NCG's Blog

“This collaboration enables us to provide Bay Area nonprofits with resources needed to ensure the people in our region are counted accurately,” said Ellen LaPointe, president and CEO of Northern California Grantmakers. “We are proud to be working with local community partners to get the job done.”

Hurrican Dorian devastated the Bahamas and is currently threatening the southeastern United States. Check out strategic giving resources, learn how to help, and get information on how Philanthropy California can support your giving.

There’s nothing natural about the suffering that follows disasters because it doesn’t have to be that way. Philanthropy can proactively invest in hazard mitigation and preparedness efforts to lessen the impacts of disasters.

Beginnings are important experiences; we are excited, fresh, and impressionable. As employers, onboarding is our opportunity to demonstrate what it means to be a part of our community, while inviting new individuals in to join us.

Cristina Huezo is a Director at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). As a part of our Member Spotlight Series, Cristina spoke to NCG's Communications Manager, Kayla Ballard about being a Bay Area Native, Run TMC, the CZI Community Fund, and why she is on a mission to create pathways to the American Dream.

This month finds us with our hearts heavy with the loss of lives through the mass shootings and the passing of a beloved writer, Toni Morrison. The expression of white supremacist violence and hate is overwhelming and we’re trying to find comfort with being in community. We’ve chosen some articles that provide a mix of things to reflect upon regarding immigration, labor, interconnectedness, personal history, and cultural narratives.

Should the “rigor” yardstick, used in traditional evaluation practice, be used to assess an equity-focused mission? Does centering questions of validity, objectivity, and appropriateness advance equity? A growing group of funders and evaluators would answer “no” to both questions.

Census and redistricting – two sides of the same coin. Both take place every ten years and both are integral to determining how each Californian is represented at the federal, state, and local levels. In California, our groundbreaking independent redistricting process offers everyday Californians the opportunity to participate in and shape a fundamental part of our democracy.

Not so long ago, I used the term "natural disaster" in a manuscript for a publication. My PhD supervisor shot back, “There's nothing natural about disasters.” Decades of hazard research and our frontline communities are concluding the same thing: the ever-growing frequency of natural hazards don’t need to become disasters.

In 2018, NCG launched a Senior Fellow program as a platform for philanthropic leaders to advance a body of work, reflect, share insights with our members and the sector more broadly, and provide guidance, mentorship, and support to NCG staff and our member community. This expansion of our community enables us to engage senior leaders and their continued contribution to the field.