McKnight Foundation的动态

As we approach our 40th anniversary at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, we're putting the finishing touches on a 10-year strategic plan, set to be shared publicly later this year. This roadmap isn't just a nod to our past—it's a deliberate effort to position ourselves as stewards of a thriving, equitable southeast Michigan. The last four decades have seen profound changes globally. Cast your mind back to 1984, a time when the public internet and social media were non-existent, cell phones were a rarity, and business records were logged on paper. Today, we've weathered the storms of the COVID-19 pandemic, grappled with the climate crisis, and confronted the deep-rooted disparities in our society. These monumental shifts compel us to take stock of our current standing. Now is the opportune moment to ensure we're equipped with the right technologies, priorities, and strategies to guide our region toward a more promising future. You can read more about the plan on my latest post on the Community Foundation website. https://lnkd.in/eShJvRjG

During the pandemic, a school official shared in a video: "Lately, I've had many, many individuals come up to me while I'm grocery shopping to share their opinions on what we should be doing differently." While I empathize that 2020-2021 were years with unique challenges around community engagement, I think we can also agree: A community engagement strategy that relies on chance encounters at public locations is not the ideal way to build trust. In my post below, I share of a client who truly is dedicated to designing a community engagement strategy to build trust. It's such a cool and rewarding process to *get* to design an ideal engagement strategy - that it's motivated me to write my next blog some of the most effective community engagement strategies. - Strategies that are relational, not transactional. - Strategies that reduce bias. - And strategies that focus on opportunities for co-creation of solutions. But before I start the blog, I'm curious. ??Do you find that most of the organizations with which you work have an opportunistic style of community engagement? ??Or, are you seeing a lot of good examples of intentional community engagement by organizations? Thanks for sharing.

At #TechSoup, we've partnered with #NonprofitOrganizations worldwide to support over 275,000 #nonprofits each year, and we're now making key data from our work available through the #DataCommons for #CivilSociety. This initiative empowers others to both submit and access?valuable insights while ensuring access to reliable, cited data in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gVwWyj3X #OpenData #UNDataForum #BetterData #SDGs #DataInnovation #DataPartnerships

At TechSoup we’ve had an opportunity to work with partners from around the world serving more than 275,000 nonprofits every 12 months. In the last few months, our teams have been working to add the data about that service to TechSoup’s Data Commons. My colleagues have written a short article describing the effort: https://lnkd.in/gYnarvbs Here’s why I believe this is important: 1. Making this data available as datasets makes them directly useful to others in ways we cannot imagine. 2. It’s vitally important that we document the shape of global civil society so that we can understand what changes and how, what needs to be supported and where. This is our contribution to that effort. 3. We want to make sure that the data can be looked against other relevant data about issues, funding demographics in a way that reduces the cost of curiosity and allows to better form and test hypothesis. 4. We want these to be in the hands of local actors, in the hands of groups of all sizes because they have what no dataset will ever have: context, experience, and insights. 5. In the world of generative AI, we want to be sure there are cited facts that underlie what is delivered back to us in response to our prompts. And we want to be sure, as a sector, we are contributing to those facts.

Some great lessons learned in these case studies in The Opportunity Project for Cities report brought to us by the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation

Our nonprofit, Egalitario Inc. (MN registered) has finally achieved 501 (C) (3) status and is now listed on GuideStar, the gold standard of nonprofit validation. I have to thank our current board members, Mary Donoghue and Tad Salyards, along with other colleagues, friends, and family who have all helped to make this dream come true! From our website, www.egalitario.com: "We believe in learning from and implementing successful social and environmental solutions from around the world. Egalitario Inc. addresses a very fundamental question: Why can’t we do more to replicate programs that have a solid track record of success? For example, (1) Homeless populations throughout the world have benefited from the “Housing First” programs, or (2) We see climate change education as a global imperative—as opposed to an optional part of the educational landscape. We believe it's time for all schools, colleges, and universities to join other institutions who have made climate change education and solutions a mandatory part of their curriculums."

We've got a batch of exciting funding opportunities for you this Friday! Check them out below, and visit https://lnkd.in/eHETE-9n for more. 1. The Flourishing in Community Grantmaker is offering noncompetitive awards to support capacity-constrained communities and community-based organizations (CBOs) within Region 2. These $75,000 subawards are designed for ease of access, with a streamlined process that does not require participation in the competitive review process. Any person or organization in Region 2: New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and eight federally recognized Indian Nations may submit a nomination, including self-nominations. The application deadline is March 31, 2025. https://shorturl.at/7bUTe 2. The Center for Collaborative Heat Monitoring (A NIHHIS Center of Excellence) has announced the opening of a funding opportunity for community-based heat data collection campaigns. Communities will receive training, technical support, and a $10,000 stipend to conduct a heat data collection campaign in 2025. The Center?will prioritize applications from communities that have experienced historical patterns of discrimination, underinvestment and disenfranchisement and have limited resources to conduct heat monitoring on their own. Communities that submit an optional Expression of Interest by November 15, 2024 will have the opportunity to be matched with a “mentor” community: https://shorturl.at/Sk0wg Apply by January 17, 2025: https://lnkd.in/eK9_CA_J 3. The EPA's Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants program (Community Change Grants) is closing soon! This grant will fund environmental and climate justice activities to benefit disadvantaged communities through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges.? Deadline November 21, 2024 https://lnkd.in/g-Q9t_U5 4. Climate Change and Human Health Seed Grants? The Burroughs Wellcome Fund aims to stimulate the growth of new connections between thinkers working in largely disconnected fields who might together change the course of climate change’s impact on human health. In the three years between Fall 2023 and Summer 2026, we will dedicate $1M to supporting small, early stage grants of $2,500–$50,000 toward achieving this goal. Next round of applications due January 23, 2025? https://lnkd.in/exXmumkX?

??? #Grant Alert!!!! The National Forest Foundation's Matching Grant program awards #funds throughout the United States for projects connecting people to forests. Community engagement should be at the heart of funded projects’ goals and objectives, with stewardship activities as a secondary focus area. ? Projects must take place on U.S. National Forests or Grasslands or adjacent public lands and demonstrate benefit to National Forest System lands. ? Nonprofit organizations, tribal governments and organizations, and universities are eligible to apply, and a 1:1 cash match of non-federal funds is required. ??Eligible projects include public lands days or cleanup days, field trips for schools or collaborative groups, outdoor skills training, Indigenous ecological practices, ceremonies or celebrations related to natural resources, trail or site ambassadors, and nature-based therapeutic activities. ???Deadline is June 21st. ??Check out the website for more information: https://lnkd.in/eurZXfGy

ICYMI: ?? Our new report "Field in Focus" shows that the relatively small democracy funding field is growing & changing rapidly. We explore the uncertainties of the field's future, as well as the opportunities for future impact: ??? Community building — including supporting and engaging newer funders. ?? Understanding grantee experiences — especially BIPOC-led and -serving organizations. ?? Defining democracy work and its focal areas to bolster future efforts to map the field. ?? Strengthening coordination across funders and across intermediaries. ?? Identifying and filling gaps for key subfields of democracy work that are underfunded.

We all believe that SE Michigan will be a better place to live when nonprofits meet their missions. When all people have housing, when cancers are cured, when people stop contributing to climate change etc. Yet, despite decades of incremental progress, the need is still there. Nonprofits and the issues they exist to buffer or erase persist. This is partially due to isolation and segregation within our communities. Even when there's overlap in our missions and visions, nonprofits often tackle their work alone. To transform our future, we need to work together across organizations, sectors, communities, and identities. And to collaborate across difference, we need to build relationships based on trust and accountability. The renovated NEW Center will create space for authentic, organic connection and collaboration between mission-driven people across our ecosystem. It will become a place where changemakers come together and no one is pushed to the margins. With space to bring everyone impacted to the table, we'll finally be able to make real progress towards a just and thriving society. Learn more about the NEW Center Transformation and how you can support by visiting our website: https://lnkd.in/gjGxmWpt