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I'm excited to share that NCG has launched its Collective Resilience Initiative, a new effort to support and strengthen the region’s nonprofit sector. The initiative focuses on the key factors impacting nonprofit sustainability in the region and the types of grantmaking practices that will best support evolving organizational needs.
As the impacts of climate change continue to wreak havoc, philanthropy’s role in supporting disaster-affected communities remains essential to achieving equitable recoveries and building resilience before the next disaster. Philanthropy California (Philanthropy CA) has long monitored wildfire & natural hazard events, provided resources and timely programming to support funder awareness and collaboration, and partnered with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to support immediate disaster relief as well as long-term recovery efforts. As part of Philanthropy California, NCG supports SoCal Grantmakers and Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties in their response to catastrophic disasters that may go beyond the ability of regional staff capacity. The firestorm in Los Angeles is a poignant example of how staff across Philanthropy California step up during times of crisis.
All children deserve to have access to a quality education. They deserve to feel safe and supported in a place that exists to prepare them for their futures. Yet, for Black youth and other youth of color, this is far from the reality. Every day, Black children and other youth of color, some as young as six are being pushed out of classrooms and schools because of deep racial profiling. Across the country, Black high school students are twice as likely to be suspended as white students. In Oakland, while Black youth made up 26 percent of the Oakland Unified School District’s enrollment, they represented 73 percent of arrests. This vicious cycle continues to fuel pathways to prison and confinement, where Black youth are consistently over-represented, which creates additional barriers for our young people to realize and achieve their full potential.
We have been working hard for the past year to create a website that reflects our current evolution. You'll find that we've updated our brand—and it's not just about changing logos or colors. We've taken a deeper look at how we communicate our values through our new design and our refreshed mission and vision statement. Our new site provides better accessibility and is more user-friendly. We hope this website makes your experience with NCG even better than it was before.
As a part of our Member Spotlight series, we spoke with Amy Saxton, Vice President of Program Development at The James Irvine Foundation. Amy shared how she is approaching her work, program strategy, and where others can jump in to collaborate.
Three weeks ago, the two of us stepped into our new roles as acting Co-CEOs of Northern California Grantmakers. That was the same day the world learned we would need vigorous hand-washing and distance to protect each other and everyone in our community from a new rapidly spreading virus. A most unusual start in our roles. But, then again, these are most unusual times.
In philanthropy, how do we steward resources back to the lands and communities that have experienced historical inequities? While it will not undo centuries of harm, it is a first step toward repair. NCG recognizes that we must move beyond optical land acknowledgments into tangible action. What does it mean to move towards right relationships with Indigenous communities? We are figuring it out.