The Joyce Foundation

Please enjoy this message from our new President and CEO Julie Morita: Good morning, colleagues,  I am thrilled to start an exciting new journey today as President and CEO of The Joyce Foundation. Since the announcement in July, I have been overwhelmed with gratitude from your letters, calls, and emails with warm, heartfelt wishes as well as the hugs, handshakes, and other congratulatory expressions. I’m humbled by and appreciate your graciousness. I look forward to sharing more with all of you about the next chapter at Joyce. But for now, I believe that my most important immediate duty—and the one I’m most excited about—is spending time becoming better acquainted with our programming and staff. Deepening my understanding of and appreciation for our work and how well we are executing our mission is my highest priority.  Our relationships and partnerships with philanthropy peers, grantees, and other partners are paramount. I look forward to engaging with you, meeting new partners, and reconnecting with old friends, in the near future. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out and say hello!  I want to thank my predecessor, Ellen Alberding, for her warm welcome and commitment to ensuring a seamless transition for our team. Thank you, Ellen.  My enthusiasm for my new role is tempered only by the deep responsibility and privilege I feel in leading this organization and working with the Joyce team to carry forward our legacy and impact in Chicago and throughout the Great Lakes region.  With Gratitude,  Julie #Leadership #PresidentAndCEO #JulieMorita #ShesGotNext https://lnkd.in/g2NvZMhH

20th Anniversary Spotlight on Ty Defoe and Larissa FastHorse ✨ Their boundary-breaking comedy “For the People” centers on the stories and experiences of the #TwinCities Native community, in particular, the Dakota and Anishinaabe-Ojibwe people. As 2020 #JoyceAwards recipients, Ty and Larissa, alongside Guthrie Theater, brought this powerful vision to life. “For the People” follows a 20-something fighting to secure funding for an Indigenous wellness center. “Thanks to The Joyce Foundation, we were able to pursue a long term, truly collaborative process with the local Indigenous community. We do not believe that work about a community should be done any other way and appreciate the funding and time that the Joyce Awards gave us.” — Ty Defoe and Larissa FastHorse Last fall, “For the People” made Guthrie history as the first mainstage production written by Native playwrights about Native people. And on its final day, Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan officially declared it “For the People Day”! Follow along as we celebrate #JoyceAwards20 and our many honorees this year! 📸: Photos: Jaida Grey Eagle. Courtesy: Guthrie Theater. #LarissaFastHorse #TyDefoe #IndigenousArt #GuthrieTheater

Gun violence in the United States affects communities everywhere. All age, racial, and income groups across the country are feeling the impact, with gun violence threatening the places where we live, learn, and work. It is a nuanced, multifaceted problem that, unaddressed by key business leaders and philanthropists, will continue to devastate individuals and communities alike. The Joyce Foundation partnered with Milken Institute to release a new roadmap showcasing how philanthropic and business investment can work to alleviate gun violence and prevent it. "Philanthropy has a long and important history of pushing forward progress on addressing the epidemic of gun violence in this country," said Julie Morita, president and CEO of the Joyce Foundation. “Bringing more foundations and businesses to the table is critical to help build on these successes and save lives.” Learn more: https://bit.ly/AdvanceGVP. #GunViolencePrevention #SaferCommunities #PublicHealth #NextGeneration Madeleine Cashin Kellen Silver Hilary McConnaughey Page Emily Musil

Join us and researchers John Maki and Heather Warnken for an important discussion on strategies for sustaining and expanding Community Violence Intervention (CVI) funding. With the unprecedented rise in CVI investments, researchers will discuss balancing these efforts with policing and other long standing public safety institutions. This session will also cover effective strategies for accessing public funding for survivors through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Crime Victim Compensation Program. 🔗 Register to learn and connect with other leaders in the field: https://lnkd.in/gh94F6fC

Our entire Education and Economic Mobility team enjoyed being in community and sharing impactful work at the recent Grantmakers for Education conference! Our Program Officers Chibuzo E. and Emily Goldman led several panels with funder friends, grantees, and other collaborators. Chibuzo led a panel focused on the Dual Enrollment Research Fund with Alex Perry, Mark Baxter and Jacklyn Altuna Willard. Emily led panels with Ginger Ostro and Lisa Castillo Richmond, Ph.D. discussing an equity-based funding formula for higher education in Illinois; as well as a panel with Caroline Altman Smith, Sameer Gadkaree, Michelle Richard and Dennis Olson on college affordability and reducing college debt.   We are inspired by all the great work happening across the Great Lakes region helping our students thrive. #EdFunders2024 #HigherEd #StudentSuccess #GreatLakes  

Hear! Hear! Congrats to #PressForward for wisely pinpointing a total of 30 news outlets from the Great Lakes region among the recipients of the $20M. Among them: Madison365, Project Optimist, Planet Detroit, Cicero Independiente, La Raza, South Side Weekly, Windy City Times, NowKalamazoo, Athens County Independent, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, Wausau Pilot & Review... Hard to look at that list and not feel optimistic about the progress we're making in revitalizing local news, and all the creative minds working to serve their communities through trustworthy, fact-based information. Now look 'em all up and throw 'em your support too!

Such great news, with thoughts perfectly captured by our Chief External Affairs Officer! #PressForward #LocalJournalism #Democracy

Last week we wrapped up a pivotal 3-part series on ending gun violence in Chicago. --The first program focused on community safety. --The second program highlighted ending the flow of illegal guns in community. --The final program emphasized the influence of youth & social media in interrupting gun violence. You can read that story below. We created this series to reframe the discussion around gun violence prevention and public safety by examining solutions and prevention strategies, among other evidence-informed tactics. We're working with our partners to produce a comprehensive white paper for regional policymakers, positioning gun policy as central to public safety debates. Enormous thanks to our partners at City Club of Chicago, our media partner WTTW/Chicago PBS, event moderators Brandis Griffith Friedman & Joanna Hernandez, and communications strategist Laurie Glenn & her team at THINKINC for a successful collaboration. Thanks, also, to every panelist and organization that participated. All of our efforts and strategies are central to eliminating gun in Chicago. We know it can be done. #EndingGunViolence #EndingGunViolenceChicago #GunViolencePrevention #PublicSafety #PublicPolicy #Chicago https://lnkd.in/g5m52QFe

This Thursday October 17th is the 10th anniversary of "Imagine a Day Without Water," a national movement highlighting the true value of water in our lives that unites individuals, communities, and policymakers to advance greater and more equitable water investments. Join our grantee partners, the "Water Warriors" at WE THE PEOPLE OF DETROIT on Thursday at the Zoom link below to commemorate the date and learn what more we can collectively do to create healing and equity in water access. https://lnkd.in/gZXvvsM9 #ImagineADayWithoutWater #EnvironmentalJustice #WaterJustice #GreatLakesRegion

We were a proud sponsor and had a wonderful time recently at “Philanthropy Forward ‘24” hosted by Philanthropy Ohio. Democracy Program Director Carrie Davis participated in a panel on strengthening democracy in Ohio communities, and we enjoyed time connecting with many of our grantees, including Ohio Voter Rights Coalition, League of Women Voters of Ohio, Common Cause Ohio, and Ohio Voice. Congratulations to Philanthropy Ohio for an incredible convening rooted in equipping Ohio philanthropy to be effective partners for change in our communities. #Philanthropy #Ohio #GreatLakesRegion #Democracy #FairElections