Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy

Power-shifting approaches are emerging as effective strategies for #funders to amplify the voices and agency of historically marginalized and under-resourced communities. This article from the latest issue of #TheFoundationReview, informed by extensive literature reviews and interviews with funders and thought leaders, identifies four key practices for redistributing power to promote equity: integrating a racial #equity lens into decision-making; demonstrating authentic commitment to communities; empowering grant partners to define success; and fostering a culture of systems change. Authors Kantahyanee Murray, PhD, Ji Won Shon, Ashley Barnes, MPA, Natalia Iba?ez, Karuna Sridharan Chibber, Janelle Armstrong-Brown, and Elvis Fraser explore the essential capabilities, mindsets, and resources needed for successful implementation, recommending a learning framework to encourage shared practices across organizations. By adopting these strategies, foundations and communities can work together to create more inclusive and racially equitable solutions, empowering communities to lead their own change. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/g4pyZkxz

We're #hiring! The Johnson Center has two full-time, hybrid positions open on our consulting services team: Research Manager Salary: $70,000–$85,000 Learn more & apply: https://lnkd.in/gifFe3Mj Research Associate Salary: $58,700–$65,000 Learn more & apply: https://lnkd.in/gcgaYHUB #research #jobs

Get a jump start on your professional development planning for 2025! Our winter & spring courses are open for registration now: Introduction to Board Service ?? January 16, Noon–3:00 p.m. ET Led by Mandy Sharp Eizinger Register → https://lnkd.in/giN2dxxn Philanthropy 101 ?? January 29 & 30, 12:30–4:30 p.m.?ET Led by Michael D. Layton and Naomi Polin Register → https://lnkd.in/gEixTB_E Proposal Analysis in Grantmaking ?? February 19 & 20, 12:30–4:30 p.m.?ET Led by Matthew Henkes and Jennifer Lawson, Ph.D. Register → https://lnkd.in/gNPp46YM Philanthropy’s Quest for Equity: Past. Present. Future. ?? February 26, 1:00–3:00 p.m.?ET Led by Jennifer Lawson, Ph.D. Register → https://lnkd.in/gn82qJ63 Financial Analysis for Grantmakers ?? March 12 & 13, 12:30–4:30 p.m.?ET Led by Julie Couturier and Mike Goorhouse Register → https://lnkd.in/gsP3_6qD Grantmaker Ethics and Accountability ?? March 26, 1:00–3:00 p.m.?ET Led by Jennifer Lawson, Ph.D. Register → https://lnkd.in/gBPesn-k Intermediate Guide to Reading Form 990 ?? April 17, 2:00–4:00 p.m.?ET Led by Julie Couturier and Jeff Williams Register → https://lnkd.in/g5pXUP_r Proposal Analysis in Grantmaking ?? May 7 & 8, 12:30–4:30 p.m.?ET Led by Caroline Altman Smith and Jennifer Lawson, Ph.D. Register → https://lnkd.in/gGQPb5wk Financial Analysis for Grantmakers ?? May 21 & 22, 12:30–4:30 p.m.?ET Led by Harmony Rhodes and Randy Van Antwerp Register → https://lnkd.in/gfqp4gwT

Proposal solicitation and analysis are essential skills for grantmaking. Why, what, and how projects and organizations are identified and funded can have a lasting impact on local communities — or even more broadly if the work is replicated or scaled. Join instructors?Sarah Berger?and?Harmony Rhodes?in "Proposal Analysis in Grantmaking" on December 4 and 5. ?We'll explore how proposal solicitation and analysis set the stage to advance equity and authentically share power with community organizations while working within the context of a foundation’s overall mission and grantmaking philosophy. Learn more and register today! → https://lnkd.in/gQEDZ9H9 #ProfessionalDevelopment #Grantmaking #Funders

The restoration of incarcerated students’ access to federal Pell Grants has led to a rapid increase in the number of higher education in prison (HEP) programs and foundations’ interest in supporting them. With the expansion of these programs, however, comes the mandate to ensure effective and high-quality evaluation protocols are in place to provide meaningful and equity-centered information about program and student success. Leaders across philanthropy, higher education, and state and federal agencies are wrestling with the traditional use of recidivism as a marker of success and considering alternatives. Learn more in this piece from Emily Doebler and Aaron Yore-VanOosterhout: https://lnkd.in/gT8FFBAM

It’s time for all Michigan communities to be visible in public datasets! ? When state agencies, nonprofits, foundations, or other groups collect data about race and ethnic identity, it’s important that the options provided include categories like: ?? American Indian or Alaska Native, ?? Middle Eastern or North African, ?? and the other newly-expanded OMB standard categories. We need to ensure the data collected in our state accurately reflects who we are and our unique strengths and needs. That’s why we’re calling on our partners and state agencies to adopt new standards for asking about race and ethnicity. ? Learn more about the new OMB data standards: https://lnkd.in/gnH9YctR So, how can you help? Update your survey tools, event registrations, and other places you ask for race/ethnicity data to include more categories and an option to select all that apply. State agencies: Make your data publicly available and easy to find so everyone can explore and use it! We've developed and shared a case study on the Michigan Coronavirus Racial Disparities Task Force to highlight how critically important disaggregated data can be in helping decision-makers understand how different communities experience crises — and help illuminate the best ways to respond. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gQYW6NeC Together, we can ensure our Michigan communities see themselves in our data! Learn more about the "Do You See Us?" campaign and download resources at https://lnkd.in/gEiyUj7V. #data #MENA #Michigan

“The Proposal Analysis course was so helpful to me, and really well run — I took a ton of notes. I really enjoyed hearing from the teachers and also learning from other program officers in the breakout rooms and group discussions.” Take it from this recent course attendee and start your professional learning journey with the Johnson Center! Join us for the next virtual session of Proposal Analysis in Grantmaking on December 4 & 5. Learn more and register today! → https://lnkd.in/gQEDZ9H9

On December 11, join us for a webinar celebrating the 15th anniversary of?The Foundation Review and featuring top authors from our special celebratory issues this year! We’ll explore how we can reflect and learn together as a field, and share innovations, examples, and tools for taking concrete steps toward change. Authors Jane Wei-Skillern, Jewlya Lynn, and Julia Coffman will join?Hanh Cao Yu, The Foundation Review’s?editor-in-chief of special issues and executive director of the Center for Evaluation Innovation, to share key points and themes from their work and discuss how we move from article to action. Join us! Register today: https://lnkd.in/dKdwdra4

FINAL WEEK TO REGISTER! ? Don't miss "Grantmaker Risk Management" on November 14 with instructor Gladys Hairston. This virtual workshop from The Grantmaking School will help you: ? Increase your awareness of and ability to recognize the inherently risky nature of philanthropy. ? Explore the different types of risk and their impact on programming and funding decisions. ? Discover how a growth mindset, collaborative problem-solving, and innovative strategies can be used within the context of the foundation to identify and mitigate risk. Learn more & register today! → https://lnkd.in/gmAZM7py #Philanthropy #ProfessionalDevelopment #TheGrantmakingSchool

Today, on the first day of Native American Heritage Month, we?recognize the People of the Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Bodawademi peoples, on whose land the Johnson Center offices at Grand Valley State University are situated. The Three Fires People are #Indigenous to this land and this is their ancestral territory. Every university in this country was built on Indigenous land. As we are gathered here, we have the responsibility to unlearn settler colonial frameworks and to learn wise practices that center Indigenous knowledge and culture.?We conduct land acknowledgments as a reminder of the histories, teachings, traditions, and the first people who originated here and who tend to Mshkiikii (land/earth) always. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth #LandAcknowledgement