Friday Rewind

The Friday Rewind offers a snapshot of PhilanthroNews —  that means news stories, articles, events of note, or information updates — from around our network and throughout the broad world of philanthropy. Whether you take a quick skim of the material or a deep dive through each item we hope to help inform your work and inspire your thinking.

1. This week, Georgetown Law Continuing Legal Education hosted a Nonprofit Governance Conference on Impact Investing – Key Issues for Exempt Organizations, which was co-sponsored by Independent Sector and the Council on Foundations. The one-day conference featured a range of sessions by legal experts and seasoned impact investors, who offered practical tips and takeaways for those contemplating impact investing or who have already begun to experiment with new investment vehicles. Independent Sector’s Marie LeBlanc shares her top three insights from the event. Read the Full Story Here.
2. What happens when you’re two years into a large grantmaking initiative and you’re not seeing the outcomes you were striving for? This is what happened for the Sierra Health Foundation —  a California-based funder that describes its mission as forging “new paths to promote health and racial equity in partnership with communities, organizations, and leaders.” They were two years into their Positive Youth Justice Initiative when they shifted their approach. Read the Full Story Here.
3. Ahead of Donald Trump’s 100th day in office, a report from Charity Navigator indicates drastic increases in contributions to five main organizations since his inauguration on January 20th. The American Civil Liberties Union saw the largest jump, with a 8,000% increase in contributions as compared to the same period last year. Other organizations that saw large increases include the Southern Poverty Law Center, Planned Parenthood, the American Refugee Committee, and the Environmental Defense Fund. Read the Full Story Here.
4. The co-founder of the Eva Gunther Foundation recently reflected on how their very personal philanthropic vehicle builds on what many might consider a limited grants budget. Their small size enabled a certain flexibility and responsiveness that drove change perhaps even more effectively than the most competent big budget efforts. Read the Full Story Here.
5. Earlier this month, NeighborWorks America released a report, Turning the Tide on a Persistent Rural Poverty: Blueprint for a Path Forward. The report asserts that in order to address persistent rural poverty in America, the philanthropic, nonprofit, business, and government sectors must form new partnerships and make investments aimed at catalyzing broad-based economic growth.  Read the Full Story Here.

Friday Rewind is published each Friday by NY Funders Alliance staff. To submit a story for the Friday Rewind, please email programs@nyfunders.org.