Philanthropy Northwest Board Book - 2021 Q1
This is the first quarter board report for 2021 from Philanthropy Northwest leadership and staff to our board members.
This report is for philanthropic foundation investment committees exploring racial, gender and social equity issues. We distilled some key process and decision points that committees encounter, based on interviews with trustees, CEOs and finance staff, along with foundation financial advisors and advocacy groups. A diverse set of experts reviewed and expanded on the ideas.
This is the first quarter board report for 2021 from Philanthropy Northwest leadership and staff to our board members.
This report is for philanthropic foundation investment committees exploring racial, gender and social equity issues. We distilled some key process and decision points that committees encounter, based on interviews with trustees, CEOs and finance staff, along with foundation financial advisors and advocacy groups. A diverse set of experts reviewed and expanded on the ideas.
This case study report identifies untapped areas for co-investment in regional food economies in Oregon and Washington, then outlines a combination of grantmaking and investment strategies for transformational impact. A final chapter published in 2020, describes how CFFP’s founding members joined forces in 2018 to make a substantial grant that allowed Craft3, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) serving Washington and Oregon, to establish a lending source for sustainable food and farm businesses.
Seeing how a new governor's proposed budget in 2019 would affect vulnerable populations like children, Alaska funders and nonprofits worked together to advocate against the cuts amidst the heated legislative debate throughout the year.
The external environment, including policies and actions taken by the public sector, consistently impacts philanthropy and communities yet funders often do not step beyond their role as grantmakers.
In mid-2020, the Wyoming State Legislature held a special session to decide how to spend COVID-19 pandemic relief funding from the federal CARES Act. They settled on $325 million for business grants, but as the proposal made its way through the legislative process, the proposed language did not specify if nonprofits qualified. The Wyoming Nonprofit Network led an advocacy effort to convince state representatives to include nonprofits in the funding, to help ensure stability in the charitable sector during the pandemic. Learn the outcomes and future impacts of this Bright Spot story.
Humanities Montana, a grantmaker that also conducts programs to support civil society, noticed a growing lack of positive discourse around policy issues. Society can achieve greater progress on policy solutions if people developed greater skills in collaborating to addressing public problems. With funding from The Charles Engelhard Foundation in New York, Humanities Montana prepared for the launch of their new Democracy Project in 2020. The initiative groups interested students with a community organizer and their local library. Read the full story of this Montana Bright Spot.