A conversation featuring: Stacy Stout, Somos Comunidad Fund Advisory Committee co-chair; Dondrea Brown, CEO of Young Money Finances, grant partner; and Chantal Pasag, program officer.
What we’re exploring: How are volunteers working alongside staff to adapt and create greater North Star alignment within our operations, relationships and practices? How are these changes affecting local nonprofits?
of funds awarded through the Fund for Community Good Advisory Committee supported the work of organizations led by people of color during fiscal year 2022–2023.
of grants awarded from Black Legacy, Somos Comunidad and Our LGBTQ funds went to grassroots organizations (non 501c3s) during their competitive grant rounds in 2023
Being able to respond to the day’s most pressing needs requires deep relationships within community—our community. The Community Foundation has been integrating that community-centric approach throughout its processes, partnerships and strategies. Our commitment to strengthening Kent County’s nonprofit ecosystem with a fixed lens on racial, social and economic justice has not wavered. However, we are learning alongside our partners—grant, donor, volunteer and community partners—who are challenging the Community Foundation to dismantle misaligned practices and recalibrate our trajectory toward our North Star. It is a work in progress.
The Community Foundation moved forward in many areas thanks to community members’ generous thought partnership, feedback and alignment. We’ve updated grantmaking practices to create more inclusive structures and inroads for grant partners. Volunteer partners provide honest feedback loops on how the Community Foundation can reduce barriers and support organizations that have been historically excluded from foundation funding. That includes finding ways to award grants to grassroots organizations and movements without 501c3 status, especially for grants from our Black Legacy, Somos Comunidad and Our LGBTQ funds .
Education is a clear example of how feedback has evolved our work. Our support for students and families has adapted over the last 100 years and has made incredible strides in recent years. From nursing scholarships during World War II to supporting education advocacy efforts in 2023, the Community Foundation has refined its focus on ways to achieve equitable educational outcomes for all students. And we keep listening to students and families about the true support needed. This means helping students gain access to college or career training and helping them to persist and earn a degree or credential. Racialized discrepancies still exist as students of color and first-generation students navigate systemic obstacles. Scholarships remain an important factor. However, we are learning that they are not the only factor that can support students today to make a difference for generations to come.
Nonprofit partners are demonstrating leadership within the nonprofit ecosystem. Read about partners like Puertas Abiertas and our recent grants awarded through our unrestricted Fund for Community Good and Field of Interest funds.
The Black Legacy, LGBTQ, and Somos Comunidad funds hosted engagement activities with members of their respective communities, noting their intersections, to obtain feedback around grantmaking and to highlight the relational elements within communities that foster sustainable relationships and movement building.
“Equitable Education Update: Adapting our Education Strategy to Make Systemic Change” explains how our education strategy adapted in light of various educational landscape changes, including Promise Zones in Grand Rapids.
