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According to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, philanthropy invests most of its dollars immediately following a disaster, when media attention is at its peak. However, less than 10% of our philanthropic dollars go toward reducing hazard risk and preparing our communities for disasters.
Northern California Grantmakers (NCG) and Funders Together to End Homelessness (FTEH) are pleased to announce the Bay Area Homelessness Funders Network (BAHFN). We are joining forces to advance racial equity and coordinate across the region to prevent and end homelessness in the Bay Area by creating a space to connect and facilitate action. The network draws on NCG’s expertise in bringing philanthropy together to build healthy, thriving, and just communities and FTEH’s work mobilizing philanthropy in using its influence, expertise, and voice to advance lasting solutions to end homelessness, including addressing structural and racial inequities.
Northern California Grantmakers recognizes we are witnessing a key moment in the history between Palestine and Israel. The violence is not occurring in a vacuum and this moment requires us to deepen our analysis. The fear, heartbreak, and trauma surrounding this crisis is generational, deeply polarizing, and challenges finding a resolution. NCG is here to support philanthropy in finding its voice as we and many others in the sector are struggling to do so. The clearest immediate actions philanthropy can take are to learn, use its institutional voice to prevent further violence, and provide resources that support humanitarian aid.
In the November election, we can advance statewide policy in California that is truly transformative for our communities. The scale of the housing crisis we're facing means our efforts need more scale, and local voters need more power to address the affordable housing and public infrastructure needs in their communities. Proposition 5 empowers local voters to approve bonds for affordable housing, critical public infrastructure, and emergency response in our communities with a 55% vote – if those bonds have strict accountability and oversight.
The COVID-19 vaccine will help keep communities healthy and safe and holds promise to bring an end to the pandemic that has had the most severe impacts on Black, Latinx, Indigenous, AAPI, immigrant, and low-income people. Systemic racism created the conditions that put people of color at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 and experiencing more severe health outcomes, and despite this urgency, California’s vaccination effort so far has fallen short of equity goals. We must reach and authentically engage local communities to remove barriers to access and address concerns to increase vaccine acceptance.
I grew up in a semi-segregated Richmond, Virginia at a time that its heritage as a part of the South was very strong. Realizing the aspirations of those who came before us and the promise of democratic freedoms is my life's work. In a three-decade career spanning nonprofit, government, and philanthropic service, I have never once felt lost for purpose. My life's experience, the gift of a legacy of public service of my family and mentors, and my determination to forge a future that remedies past injustices drive every decision I face.