Logo

 
"Communal transformation occurs when people get connected to those who were previously strangers, and when we invite people into conversations that ask them to act as creators or owners of community."
 
Peter Block
Join us on April 28 at 3:00 ET for a conversation with Peter.
 

Big Thinking This Week
Grassroots Grantmaking Writ Large!

Janis wrote this week's blog post as she was preparing to leave for this week's "On the Ground" gathering in San Diego.

She describes the Jacobs Family Foundation's work in San Diego as grassroots grantmaking writ large. 
 
Check out what she means by that and post a comment to share your thinking about the big picture possibilities of a resident-centered approach to place-based work.

About On the Ground
Here's what Lisa Leverette has to say as she heads to San Diego for this week's On the Ground experience.
 
A lot of this work is new, and the way it's evolving is different in every place.  In Chicago I was excited to see what other people were doing, and to talk with others about their challenges. The candor was refreshing.
 
As I head to San Diego this week, I'm eager to hear about the Jacobs Foundation's journey - how they got where they are, how they charted their path. What were their bumps and bruises along the way, and were these universal bumps and bruises?!
 


Forward this email
Join Our Mailing List
Our Listserv
Wednesday
Your Weekly Update from
Grassroots Grantmakers
April 22, 2009
Question of the Week
What qualities would you look for if you were hiring someone to staff a grassroots grantmaking program?  

Here's a short list that Janis shared from a recent conversation with someone who says that they found the ideal person for the job.
 
 

Save the Date!
October 21-22, 2009 
On the Ground with Grassroots Grantmakers in Ohio's Mahoning Valley
 
  
In Partnership with
The Raymond John Wean Foundation
Youngstown and Warren, Ohio
 
Registration will begin early this summer, but you can let us know now with a quick email that you're interested in joining us for this discussion.

Kathy Wilson on Resident Voice
Kathy Szenda Wilson has a passion for creating more space for resident voice in her community.
 
Working for the past four years with a grant committee composed of neighborhood residents, she also has first-hand experience with the growing pains and honest struggles that come with bringing resident voice into a foundation's grantmaking program.  
 
We recently talked with Kathy, Director of Neighborhood Programs with the Battle Creek Community Foundation and manager of the foundation's Yes we can! Neighborhood Grants program, about her experience working with the committee of residents that guides the grantmaking for her foundation's grassroots grantmaking program. 
 
Check out what she had to say about creating more space for resident voice in her community.
 
Congratulations to Kathy on her recent promotion to Director of Neighborhood Programs for the Battle Creek Community Foundation!

Twelve!
That's how many different types of groups told us recently that they are engaged in grassroots grantmaking.
 
Foundations make up the majority - but United Ways, technical assistance entities, local governments, and community based organizations are on the growing list of  place-based groups that are incorporating grassroots grantmaking into their work.
 
This information was taken from of our biennial "state of the field" survey, which gives us a chance to update our information on how the field of grassroots grantmaking is evolving and what learning agendas are emerging. We're excited to learn that grassroots grantmaking is a strategy that is growing across a wide range of sectors.  When it comes to place-based funding, conventional wisdom is showing that a "we begin with residents" approach is an essential ingredient.
 
Want to peruse the compiled results of the 2009 survey?  Click here to take a look.

This Month

Here's a snapshot of where we'll be and what we're doing this month.  Look for us!

April 23-24  San Diego
 
 
April 29  Fort Lauderdale
 
May 3-5  Atlanta
 
Sunday, May 3, 7:00 - 11:00 PM
"One for All" Networking Event - Co-hosted with more than a dozen other Council on Foundations affinity groups.
 
Tuesday, May 5, 2:30 - 4:00 PM 
Janis Foster will be serving as a respondent to the discussion in the "Unlikely Bedfellows: Creating Community Change" concurrent session.
 
May 12  Minneapolis
We'll be participating in a symposium - Neighborhood Responses to the Foreclosure Crisis - sponsored by the  National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership and the University of Minnesota's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs.
 
May 18  Humboldt County, California
Visit with the Humboldt Area Foundation and other local partners who are supporting active citizenship.
 
May 20  Seattle
Visit with The Seattle Foundation and partner organizations working with Seattle's Neighbor to Neighbor Fund.
 
May 21  Spokane
Especially for Funders workshop presentation at the 2009 Neighborhoods USA (NUSA) Conference.
 
Neighborhood Resource Centers: Adding Action with Traction to Grassroots Grantmaking



Our Website:  www.grassrootsgrantmakers.org
Logo
Contact Us:    361-798-1808
                     info@grassrootsgrantmakers.org