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Pathways to Housing Justice: A 3-Part Series on Intersectional Solutions
We all deserve a decent place to live. It’s a matter of basic justice and a measure of who we are as a community. Having a stable, affordable home impacts our health, ability to find and keep a job, success at school, and connection to our communities. Our whole community does better when everyone has good, safe housing.
Since the start of the pandemic, we have observed several transitions among foundation CEOs. These transitions have come about in a number of different ways. A significant number of CEOs retired from their positions (and a few have been dragged back into the fold). Some transitions have occurred because of new (or renewed) foundation missions which necessitated changes in organizational structure. And others have come about due to the natural evolution of careers, interests, and opportunities. But whatever the case, understanding what these transitions are like for the leaders— current and former—is instructive to both the field and the larger community.
One of the biggest challenges is knowing how much to pivot to meet the myriad challenges emerging. For our part, as your regional resource for effective philanthropic practice, we are adopting a grounded yet flexible approach – staying true to the priorities that we have elevated as a community over the past three years, but finding partners and allies who can help us with emergent crises.
Our nonprofit ecosystem is the backbone of our philanthropic work and efforts to build thriving communities. We rely on nonprofits to drive solutions and carry the weight of justice. In turn, how can the philanthropic sector support our nonprofits in this time?
As the political economy ebbs and flows, California finds itself dealing with significant budget deficits more frequently, which ultimately impacts our state’s most historically marginalized residents. Cuts to important programs impacting housing and homelessness, the social safety net, climate resiliency programs and much more have a disproportionate and adverse effect on women and children, low-income families, rural communities, and neighborhoods of color. Nonprofit and direct service organizations often see an uptick in their clients during economic downturns and are compelled to fill the gap without augmentation in funding and resources.
NCG’s sustainers recognize that philanthropy can and must do better. Our sustainers support and bolster NCG’s efforts to deliver programs and offerings that intentionally gather people, lift up effective practices that mobilize the field, and transform philanthropy as a whole to advance racial equity in our region. Additionally, this support gives NCG the opportunity to go deeper, explore new ideas, adapt when necessary, and to experiment with transformative approaches.
Resourcing and strengthening our nonprofit ecosystem requires holistic grantmaking and bold innovation. It requires foundations to leverage all of their tools to support organizations in achieving their mission. Working together, we can build a nonprofit ecosystem that has the strength and resilience to win.'