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I’ll be the first to acknowledge that I’ve arrived as NCG’s CEO on the shoulders of many others that came before me. Two of the strongest shoulders belong to my first professional mentor and a heavyweight in philanthropic circles, Joe Brooks. During my seventeen years as a work partner and friend at The San Francisco Foundation and then PolicyLink, I learned more from him than I could ever adequately describe. He had a habit of saying things that were increasingly profound the more you thought about them. One of those sayings was, “how much do you need to know to act?”, often dropped in a setting surrounded by other foundation colleagues where he was about to propose bold action to engage some of the Bay Area’s most vexing social challenges
NCG has launched a two-part event series in partnership with Mother Jones. Part 1 introduced funders to the role that nonprofit news outlets play in shaping a healthy democracy. Part 2 will follow-up with a deep dive into how historically marginalized communities are targeted with strategic disinformation campaigns and what local journalism can do to address it.
When NCG stepped into the policy space two years ago, we did so knowing that it would require us to be bold and lean deeply into our mission to bring philanthropy together to build healthy, thriving, and just communities. With the 2020 election around the corner, there is much at stake for California and our region. There has never been a more appropriate or important time for philanthropy to be advocating and using its voice in service of building a Better California for all.
My partner and I recently engaged in the annual ritual that is paying U.S. income tax. Gather your documents, fill in the forms, look for deductions that never seem to be there, watch what you really make become clear…as we approached the finish line, I wondered – how can I reframe the act of paying taxes? Then I harkened to a recent moment where paying a tax had a completely different feel, one that not only felt necessary but made a small yet substantive step toward advancing racial equity. I refer of course to NCG’s participation in paying our region’s Indigenous land and honor taxes. We began that commitment as an organization in 2022 and trust me, it’s been both vital and fulfilling.
The Funding Strategies to Accelerate Power-building Cohort is learning and collaboration community of practice that will help philanthropic grantmakers sharpen their power-building strategies by engaging in 501c(4) and complementary 501c(3) funding. A core premise is that these types of grantmaking strategies (which NCG calls “c4-aligned funding”) can accelerate movement building and systems-change goals, strengthen our democracy, and advance racial equity.
NCG's New Grantmakers Institute helps build your understanding of best practices for ethical and effective grantmaking and helps you find your place in the sector’s ecosystem you are now a part of. Learn more here.
Each year, NCG's three annual events bring together thousands NCG members and partners from the sector and all over Northern California. As a potential sponsor, you can choose which type of sponsorship is best for you and your organization.