All posts in Philanthropic Sector

We’re happy to announce that Justin Davis, our program coordinator for the College Bound Brotherhood, has been selected to participate in the 2012 Connecting Leaders Fellowship program of the Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE). He’s one of ten African Americans foundation professionals throughout the nation to be inlcuded in this cohort. The fellows program is designed to “promote the professional mobility and visibility” of blacks in the philanthropic sector through personalized executive coaching, mentoring, and learning community discussions. This is a fantastic opportunity for Justin to take his leadership skills to the next level. Believe me, I know – I was a 2007 fellow, and it was a defining experience in my professional development. Please join us in congratulating Justin!

Here’s an interesting article sent by our friends at the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (who just celebrated their 35th anniversary with a bouyant reception at the Kapor Center). In the NCRP’s latest quarterly journal, Jan Masaoka, a Bay Area doyenne of nonprofit organizational management, offers suggestions for addressing the foundation/nonprofit power differential head-on. Save the occasional snarky wise crack, this is a necessary critique of a troublesome dynamic that lingers in the nonprofit/philanthropic sector.

While we at the Kapor Foundation we do recognize that our relationships with nonprofit grantseekers is “driven by institutional interests and fundamentally about money,” we nevertheless do try to speak sincerely about partnerships – to the degree they’re possible given the presence of financial resources as a “spoiler” of sorts.

And contrary to Masaoka’s last bullet-pointed piece of advice to nonprofits, some of us hate fawning and can smell it coming. Really. Just say no.

Read on.

Cedric moderating "Quick Wits" at FCCP's Spring Convening

Taking place in Portland, Oregon, the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation’s annual Spring Convening allowed Cedric (FCCP Steering Committee member) and myself (former program director at FCCP) another great opportunity to learn about the latest and greatest happening in the field of civic engagement and to do so alongside our philanthropic colleagues.

Among many things discussed, one in particular has been of particular concern – voter suppression as a point of intersection, as an issue where separate attacks on various communities add up to something more insidious.

All data points to a new demographic reality by 2045. It’s around that year that people of color are expected to comprise the majority of the population. By most definitions, a healthy democracy would demand a parallel trend in the demographic composition of the electorate and of who votes.

This, though, isn’t the way our country is moving forward. There’s a fight right now over the composition of our electorate, both directly and less so. Here are three arenas where those fights are taking place and recent links to learn a little more about each:

• Voter ID Laws and the Voter Fraud Bogeyman – “How States are Rigging the 2012 Election” by EJ Dionne in the Washington Post
• Mass Incarceration within the U.S., namely 1 in 15 African American males ages 18 & older (combine this with voting laws disenfranchising formerly incarcerated individuals) – “[Infographic] Combating Mass Incarceration – The Facts,” ACLU
• Criminalization of Immigrants (combine this with denial of citizenship status) – “Immigrants for Sale” Video, Cuentame

The prospect of an increasingly unrepresentative electorate raises large questions, including for me: how does the ratio of residents to eligible voters, particularly if these attacks continue and succeed, compare historically? How does the ratio of residents to eligible voters compare across countries? Given the answers to these questions, how will people and parties respond to the implications of these numbers? How will they respond to the implications about what the numbers say about who we are as a country, where we’re headed and how and by whom our country will be governed?

Yes! We’re very happy to be among the initial co-signers of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy‘s new campaign, Philanthropy’s Promise, which impels grantmaking institutions to commit “at least half their grant dollars for the intended benefit of underserved communities, broadly defined, and at least one quarter of their grant dollars for systemic change efforts involving advocacy, community organizing and civic engagement.” Not only will this commitment help to channel grant dollars to communities most in need, it also offers a smart strategy for helping to maximize philanthropy’s collective impact! The Kapor Foundation is proud to join the 60+ other grantmakers, including many of our Bay Area colleagues, who have made this commitment.

Learn more about the initiative here: PhilanthropysPromise.org!

Read our statement here (pdf): Kapor Foundation’s Commitment

In a bit of cross-purposing (and at the risk of shamefaced self-referencing), check out the opening column for the summer edition of Northern California Grantmakers’ newsletter, the theme of which is Coming Into Your Own. For each newsletter, the wonderful folks at NCG ask a member to write a welcome message, and I had the honor this past month.

On a related note, I feel that the Kapor Foundation is coming into its own in understanding how we want to contribute to larger movements for social justice and equality. Stay tuned for more on that tip later this month (hopefully…).

Yesterday, we were happy to see the Level Playing Field Institute‘s new report, ”The Voice of Nonprofit Talent: Perceptions of Diversity in the Workplace” get top billing in the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s daily update.

Please check out this timely piece by our colleagues at Kapor Enterprises and its implications for building, sustaining and growing diverse organizations.

Here’s a small excerpt to get you started …

Across the nonprofit sector, most employers share the belief that racial diversity is a key component of organizational health, performance, and outcomes. Yet, according to today’s nonprofit talent, few organizations are doing enough to attract and retain professionals of color. There is a perceived gap between the intentions and actions of nonprofit organizations when it comes to promoting staff diversity.

A common perception held by nonprofit professionals is that their employers value diversity, but that those values are not being translated into actions resulting in the creation of diverse and inclusive workplaces. For organizations seeking to increase the racial diversity of their staff, or retain their current employees of color, the ineffectiveness of mere “good intentions” around issues of diversity and inclusiveness presents a looming problem. Download the full report.

Greetings from Philadelphia, PA. Justin and I are in town attending a slate of conferences and just presented to a very engaged audience at the Dream Deferred Conference about the College Bound Brotherhood.  I just raced back downtown to attend a committee meeting at the Council on Foundations, whose national conference is happening right now as well.

You might want to check out what should be a very interesting discussion/presentation/piece of political theater.  True to Philadelphia’s key role in the development of American democracy and due process, the Council on Foundations is hosting a trial on philanthropy’s effectiveness! From the Council:

This week, in the spirit of transparency and candor, philanthropy will testify to its own effectiveness, and you should tune in!  Tomorrow, April 12, noon–1:30 p.m., “Philanthropy on Trial, will be streamed live at www.cof.org/annualconf. Watch the prosecution and defense approach the bench to answer a critical question: Is philanthropy advancing its mission to fulfill the common good?

The Honorable Jane Cutler Greenspan (retired) will preside over the trial, and Gara LaMarche (acting as prosecution) and Ralph Smith (acting as defense) will argue their cases. Then selected members of the audience (acting as jury) will deliberate and ultimately deliver a verdict. While the jury is out wrangling with its own decision-making, we urge you to weigh in through the court of public opinion in-person, on Facebook, or via Twitter. What questions do you have for the prosecution? For the defense? Hear the evidence, and reach your own verdict.

Sounds like must-see TV, particularly with a thinker as provocative as I understand Gara LaMarche (President and CEO of Atlantic Philanthropies) to be. Check it out! What’s *your* verdict?

The James Irvine Foundation is looking for a few good leaders:

Do you know an innovative, effective leader who is working to improve California’s future? Nominate him or her for a James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award by clicking here. The award includes $125,000 in organizational support plus assistance connecting with policymakers and practitioners in the field. The nominations process has been streamlined so you can now nominate an effective leader in just three simple steps.

Act soon! The deadline is April 29, 2011.