College Bound Brotherhoood Grant Application Now Open
We are very excited to announce the annual call for College Bound Brotherhood grant requests between now and Monday, June 18, 2012. We are looking to provide $25,000 grants for up to15 nonprofit organizations that are working on college readiness with young black men in Bay Area.
Additionally, we’re interested in organizations that are developing or using information technology platforms/”apps” – exclusively or as part of their overall college access work – to increase the number of African American males that are college ready. This work should have a component that speaks directly to the needs of young black men. Please note: we only make grants to nonprofits; for-profit developers are not directly eligible but may work in partnership with a suitable nonprofit applicant. We’re happy to answer any questions about this new type of funding support.
Click HERE for more information on how to apply.
Please help spread the word and we looking forward to learning about your work.
Free Webinar! Leading in a Hyperconnected World: Driving Innovation & Impact with Digital Media – May 30
Stanford Social Innovation Review is providing a free webinar, courtesy of Living Cities, to discuss how new digital media is affecting the world we live in. Join leaders from the Twitter, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Living Cities to understand how these new digital media trends are changing notions of leadership and to learn how your organization can harness new technologies to accelerate innovation, adaptation, and impact.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
11:00am-12:00pm PT, 2:00-3:00pm ET
Presented by:
Ben Hecht, President & CEO, Living Cities
Claire Diaz Ortiz, Head of Social Innovation, Twitter
Steve Downs, Chief Technology & Information Officer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
To find more information and to register, click HERE or go to www.ssireview.org/webinars.
Mitch Named One of Most Influential Investors
Our own president and founder was just named by Forbes as one of the most influential angel investors on AngelList, an info platform to match up startups and potential investors. The brief article states “These investors, each for different reasons, bear watching as arbiters of what’s next in technology.” We already knew that. 
While this isn’t directly related to our foundation programs – except for the fact that we’re able to do this work in part because of those investments – we’re already working to start aligning tech and social change on both sides of the for/nonprofit spectrum. Stay with us as this unfolds.
Message to Graduates – and to Life Long Learners
For the past two years, I’ve had the honor and pleasure of being asked to give the keynote address at the SF Achievers Awards recognition ceremony. Dr. Henry Safrit – the program’s founder, Jefferson Award winner, humanitarian, and fellow North Carolinian – has hounded me to share this speech since he heard it a year ago. And for those who know Henry, he’s persistent if nothing else! So after a wonderful event this past Wednesday at the African & African American Art & Cultural Complex, where SF Achievers celebrated 13 scholars, I’m happy to finally comply with Henry’s wishes. lol
FIVE CHARGES FOR BROTHER GRADUATES
READ.
Read the newspaper. Read a book or a blog. Read on the Kindle. Read on the bus or the train. Read aloud, to yourself or someone else. After a movie, read the reviews. Before the test, read the textbook. Read something on the bestseller list and read something that somebody down the street wrote. Read to learn both new information AND new words. Read for as long as you can see, and after that, learn to read in braille.
Job Opportunity: Smashing Bias Director!
I’m excited to share that the Foundation, along with the Level Playing Field Institute (our sister organization), are looking for an astute social entrepreneur to help us launch and move our Smashing Bias Program and Prize to the next level! Please see the job description here at RecruiterBox.com. We’re looking to hire sooner rather than later, so please feel free to spread the word to your networks and let us know of your interest!
Foundations: The Shift from Charitable to Strategic
Just came across this blog post, From Charitable Giving to Strategic Investing, which references last week’s Council on Foundations conference in Los Angeles. I immediately wanted to share this article because I love it! For the record, I can’t stand when the nonprofit organizations are labeled “charities” – that’s so buttoned-up-and-white-gloved old school, invoking a dated paradigm that positions nonprofit folks as wide-eyed do gooders, versus corporate folks as savvy deep thinkers (with corresponding deep pockets). Philanthropy is traditionally positioned somewhere in the middle, serving as brokers between the corporate-generated wealth and organizations that perform “acts of charity.” While there’s much more to be said about that problematic paradigm, I’ll try to stay on track here. I really like Katherine Miller’s post because it succinctly summarizes the shift in the philanthropic sector (and nonprofits by extension) to strategic thinking and execution. Some may say “duh” because that’s how they’ve been functioning all along, but I say “hurray” to the movement to put “charitable” to bed in favor of “strategic good works.”
In their words
This past Sunday at the Association for Black Foundation Executives 2012 conference in Los Angeles, Brotherhood Leadership Advisory Council members, Julian Clark and Andrew Morris (far right and center right), joined two southern California youth to address an audience of roughly 80 individuals from the philanthropic sector. They shared their individual experiences, perspectives on the various issues facing young black men, and the ways in which philanthropy can have more of a strategic impact on the lives of black youth. The session, Let’s Act Now: Moving the Needle Forward for Young Black Men and Boys in California and Beyond, highlighted the various philanthropic initiatives in California geared toward altering the trajectory of young black men and boys.
Updating Your Online Presence and Using Social Technologies: New Media Tips for Nonprofits
In an ever growing high-tech world, many nonprofits are making it a priority to incorporate new technologies as best they can with the resources that are available to them. A new article in the Nonprofit Quarterly recently discussed how organizations are increasingly developing the new job role of Social Media Manager or “Publisher”. This person takes on the responsibility of creating content across various communications channels, including e-mail newsletters, blogs, Facebook, video, etc.
In my work with social media and nonprofits, I have found a few overarching trends that nonprofits face in terms of new technologies and incorporating them in a way that is most suitable to their work. Here I have compiled a few tips to help your organization stay up-to-date, build more effectively with online communities, as well as gain more visibility.
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A Look At Who’s Preparing African American Males for College
In preparation for the 2nd Annual College Bound Brotherhood Graduation, we would like to highlight some of our grant partners who have contributed to the preparation of the graduates within the College Bound Brotherhood network. Each plays important roles in providing the necessary tools, resources, and support (financial and academic) to young African American college-bound males throughout the Bay Area.
Through the My Brother’s Keeper Program, Choose College provides educational resources, advising, and events aimed at increasing academic success, as well as, boosting high school and college graduation rates amongst African American males. Currently, they are gearing up for their Super SATurday event which will educate parents and students of the importance of entrance exams and test readiness.
East Bay College Fund awards college scholarships, offers mentorship, and college-counseling to public high school students in Oakland. They have gradually grown since their founding in 2002 and this year they are excited to award thirty-five scholarships! Diane Dodge, Executive Director, says the uniqueness of their program is in being able to provide role models from the community, some being alumni who understand the challenges and strengths of these young men. “These relationships,” she says “bring integrity to the college curriculum we deliver. Also, rarely do programs make a difference in attendance and grades but it says a lot that we have already seen improvements in our first year. This demonstrates that the services fit the needs.”
Bolder Together – Collaboration of CA Civic Participation Funders
Happy to share that the California Civic Participation Funders Collaborative, of which we played a minor advisory role, has come out with a great case study of how funders can come together – as we often encourage our nonprofit partners to do – around a common vision and goals. As shared by the collaborative:
“How can foundations help build movements for opportunity and social change…and win? This is the question we set out to address as part of the California Civic Participation Funders collaborative. This group of ten funders, large and small, working on a wide range of progressive policy issues, came together in early 2010 with the shared goal of increasing civic participation among underrepresented populations. Now we’re releasing the first case study of our work, published by the Haas, Jr. Fund.
