Building a More Inclusive and Vibrant Democracy: Community Foundations’ Role
In January, CFLeads and Nonprofit VOTE collaborated on a webinar about how community foundations can utilize the new Philanthropy for Voter Engagement Toolkit.
Participants learned about tips, best practices, and case studies for foundations to explore voter engagement. Participants also heard from community foundation colleagues about their experiences with various voter engagement strategies.
Thank you to our wonderful speakers:
- Allison Levine, Founder & CEO, Local Journalism Initiative, Former Vice President for Marketing & Communications, Delaware Community Foundation
- Chinedum Nnodum, Director of Community Strategies, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation
- Angie Jean-Marie, Philanthropy for Voter Engagement Consultant, Nonprofit VOTE
- Len Bartel (moderator), Vice President for Learning & Impact (Capacity-Building), CFLeads
CFLeads x HUD Webinar Series: Exploring the Role of Community Foundations in Addressing Affordable Housing
CFLeads and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’sInternational and Philanthropic Affairs Division are hosting a new series of virtual webinars about The Role of Community Foundations in Addressing Affordable Housing and Homelessness.
The series of webinars is designed to help strengthen communication and coordination between HUD and community foundations.
The first of three webinars was held in January and featured presentations from both HUD and community foundations, who shared investments, interventions, promising practices, and challenges faced in addressing affordable housing and homelessness.
HUD provided an overview of its efforts to address affordable housing and homelessness, and the community foundations shared the ways they work locally to address these issues. Thank you to our attendees for your questions and to our incredible speakers:
- Solomon Greene, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (PDAS), Office of Policy Development and Research at the U.S. Department (PD&R)
- Mary Thomas, President and CEO, CFLeads
- Brian J. McCabe, Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS), Office of Policy Development and Research at the U.S. Department
- Khanh Russo, Vice President of Policy and Innovation, San Francisco Foundation
- Maggi Spartz, President, Unity Foundation of La Porte County
- Leonard Brock (moderator), Vice President for Learning and Impact (Issues), CFLeads
Stay tuned for more information about our upcoming webinars with HUD!
CFLeads & Welcoming America Community of Practice Information Session
Community foundations came together in January to learn about a new opportunity, hosted by CFLeads and Welcoming America, to participate in a Community of Practice. During the information session, participants heard from community foundations that have engaged in Welcoming America programs in the past and had the opportunity to ask questions about the Community of Practice model.
Thank you to the following speakers who shared their experiences:
- Daniel Valdez, Chief External Affairs Officer, Welcoming America
- Nancy Fasching, Vice President of Community Impact, Southwest Initiative Foundation
- Than Than Kyaw, Community Engagement Specialist, Southwest Initiative Foundation
Gun Violence Prevention Network Information Session
After the successful completion of the first Gun Violence Prevention Network (GVPN), CFLeads announced that we are hosting a second GVPN cohort in 2024. In December, community foundations had the opportunity to learn about the first GVPN cohort and ask questions about what the second cohort will entail.
Thank you to our incredible content expert and past GVPN participants for sharing your perspectives:
- Reggie Moore, Director of Violence Prevention Policy and Engagement, Comprehensive Injury Center, Medical College of Wisconsin
- Jen Heymoss, Project Lead, Kalamazoo Blueprint for Peace Chief Facilitator and Former Vice President for Initiatives and Public Policy at the Kalamazoo Community Foundation
Executive Leadership Institute for CEOs meet for the first time in Atlanta, GA
The 2024 ELI for CEOs cohort met for the first time in Atlanta, GA, and was generously hosted by Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta! Participants were introduced to the Framework for Community Leadership and engaged in small group peer coaching.
The cohort also heard from Isaiah Oliver, President, Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, who shared his journey as President and CEO for the Community Foundation of Greater Flint and now the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. The cohort was then joined by Frank Fernandez, President and CEO, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta who discussed the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta’s community leadership journey and their commitment to cultivating equity and shared prosperity.
Please join us in celebrating the ELI for CEOs 2024 cohort. We are excited to be on this community leadership journey with you!
- Christin Waters, Community Foundation of East Mississippi
- David Cicilline, Rhode Island Foundation
- Dawn Belamarich, Collaboratory
- Grace Lubwama, Kalamazoo Community Foundation
- LaTida Smith, The Winston-Salem Foundation
- Megan Burke, Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts
- Phillip Lanham, Gulf Coast Community Foundation
Executive Leadership Institute for VPs gather in San Diego, CA
The 2023-24 ELI for VPs cohort met for the second time in San Diego, CA, and was generously hosted by San Diego Foundation! Participants discussed their community leadership goals and engaged in group peer counseling.
The cohort also heard from Mark Stuart, President and CEO, San Diego Foundation, who shared the Foundation’s journey and evolving business model to support just, equitable, and resilient communities. Additionally, the cohort heard from Chanda Smith Baker about her experience advancing policy and advocacy work while at the Minneapolis Foundation.
Welcoming Newcomers in Florianópolis, Brazil
In December, Lisa Schalla, Project Director of Connecting Communities in the Americas reflected on her conversation with Camilla Reis and Mariana Assis about how the Brazilian community foundation ICOM has used the CCA Mapping Project and Vital Signs to better identify their role in helping their city be more welcoming and inclusive of newcomers.
Interested in becoming a CFLeads investor? Visit the Support Our Work page or email investors@cfleads.org for more information.
