Search Results
I’ll be honest: I’ve been putting off answering your question “How do foundation leaders stay clear-eyed in this moment?” As I sit to write, our Northern California skies are hazy with wildfire smoke. It strikes me as a metaphor for this moment, 19 months into COVID, when our visions of a post-pandemic future are shifting yet again. I definitely don’t feel clear-eyed.
NCG is excited to share the Office of the CEO is growing! Jaime Kemmer Woods (she/her) has joined NCG as the first-ever Director of Strategy and Partnerships. Jaime brings more than 15 years of experience in social impact work having held various roles from direct service and grantmaking to development.
SAN FRANCISCO – The Youth Power Fund is pleased to announce a total of $870,000 in grants to 29 youth organizing groups in Northern California. The fund was launched in 2019 by foundations and donors that recognize the importance of youth organizing and its role in sustaining a vibrant, inclusive society. To this end, the fund invests in young people of color, particularly young Black and Indigenous leaders, who are creating the world they want to live in by reimagining and transforming communities and systems.
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
We are so excited to invite you to participate in an interactive, facilitated dialogue between nonprofits and funders, diving into the most pressing challenges facing the nonprofit workforce – and to consider real solutions for change.
We all know that the nonprofit sector is staffed by a skilled, passionate and powerful workforce. And yet, the workforce faces major challenges, including burnout, recruitment, retention, and providing living wages. There have been various efforts in California and across the nation to reform government contracting and encourage funders to adopt funding the “full costs” of grantees. These efforts have faced major obstacles, and yet nonprofits continue to work unabated to fulfill missions that enrich communities. The time is now for nonprofits and funders to come together to reimagine the sector, to support thriving and equitable nonprofit jobs and workplaces with the capacity to strengthen their communities.
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.
Philanthropy California (Philanthropy CA) is an initiative of Northern California Grantmakers (NCG), SoCal Grantmakers, and Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties. Our combined membership represents more than 600 foundations, corporate funders, philanthropic individuals and families, giving circles, and government agencies investing billions every year to support communities across the state, the country, and worldwide. Learn more about our alliance.