Today is the National Day for Racial Healing, the annual observance created by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in 2017 and observed every year on the Tuesday following Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is a time for contemplation and collective action on #HowWeHeal from the effects of racism and an opportunity to bring ALL people together in their common humanity and inspire collective action to create a more just and equitable world.
As February / Black History Month comes to a close and March / Women’s History Month dawns, a focus on excellence in leadership is fitting to uplift all that is deserving of philanthropic and social impact investment. Focusing on the struggles of our past has its place – so that we never forget. But highlighting the excellence in our legacies provides a vital and proactive perspective.
More than 788,331 Ohio students are expected to benefit from Philanthropy Ohio and Ohio Department of Education’s grants from The Collaborative Fund for Educating Remotely and Transforming Schools.
Thousands of women are engaged in current-day philanthropy through Women’s Funds, often organized within community foundations and sometimes as separate organizations. Many share a common focus and goal of empowering the lives of women and girls, often with a focus on those whose voices are unheard and whose lives lack opportunities.
Read how our member Catchafire launched its internal DEI work to better serve the community in this guest blog post by Gerard McGeary, senior director of strategic partnerships at Catchafire.
In the second part of this 2-part blog series by our member Catchafire, read how a commitment to DEI and specifically racial equity and justice could impact their work, primarily as viewed through the lenses of nonprofits, volunteers and grantmakers.
Philanthropy Ohio and many of its members are calling upon the Ohio Senate to address the ways Ohio schools are funded. The following is the testimony we submitted May 17 to the Senate Finance Committee, laying out our key principles and asks related to school funding.
Access to justice, and access to a lawyer in particular, is universally good for our communities. Many funders in Ohio see the value in civil legal services as well. In fact, 43 Philanthropy Ohio members gave to legal aid in 2020, a remarkable show of support.
Philanthropy has an important role to play in supporting communities, and hosting virtual roundtables is one way we help connect funders to elected officials through advocacy work. This spring, given the virtual spaces through Zoom, Microsoft Teams and other platforms, we decided to do things a little differently to give more opportunities to our members who may not ordinarily be able to travel to Washington, D.C. to connect with their local congressional members and share their stories.
This past January, our board of trustees launched a strategy process led by a committee of your peers representing members across the state and from varied types of philanthropic organizations. I’m now pleased to present the 2022-2024 Strategy Framework, adopted by the board in its September meeting.
