CT Philanthropy Digest - Summer 2020

FEATURED NEWS >>

Philanthropy Issues Calls To Action on Racial Equity and Justice >>

New Report on Health Equity and COVID-19 >>

Four Recommendations to Ensure CT's COVID Response Leaves No One Behind >>

New Report: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century >>

CHEFA Grants $3M Statewide in Response to COVID-19 Crisis >>

PHILANTHROPY NEWS LINKS >>

POLICY UPDATE >>

EVENTS AND RESOURCES >>

COVID-19 RESPONSE FUNDS >>

GRANTS and RFPs >>

THE POWER OF GOOD PEOPLE >>

JOB LISTINGS >>

ABOUT CCP and the CONNECTICUT PHILANTHROPY DIGEST >>  

    FEATURED NEWS     

Philanthropy Issues Calls To Action on Racial Equity and Justice

CCP members and funders across the country have issued calls for racial equity and justice as national protests continue in the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Also prompted by the disproportionate effects of the coronavirus pandemic on people of color, philanthropic organizations are stepping up with significant efforts to address racial inequality, such as convening community discussions, supporting learning, advocating for more equitable laws, and providing funds and resources. Read compiled CCP member statements of support and commitments to action >>

• As part of its ongoing commitment to racial equity and justice, CCP signed on to a joint statement by philanthropy serving organizations across the country, Keep Equity at the Forefront in Philanthropy’s Response to the Coronavirus. Since March, CCP has been convening regular virtual meetings, providing funders the opportunity to share updates, raise areas of concern, ask questions, and hear from state commissioners, leaders, and other experts. These calls and CCP weekly updates have highlighted how the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated existing inequities in Connecticut, including in access to food, healthcare, education, and housing, and have helped funders plan their responses. CCP continues to share resources, including a special virtual session devoted to advancing racial equity in philanthropy’s response to COVID-19.

• Several funder organizations and foundations have issued to their philanthropy peers invitations to action, including the Association of Black Foundation Executives, Connecticut Health Foundation, and the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund. 

• Corporate philanthropy has pledged significant funds to address economic and racial inequality, including CCP members Bank of America, Comcast, Dominion Energy, and Webster Bank.

• Universal Health Care Foundation held an online discussion, Racism and Health Care: What COVID-19 Has Exposed, with the support and sponsorship of the Connecticut Health Foundation, The Donaghue Foundation, and the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund.

• William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, Community Foundation for Eastern CT, and Perrin Family Foundation hosted a call and discussion with fellow funders about how to take the next steps in anti-racist work as a philanthropic community. 

• Hartford Foundation for Public Giving's Black Giving Circle Fund will hold an online event, 20/20 Vision: Black Philanthropy in Social Justice, on Wednesday, July 8, from 6:00 - 7:30 PM. The event features a panel discussion with Nikole Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter covering racial injustice for The New York Times Magazine and creator of the landmark 1619 Project, and LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter.

• Fairfield County's Community Foundation's latest Fairfield County Thrives podcast, Fighting for Racial Equity & Social Justice,  features Attorney Marilyn J. Ward Ford, professor of law at Quinnipiac University, and Corey Paris, president of the Connecticut Young Democrats, sharing the incredible family legacies that inspire their social justice work and talking about four key steps to begin making a substantive change in our communities.   

New Report on Health Equity and COVID-19

DataHaven released a new report focused on health equity, social inequality, and the impacts of COVID-19 in Connecticut communities. Towards Health Equity in Connecticut looks at data across five broad social determinants of health and discusses how the pandemic has magnified the social forces that lead to health disparities, particularly in Black and Latino communities, and how to address them. The report contains an appendix with a new analysis of locally-specific data by race and ethnicity for communities throughout the state. The report was supported by the Connecticut Health Foundation, which also contributed to its review, along with Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, and others.  Read More >>  

Four Recommendations to Ensure CT's COVID Response Leaves No One Behind

A new policy brief from the Connecticut Health Foundation offers four recommendations for ensuring that the state’s COVID-19 response reaches those who are most at risk. “We have already seen this virus disproportionately affecting people of color, and it is critical that we ensure the response is designed in a way that does not increase the racial and ethnic health disparities that already exist in Connecticut,” said Patricia Baker, president and CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation. “By combining universal strategies with targeted outreach, leaders can ensure that our state has the strongest, most effective possible response to the pandemic.” The recommendations and specific steps are: make testing accessible to those who need it; take advantage of the skills of community health workers; provide supports for people who need to isolate; and provide clear communication and report more race and ethnicity data. Read more >>   

New Report: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century

A new report by a bipartisan commission created two years ago by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, outlines steps to strengthen and reform American democracy. Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century, is a timely report given the devastating effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide protests for racial justice. The commission's 31 recommendations address six broad strategies that are fundamental to a healthy American Democracy: culture of shared commitment; connected communities; equal voice, equal representation; empowered voters; responsive government; social media with common purpose. Among the recommendations are: 

• Expand the House of Representatives (and therefore the Electoral College) by at least fifty members.
• Institute universal voting and instant voter registration for all eligible Americans.
• Establish an expectation of national service by all Americans.
• Limit Supreme Court justices to 18-year terms.
• Reduce the influence of big money in politics.

The commission chairs are Danielle Allen (Harvard University), Stephen Heintz (Rockefeller Brothers Fund), and Eric Liu (Citizen University). Among the commission's 32 members is Martha McCoy, executive director of the Hartford-based Everyday Democracy, a national organization striving to help communities work equitably and inclusively to build a strong democracy. "The Commission worked for two years, across divides, across disciplines, and across the country," said McCoy. "We met with people and heard them talk about their hopes and concerns, and the opportunities and barriers they experience. The recommendations ... represent an ambitious and doable roadmap to a democracy that works for all – one that is inclusive, representative, and responsive." Read more >>  

  EVENTS AND RESOURCES

  THE POWER OF GOOD PEOPLE

  ABOUT CCP and CONNECTICUT PHILANTHROPY DIGEST

Connecticut Council for Philanthropy (CCP) is an association of grantmakers committed to promoting and supporting effective philanthropy for the public good.

CCP's members are foundations, business and corporate giving programs, bank trusts, donor-advised funds, and individual philanthropists. CCP members grant more than $1.2 billion from assets of more than $8.2 billion.

The Connecticut Philanthropy Digest (Digest) is brought to you by the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy. The Digest is a summary of recent activities by Connecticut foundations and grantmakers, and is compiled and distributed regularly to media outlets, local legislators, foundations and grantmakers, and other Connecticut leaders to raise the profile of philanthropy throughout Connecticut. News about Connecticut funders may be submitted to CCP for consideration.