Fox Pest Control’s Post

Check out this blog from the 2024 Grantmakers for Effective Organizations Conference where Rebecca Hamburg, CDT’s Chief Network Officer, participated as a key panelist. This session titled “Philanthropy as Catalyst for Voter Engagement” dove into the importance of understanding legal rules, leveraging unique organizational strengths, and integrating community-led solutions for effective voter engagement. Click the link below to read Rebecca’s insights. https://lnkd.in/gpxJEvXY

BSR offices in the U.S. will be closed today in observance of Juneteenth, a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in America, as Union soldiers marched on Galveston, Texas in 1865. 159 years later, we acknowledge the continued impact of racialized systemic oppression on Black communities throughout the United States and beyond. Whether your company chooses to recognize or observe this holiday, there is an opportunity to approach its commemoration in a way that advances DEI and social justice efforts within your organization. For BSR members, several resources developed by our Equity, Inclusion & Justice (EIJ) team are available in the member portal to help you get started, such as: Allies+: Ally, Advocate, and Accomplice: https://lnkd.in/gZnn_95H; and Inclusive Leadership: https://lnkd.in/gXmT9wrm. For all viewers, we're also pleased to share The Social Justice Guide for Business: Moving Beyond Crisis to Action, developed by BSR's Center for Business and Social Justice: https://lnkd.in/d-ZyUKtZ. We welcome you to engage with these resources and/or reach out to our team, ready to partner with you to further your DEI ambitions and programming. Email us at web@bsr.org. We stand resolute that to achieve sustainability, we must promote equity and justice. #happyjuneteenth, #DEI, #sustainablebusiness

Some important words from this 2022 piece that we're reflecting on this summer from Joseph Phelan and Jung Hee Choi. "Understandably, election campaigns focus on the short-term. But narrative change is a long-term project. Building narrative power for our movements requires a healthy ecosystem that combines leadership development, relevant tools and technology, substantial and sustained financial resources, and containers for collaboration and coordination. Our opposition has had decades to build their organizing and narrative infrastructure; our strategy needs to be similarly long-term and similarly wide-ranging." At BLIS, we are deeply committed to the arduous yet essential task of uprooting narratives that were planted over 400 years ago, narratives that allowed for millions of acres of land to be stolen, narratives that allowed for Black people to be enslaved for over 240 years and narratives that have allowed for a continuous and violent cycle of domination. Dismantling them is life-long work. https://lnkd.in/eYFdFA5H

This is very useful.

Our first Trust for Civic Life newsletter is out! In this issue, we talk about Civic Hubs: what they are, why they matter, and what we're learning from them. Not on the mailing list? Follow the link to subscribe.

📣Appropriations Update 📣 We want to thank everyone who took action this week to protect funding for @AmeriCorps & @AmeriCorpsNCCC, and the vital resources they provide community-based organizations all over the country. This week, the House Appropriations Committee approved a bill that would jeopardize more than 71,000 AmeriCorps positions, risking the loss of vital resources for community-based organizations all over the country in 2026. Congress still has opportunities to protect and strengthen this funding, and we’ll need advocates like you to voice your support in the months ahead. ➡️️ TAKE ACTION: Urge Congress to reconsider this decision and protect funding for AmeriCorps by filling out this form, bit.ly/CCFY25, or share this and tag your representative, asking them to #Stand4Service [Image description: 1 graphic a black background saying, ‘Congress just jeaprodized 71,000 AmeriCorps positions, including vital roles at FoodCorps' and all capitalized text saying, ‘take action.’]

Interesting in learning more about the state of the arts and culture sector in Philadelphia? A study connected by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and PA Humanities, the Culture Check "gathers the voices of Pennsylvania’s cultural, arts, and humanities organizations, along with other nonprofits and community groups." The report shares important information about the cultural sector, its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, opportunities for growth and engagement with the community, and much more. Learn more about this year's findings here: https://lnkd.in/eiUP2HRZ

A key learning from the report: “Increased funding and support from businesses, philanthropy, governments, and the media is essential to reflect our art and humanities community’s significant economic contribution and national prominence.”

Newman's Own Foundation with a grant opportunity for organizations focused on food justice for kids. Paul M. Angell Family Foundation with a grant opportunity for certain Latino arts organizations. From their websites: > Newman's. "Is your organization working towards food justice for kids in the United States? If so, this is your chance to receive up to $100,000 in grant funding over the next 2 years and deepen your impact! Apply by June 11, 2024." > Paul M Angell. "Mini grants are available for small Latino arts organizations which have budgets of under $200,000.00. Awards are $5,000.00 for grounds with budgets up to $100,000.00 and $7,500.00 for groups with budgets from $100,000.00 up to $200,000.00." Applications due June 7.

What an inspiring few days at Stir to Action's ABCs of the New Economy Festival, hearing from community groups, councils and charities across the UK working to create a more just, inclusive economy that puts people and planet ahead of profit. I had the pleasure of participating in a panel alongside Emily Urquhart from Oxfordshire County Council and John Atherton from Preston Co-operative Development Network. We reflected on the role of councils, anchor institutions, and communities in creating fairer, more resilient local economies. Our 'Owned by Oxford' partnership is working to address the stark inequality in our city. We're using an approach to local economic development called Community Wealth Building, that focuses on keeping wealth circulating in the local economy and redirecting wealth in ways that benefit local communities. Traditional Community Wealth Building approaches have centred the role of councils and large 'anchor' institutions (like universities and NHS trusts) in creating more inclusive economies. We believe that these institutional collaborators have a vital role to play, but that community leadership is key. We are working to centre Black, Minoritised and economically marginalised voices in local economic forums, because the people being failed by our unfair economy are 'experts by experience' in how to reshape it. We’re building Economic Democracy by working with community leaders at the grassroots. We're supporting the development of community-led initiatives and social enterprises that build community power and redirect wealth into communities marginalised by our mainstream economy. In other words... let's put the 'Community' back into Community Wealth Building! ✨