was hit by both Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria.  The Tufts Health Plan Foundation will match two-to-one employee donations to nonprofit organizations providing relief in Puerto Rico.  The Foundation match will be directed to The Latino Legacy Fund at The Boston Foundation, which is partnering with the Alliance for Puerto Rico to support those who have seen their community devastated by the recent storms. Money raised through this fund will be distributed immediately for relief efforts and deployed during the next two years for reconstruction and economic recovery projects. Additionally, the fund will make grants to support resettlement efforts here in Massachusetts in response to the substantial migration of Puerto Ricans who are expected to arrive here in the months ahead.

Collette

Collette matched employee donations up to $5,000.  The company’s foundation is also making a donation of $10,000 to Save the Children for their efforts in support of Hurricane Harvey relief.  Save the Children provided supplies and resources to support children in shelters, and will be supporting organizations providing trauma support for children and families as they recover and rebuild.  They will also be providing funding and support to rebuild childcare facilities affected by the flooding.

Hasbro

Through its Play Relief program, Hasbro donated 15,000 toys and games to hurricane shelters and family support programs.  Employees volunteered to pack the kits.  Hasbro also donated $50,000 to the American Red Cross and matched employee donations up to $25,000.

Pawtucket Credit Union

Pawtucket Credit Union is matching employee donations to the American Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund.

CVS Health

GCRI Member CVS Health has deployed emergency pharmacy resources and general assistance to the victims of Hurricane Harvey. A mobile pharmacy unit was set up outside the NRG Center in Houston, where evacuees were now able to pick up prescriptions, purchase over-the-counter medications and receive recommended vaccines.

CVS Pharmacy Deploys Additional Pharmacy Resources to Impacted Communities Following Hurricane Harvey. Mobile Pharmacy Unit Ready to Assist Patients at NRG Center in Houston.

Additionally, CVS Pharmacy, in cooperation with the Texas Department of State Health Services, will provide pharmacy services to Texas residents who have been displaced by the Hurricane through “pop up” pharmacies that are being deployed at emergency shelters in Austin, Dallas and San Antonio. “Pop up” pharmacies place pharmacists and pharmacy personnel at the shelters to counsel patients and facilitate the delivery of prescriptions from nearby pharmacies. These new actions follow a donation from the CVS Health Foundation announced earlier this week of $200,000 towards relief and recovery efforts, which includes $50,000 each to the Greater Houston Community Foundation and the American Red Cross, as well as $25,000 to Salvation Army, to aid the greater Houston area in supporting local residents as they begin the recovery and rebuilding process. The CVS Health Foundation will also match colleague donations up to $25,000.  In addition, CVS Health has donated more than $90,000 worth of in-kind products including personal hygiene, clean-up and over-the-counter items to area shelters and continues to work with shelters throughout Texas to support those displaced.

CVS also provided toiletry and hygiene donations to those displaced by the California wildfires.

Bank of America

GCRI Member Bank of America’s Hurricane Harvey Relief efforts have included sending mobile financial centers and mobile ATM’s to the region, and nearly $2 million in donations from the company, its foundation and its employees.  The company is matching employee donations through an internal program, and to date, bank employees have donated $457,000, matched dollar for dollar by the company for a total of $914,000. Those funds will be distributed to charities selected by the donating employees.  That amount is in addition to $1 million in relief funding provided by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, with $250,000 directed through the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund and the remainder to be allocated as the company learns more about specific recovery needs.

“We are activating our resources to bring relief to the individuals, families, customers and communities that will continue to be impacted by the unprecedented challenges Harvey is creating across the region,” said Hong Ogle, Houston market president for Bank of America. “We are humbled and heartened by the outpouring of support.”

United Way Worldwide

  • United Way Worldwide has established multiple funds for relief and recovery efforts.  There is a United Way Worldwide Mexico Earthquake Recovery Fund, a United Way Irma Recovery Fund that also includes Hurricane Maria, and United Way Harvey Recovery Fund.  The Hurricane Harvey Fund began disbursing support in mid-September.  All three funds are accessible from unitedway.org/recovery.

 LISC

LISC has committed $100 million to Hurricane Harvey recovery work, both in Houston and in hard-hit rural counties in Texas and the Gulf Coast.  It will be working with new and existing partners and funders to expand this investment through grants, loans and equity assistance—especially in underinvested communities, where LISC has a long history.  More info

If you are a GCRI member, and have been active in supporting hurricane relief efforts in other ways, let us know!

New Forum, New Opportunities for GCRI

by Posted in Forum News, Philanthropy, Uncategorized

WITH NEW NAME & VISION, UNITED PHILANTHROPY FORUM LEADS A NEW NETWORK TO ADVANCE PHILANTHROPY

GCRI has a new national affiliate, as the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers has unveiled a new name and new visual identity to reflect a transformed organization.  GCRI is now a member of United Philanthropy Forum, along with 60 regional and national philanthropy serving organizations, representing 7,000 philanthropic organizations across the United States.

“The Forum is creating a new kind of philanthropic network to lead change and increase impact in philanthropy,” said Forum President & CEO David Biemesderfer. “So we’ve changed our name and identity to more accurately reflect both the new organization that we’ve become today and the aspirations we share for a more united philanthropy field in the future. Our new identity reflects our network’s longtime spirit of generosity, inclusive nature, and passion for the common good.”

For the past 18 years, the Forum has led a vibrant membership network of 33 regional philanthropy-serving organizations (PSOs) working to advance, inform and support philanthropy. Over the past two years the Forum engaged in a collaborative and iterative visioning process, in full partnership with its national philanthropy partner organizations, to crystallize the Forum’s role in the philanthropy field. As a result, the Forum has implemented a new vision to be the place where philanthropy’s infrastructure comes together, integrating regional PSOs’ deep regional roots and connections with national PSOs’ deep content knowledge and reach in a more comprehensive and strategic way.

In January 2017, the Forum opened its membership to national PSOs, primarily national issue-based, identity-based and practice-based philanthropy affinity groups. In just the first six months under this new membership structure, the Forum has nearly doubled its membership, welcoming 27 new member organizations to its network. To date the Forum network is comprised of 60 regional and national PSOs representing more than 7,000 foundations and other philanthropic organizations—making it the largest network serving philanthropy in America.

“The strong initial response to our new vision and membership structure—far exceeding our first-year goals—demonstrates that we’re on the right track to meet an important need for philanthropy,” said Forum Board Chair Marissa Manlove, President and CEO of Indiana Philanthropy Alliance. “This is a moment in time for philanthropy to step up in new ways, and the Forum is doing its part to maximize philanthropy’s impact in our country.”

“This new name and identity perfectly fits with the Forum’s new vision, one which aims to create a more united field of philanthropy,” said Kathleen Enright, President and CEO of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations and Co-Chair of the Vision Design Group that guided the Forum’s visioning work. “Through the new Forum network, regional and national philanthropy groups can work smarter and better together, which is more important than ever. The re-envisioned Forum will lead to more thoughtful, strategic and comprehensive partnerships among our organizations with the ultimate aim of helping philanthropy be more effective.”

“We’re thrilled to be a member of the new Forum network,” said Forum Board Member Susan Taylor Batten, President and CEO of ABFE. “National philanthropy associations like ours now have a network to support our work and our professional development, and to better connect us to all of our colleagues. We’re more powerful together.”

The Forum is supported by dues and additional financial support from its members; and by current general operating and/or project grant support from The Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Fund for Shared Insight, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The Joyce Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Newman’s Own Foundation and The Trustees’ Philanthropy Fund of Fidelity Charitable.

For more information on the Forum’s new name and identity, please visit www.unitedphilforum.org/newname.

 

Collette Celebrates Founders Day with Service

by Posted in Uncategorized

GCRI member Collette celebrated its Founders Day with a variety of employee service projects.  Over 200 employees volunteered in projects including literacy kits with United Way, food sorting at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, book sorting and distribution for Books Are Wings, and food packaging for RISE Against Hunger.  Collette volunteers packaged 30,000 meals towards the company’s goal of 1 million meals for its 100th Anniversary in 2018.  Video

Immigration Workshop Available for Community Leaders and Practitioners

by Posted in Basic Need, Children & Youth, Global Philanthropy, Immigrants and Refugees, Philanthropy, Resources, Resources for Community Organizations, Uncategorized

Immigration lawyers from Roger Williams Immigration Law Clinic, Rhode Island Center for Justice and Rhode Island Parent Information Network will present a workshop on July 12, from 2:00-4:00pm, centered on the rights of immigrants and people who may be undocumented or unsure about their citizenship status, the rights of practitioners workingw ith people who are undocumentd, and to address any other questions people may have about immigration.  Presenters will cover the ways in which practitioners can, at best, protect their constituents, and at least, not endanger their constituents, and what healthcare and public benefits are available.  Dorcas International Institute and Economic Progress Institute are also providing resources, along with the Learning Community.

Panelists are:

  • Deborah Gonzalez, Immigration Attorney and Faculty at Roger Williams University School of Law
  • Jennifer Wood, Executive Director of the RI Center for Justice
  • Sam Salganik, Healthcare Rights Attorney at RIPIN
  • Bruno Sukys, Former Director of Citizenship and Immigration Services at Dorcas International Institute
  • Sarah Friedman, Co-Director of the Learning Community Charter School

 Topics include:

  • Understand the rights of your clients, constituents, patients, congregants.
  • Learn about immigration resources in Rhode Island.
  • Understand your rights as a provider serving foreign-born communities and how your organization can be prepared for any issues that may arise.
  • Get information about changes in immigration policy and its implications for our communities

Please share this opportunity with your grantees, community partners and others in the state who might benefit.  RSVP

Managing an Endowment in a Low Interest Rate Environment

by Posted in Corporate Citizenship, Family Philanthropy, Global Philanthropy, Philanthropy, Uncategorized

GCRI’s sister organization in Massachusetts, Associated Grant Makers (AGM) recently partnered with Fiduciary Trust on a survey of endowments and foundations to understand how leaders are operating in a low-interest rate environment.  Check out the resulting report outlining findings about fundraising, investing, grant-making, spending and board governance.