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August 2016 |

If we want to catalyze a thriving food economy in the Pacific Northwest, where should we invest our philanthropic funds? We commissioned research into the production costs of six categories — no-till grain, grass-finished beef, organic greens, organic storage crops, pastured chicken, and hoop house pork — to identify differentiated and viable production systems aligned with our project's five overarching principles of health, social equity, family wage job creation and preservation. The results have revealed intriguing insights for our regional food economy, venture philanthropy and impact investing. We want to achieve system change to increase more sustainable food production and to build resiliency in rural communities. We want to support enterprise success so that rural communities can generate livable wage jobs and investors can at least preserve capital. We now know where we can do each; we seek the opportunity to do both. Now we're asking a new question: How can we advance system change by supporting success at the enterprise level?

August 2016 |

One of the best things about working at Philanthropy Northwest is learning and experiencing all the awesome things our members doing in our communities. This includes working with the Washington Statewide Capacity Collaborative (SCC), a philanthropy partnership "to invest, align and pool resources to build the capacity of the nonprofit ecosystem.” Based on the results of SCC's Washington State Leadership Scan, a margins-to-center approach to learning more about the capacity-building needs of our nonprofit sector, this group of funders has begun convening learning circles to discuss challenges and opportunities in more depth. We began in Walla Walla, Washington earlier this month and will continue exploring this topic at our conference in Missoula, Montana next month.

August 2016 |

Homelessness and lack of affordable housing have reached states of emergency in parts of our region. As government agencies and voters move to address this crisis, funders may be wondering where their investments would be most useful. What should philanthropy's role be in addressing homelessness? Are there holes in funding that public dollars cannot fill, where philanthropy could step in? In a conversation we hosted earlier this month in Seattle and plan to continue at our conference next month in Missoula, we examined new data and recommendations with our members and partners.

August 2016 | Philanthropy Northwest

Our "virtual roundtable" interviews feature a group of leaders from across our network who work on a common issue area, illuminating the diversity of place-based approaches to the shared topic. We kicked this series off in February with the CEOs of five healthcare conversion foundations, then continued in March with the Pacific Northwest's seven statewide nonprofit associations, April with four arts funders, May with five rural funders, June with four philanthropic banks, and July with CEOs of five foundations supporting our Momentum Fellowship, a leadership program designed to expand our sector's diversity, equity and inclusion. For August, we interviewed leaders from five foundations working to improve high school and college graduation rates: Ben B. Cheney Foundation, The CIRI Foundation, College Spark Washington, Pride Foundation and Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation.

August 2016 | Philanthropy Northwest

When Philanthropy Northwest and the Kettering Foundation published the first edition of Philanthropy and the Renewal of Democracy: Is It Time to Step Up Our Game?, the wounds and diseases afflicting our body politic were already causing concern among rising numbers of citizens, including philanthropists. Two years later, as we lurched through one of the strangest election seasons in modern American history and demand for this publication grew, our question became even more urgent. As Daniel Kemmis points out, the relationship between philanthropy and democracy is a matter of both social compact and law. Given the state of our democratic institutions, it’s become crucial to think about philanthropic activity’s place within our political framework. It is clearly time to step up our game — but in what way and how to do so without abusing our power and privilege? Philanthropy has an opportunity to choose a more constructive and optimistic path.

August 2016 | Philanthropy Northwest

As we mark Philanthropy Northwest's 40th year as a network of family funds, foundations and corporate giving programs, our work in communities is more important than ever. So it's fitting that Philanthropy Northwest's annual conference in Missoula, Montana on September 13-15 — just five weeks away! — will feature a different kind of conversation. Together, “Under One Sky," we will explore the ever-shifting nature of our work and our communities through the lenses of democracy and equity. Are democracy and equity just nice to have? Or in the extreme, can our communities survive without them? We will not be asking you to divert your resources; rather, it is our hunch that you are already supporting these areas as a means to an end. We may not know the answers, but we invite you to lean in with your peers, to question, connect and be inspired.

August 2016 | Philanthropy Northwest

Are you a trustee or executive at a foundation that shares Philanthropy Northwest's vision of communities with vibrant, healthy futures that honor our past, our people and our cultures? Have you read the list of companies in which you are invested — not the names of the funds or managers, but the actual holdings — and wondered how you can reconcile these names with your mission and values? You are not alone. The alternative — a Beautiful Portfolio — provides a path to authenticity and honesty in our financial lives.