The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) enacted in March 2021 provided a historic commitment of federal funds to address critical needs of communities responding to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Of the larger federal investment, $350 billion is designated for state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments through the State and Local Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Fund. Without input from philanthropy and charitable organizations, state legislatures and local governments may fail to recognize the consequential opportunity to invest these funds in addressing longstanding challenges in local communities, laid bare by the pandemic.
In this webinar, we discussed how philanthropy can be proactive NOW in encouraging local governments to focus on support for essential service providers. The timing is opportune in many communities – local officials need the help! The conversation highlights examples of how the American Rescue Plan Act can expand resources to advance equity and transformative systemic change.
David Kass
Vice President, Government Affairs & Legal Resources
Council on Foundations
David Thompson
Vice President of Public Policy
National Council of Nonprofits
Tiffany Carter
Policy Counsel
National Council of Nonprofits
Elysa Gordon
Vice President of Community Impact
Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
Marian Clowes
Associate Director for Community Leadership
Parkersburg Area Community Foundation & Regional Affiliates
Join us for the August meeting of our new Peer Learning Circle dedicated specifically for community foundations who are working on advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or are open to learning more about how the SDGs can fit within their work.
Meeting Topic: Climate Change Communication
Guest Speakers: Joshua Low, Partnerships Director, Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC) - Joshua leads YPCCC’s strategy for engaging and supporting the climate and clean energy advocacy, media, and education communities.
Connect with community foundation peers to learn about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The group meets monthly by Zoom to discuss SDG hot topics including education, local implementation, community alignment and communication, professional development, data, grantmaking, and more. This community is primarily focused on expanding the SDGs in the United States through community foundation action, but all nationalities are welcome.
By registering for this event, you agree to share some identifying information with the Central Florida Foundation, the partner for this event.
In this webinar, we learned how your foundation can complement FEMA's disaster recovery efforts in your community. To recover successfully from major natural disasters, coordination of public, private, and philanthropic resources is important to avoid duplication of effort and to deepen the array of supports available to communities. Disaster funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are declared quickly but are not necessarily the fastest available dollars for assistance to individuals for lifeline support. In this session, FEMA Philanthropic Advisors and Coordinating Officers joined three community foundations to share how they are currently working together on long-term recovery plans in communities impacted by recent wildfires in the West and tornado and flood events in Kentucky and Tennessee. Learn how and when FEMA dollars flow after disaster declarations are issued and what government funding programs are available to communities for long-term planning and future mitigation.
Zak Usher
Acting Deputy Director, Individual Assistance Division
FEMA
Myra M. Shird, Ph.D.
Federal Coordinating Officer, Region IV (Atlanta)
FEMA
Denise Morgan Gilliam
Philanthropic Advisor, Interagency Coordination Division, Recovery Directorate
FEMA
Chris Dockins, PhD
COO
Community Foundation of West Kentucky
Amy Fair
Vice President of Donor Services
Community Foundation of Middle Tennesee
Jovanni Tricerri
Vice President of Programs
North Valley Community Foundation
In this webinar, the Council hosted Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, Christopher Coes and Department of Transportation (DOT) officials responsible for community outreach for a conversation about how foundations can collaborate with community partners to support the implementation of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in November 2021. The cross-government investment can achieve unprecedented outcomes to ensure thriving communities, worker empowerment, and climate change reforms but partnerships between government, philanthropy and industry will be critical. This webinar features best practices, and insights with federal officials to aid their efforts to address historic gaps in public transportation policy and engagement of underserved communities.
Christopher Coes
Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy
Lynda Tran
Director of Public Engagement and Senior Advisor to the Secretary
Mariia Zimmerman
Strategic Advisor for Technical Assistance and Community Solutions
Naomi Amaha
Director of Policy & Government Affairs
Denver Foundation
Crystal Bridgeman
Senior Director of Workforce Development
Siemens Foundation
Shana Bartley
Policy Officer
W.K.Kellogg Foundation
As more foundations are expanding their portfolio to include policy advocacy, all staff need to learn the skills of advancing policies from the philanthropic position. The Center is a comprehensive hub for foundation staff to access the tools, training, and community to build their staff capacity, connect with peers, and find information to advance the policy changes important to their mission. We will continue to expand this page with more tools, events, and opportunities.
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Essentials of Policy Advocacy for Grantmakers
September 25-26, 2024
Registration open now
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