The Lancaster County Community Foundation’s Post

During the pandemic, when many grantees were forced to operate in crisis mode, College Futures deliberately aimed to foster a sense of care, support, and community, paired with stable and flexible funding. This was the start of a new policy grantmaking strategy that eventually grew to an “ecosystem” of 16 organizations, intentionally designed to advance connections, knowledge, and movement-building across higher education equity. We offer insights to the philanthropic community to strengthen equity-focused movement-building and grantmaking, especially in support of statewide policy and systems change: https://buff.ly/3WzEjuK.

Access to resources offered at Catholic Charities Northside Child Development Center and at V3 Sports is particularly important in North Minneapolis, because young adults under 18 make up roughly 40% of the population in the Near North neighborhood. Our children's futures will rely on the work we do today — Near North's unemployment rate is twice that of the rest of the city, and many organizations are working to promote economic stability, job opportunities, and education equity. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3LEjFTg

Our 2024 Spring Transform Lake County Grant applications are due at 5 PM Central TODAY! To learn more, visit: https://lnkd.in/dmVWYE2 Don't miss your opportunity to apply for one of two Transform Lake County grant categories: ▪️Programmatic: Supports programming that seeks to strengthen and empower nonprofits, neighborhoods, and residents in Lake County, Indiana. Grant awards range from $2,000 to $35,000. ▪️Capacity Building: Focus on improving organizations’ operating capacity so that they can provide essential services to the community. Grant awards range from $2,000 to $10,000.

Attention! Grant opportunity for nonprofits serving Underserved Asians and/or Pacific Islanders in Southern California- Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Ventura County, San Diego County, Imperia County, Kern County, Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County. Theme: Afterschool K-12 Education or Civic/Voter Engagement with highlighted approaches on language access and data disaggregation. Examples of programs for consideration: translating education materials, translating voter materials, materials to disaggregate voter data, etc. Criteria: Budget: Organizational budgets of $1 million or below. Staff: Employ a minimum one paid staff Organization: Must be a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization or have a fiscal sponsor/agent as such To learn more and apply before 5PM Dec. 8, 2023: www.apcf.org. This grant is funded by individual philanthropists & donors engaged in the Asian Pacific Community Giving Circle.

Every interaction can teach you valuable lessons you can carry forward into other areas of your life.    Daniel Cakora here again to share some reflections.     Vendavo offers 16 hours of annual paid volunteer time to each employee so we can all give back to causes that matter to us. But this is something my family does outside of that.    This year I volunteered for the Jackson Chance Foundation, and this one really hit home for me. Jackson Chance Foundation assists families with NICU-bound children by covering parking fees. My son spent a significant amount of time in the NICU, so I know what that’s like.     Not having to worry about expensive parking fees during such a trying time was a weight off our shoulders for my wife and me. It gave us the freedom to visit our son, step away to run errands, and come back to spend more time with him – all without additional financial stress layered atop everything else.     This cause means so much to us that we set aside money on birthdays and the anniversary of our son’s “come home day” to make contributions.    There are little lessons like that everywhere. Openings for solutions that can help make others’ days a little less stressful or a little easier. Opportunities that matter a lot to the people on the other end of the experience.     As Benjamin Franklin said, “When you’re good to others, you’re best to yourself.” https://lnkd.in/g547y64Z #vendavo #employeetakeover #jacksonchance #jcf

Interesting data from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) on philanthropy and higher education. The bottom line: Despite a slight drop in funding last fiscal year, overall giving was still higher than the average over the past five years. The drop was generally contributed to stock market fluctuations. Meanwhile, public perception of higher education is declining, with recent controversies potentially impacting future donations. Read the full story from Inside Higher Ed (IHE) here: https://bit.ly/4cLACYt #GivingTrends #Giving #Philanthropy #HigherEd #obriengarrett

🌟 Exciting Collaboration Announcement 🌟 Thrilled to share insights from today's meeting with Texas Senator Jose Menendez, Mayor Suzanne DeLeon, Councilwoman Gloria Cantu, and the City of Balcones Heights! 🤝 🔗 Senator Menéndez, a dedicated advocate for Texas families, has joined forces with the American Red Cross for the "Ready Communities" initiative, an impactful collaboration aiming to address the unique needs of Balcones Heights and other underserved communities. 🌐 **Senator Menéndez's Background:** A powerhouse of public service, Senator Menéndez has a remarkable record, passing 200+ bills benefiting children, seniors, veterans, and San Antonio families. From David's Law combating cyberbullying to securing millions for education and healthcare, his commitment to Texas is unparalleled. His accolades, including 'Legislator of the Year' awards, reflect his dedication. 🏙️ **Ready Communities Plan:** The plan has six core goals (HEART): 1. Honor Neighbors 2. Educate Stakeholders 3. Alleviate Challenges 4. Rally Constituents 5. Target Opportunities 6. Engage Board Members 💰 **Fundraising Goal: $200,000+** Critical to success, the funds will support initiatives like free smoke detectors, home fire safety resources, education materials, training supplies, and community events. Transparency is key, and additional funding will be solicited as "direct-support services" for efficient deployment. 🤝 **Engaging Community Partners:** Ready Communities' strength lies in unity. Collaborating with local organizations, businesses, schools, elected officials, and residents is integral. Together, we aim to create a resilient community where everyone thrives, addressing critical needs of vulnerable populations. 📊 **Evaluation & Implementation:** Success will be measured by achieving board goals, aligning with HEART priorities, and executing events. The plan, meticulously phased from March 2024 to March 2025, emphasizes adaptability and ongoing community engagement. 🙌 **Getting Involved:** Whether through donations, volunteering, partnerships, or advocacy, everyone can play a role. Join us in making a lasting impact on Balcones Heights! Let's create a community where resilience, education, and collaboration flourish. Together, we can make a difference! 💪 American Red Cross of Central & South Texas #ReadyCommunities #CommunityCollaboration #BalconesHeightsStrong

Check out the Community Bill of Rights from The Full Frame Initiative, meant to "not only help philanthropy shape its practices and principles, but also to fill the fundamental gap in accountability that exists in the philanthropic process." It was developed in collaboration with 16 leaders from communities around the country and includes a tool foundations and community organizations can use to reflect on their relationships. Tools that are practical AND about systems change are the best tools.   https://lnkd.in/gnFseTe8

The Imprint's annual project Who Cares: A National Count of Foster Homes and families is the nation’s first public resource on foster care capacity. The Imprint collects data directly from each state, and combines that with specially obtained federal reports to shed light on two critical questions: How many kids are in #fostercare today? And where are they living? This data collection project takes countless hours of submitting records requests and doing in-depth research. We can't continue this without your support. Will you consider making a donation today so we can continue to provide this important and informative data?

If you're unfamiliar with the Community Schools Model, which puts communities at the heart of education and schooling, or the work of Communities In Schools, the organization I work with which has been a beacon, a model and an active advocate of these ideals for decades, then start with this article. Now is the best time to educate ourselves about the benefits of this educational model so that we can advocate for policies and budgets that support this model of schooling during the current GA session and beyond! Reach out if you have questions! I love to share about the work we do! https://lnkd.in/eW8ukiJt