Member eBrief - MAY 2020

Friday, May 29, 2020

Dear CCP Members,

As I write the customary introduction to this brief, it seems impossible to not acknowledge what is happening in our country at this moment and the role that the philanthropic community can play to help make change. In the midst of a pandemic that has laid bare the stunning racial and income inequalities in our society, communities across the country are now reeling in response to the murder of George Floyd. There is an understandable sense of anger, frustration, and grief that our systems and governance are not even close to equitable. With protests burning in Minneapolis, and news from our own state that the disparities in death rates in Hispanic and Black communities are much worse than previously reported, today makes very clear: we have much work to do, as a nation, as a state, and as a sector.

As a community capable of bringing about real, positive change, philanthropy can play an integral role in this work. CCP is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in our work with the philanthropic community and beyond, and will be developing plans in partnership with our members to deepen the sector’s focus on racial equity, and to work to transform our systems to be more equitable for all of Connecticut’s communities.

I am honored to be your partner in this work.

With best regards,

Karla Fortunato
CCP President     

The power of good networks . . . CCP Events >>

The power of good work . . . CCP Updates >>

The power of good networks . . . Member COVID-19 Response >>

The power of good ideas . . . Resources and Opportunities >>

The power of good leadership . . . Policy Updates >>

The power of good people . . . Colleague news >>        

The power of good connections . . .  Jobs Opportunities >>    

  The power of good networks . . . CCP Events

CCP continues to support networking, information sharing, and collaboration through virtual discussions and programs.

CCP Development Officer Network Meeting

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3: 10:00 - 11:30 AM: Virtual Zoom Meeting

Register Now

Join your colleagues for connection and lively discussion at the upcoming virtual meeting of CCP’s Development Officer Network. Discussion will focus on fundraising and relationship-building strategies related to grantmakers' responses to the health and economic crisis of COVID-19, including strategies for continuing donor cultivation in a socially-distanced world, and what our fundraising/relationship-building paths might look like for the remainder of 2020. Network Planning Committee: Mark Berardi, Joseph Collin, Deborah Rothstein, and Alison Woods 

Community Foundation CEO Meeting

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3: 2:00 - 3:00 PM: Virtual Zoom Meeting

These weekly calls are for CCP member community foundation leaders.

Members of this network will receive the agenda and meeting link before the call. For questions, contact CCP President Karla Fortunato.

Racism and Health Care: What COVID-19 Exposed

THURSDAY, JUNE 4: 12:00 - 1:00 PM

We know that Black and Brown communities are disproportionately impacted during this current health crisis (see health equity data tools below). For many, this is not new news. Join Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut for a conversation with front-line health practitioners who are raising their voices about solutions that can save lives, today and beyond. The webinar is sponsored by the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund and Connecticut Health Foundation.

Register Now

Early Childhood Funder Collaborative

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, from 9:00 - 11:00 AM, Virtual Zoom Meeting

Members of the Collaborative will receive the agenda and meeting link before the call. For questions or to join the Collaborative, contact Carol P. O’Donnell, Collaborative Executive Director, 203-927-5997.   

Funder Focused Conversations

CCP is working to coordinate small group conversations for funders focused on topics of high interest to members responding to COVID-19. Upcoming funder conversations will focus on support for undocumented communities; youth and summer programs; arts and cultural organizations; supporting mental health; and workforce issues. If you are interested in any of the above conversations, please contact Annie Adams, Program Consultant.

Stay Connected With Your Colleagues

In addition to the CCP Member Check-in calls, CCP has four ways for you to stay connected with your CCP colleagues during these times of physical distancing.

  • CCP Slack platform is designed to quickly and easily connect members and provide both direct member-to-member messaging, and “channels” where members can come together for more focused conversations. For access to Slack, contact Laurie Allen, Director of Communications.
  • CCP Listservs for program officers, development officers, communications professionals; community foundation CEOs, and foundation administrators, allows you to connect, share, and collaborate through email. Click on a link to opt-in to a CCP listserv.
  • CCP Member Directory enables you to search for a colleagues email and phone contacts. Find colleagues now >>

  • CCP Find-a-Foundation provides CCP members with customized networking support. Reach out to a CCP staff member if you’re interested in connecting to colleagues.    

  The power of good connections . . . CCP Updates

Thank You to Outgoing CCP Board Members and Welcome to CCP's New Leaders

We were delighted to acknowledge, honor, and thank outgoing CCP Board members, Paul Ballasy, Janice Elliott, Kathryn Luria, Richard Porth, Judy Rozie-Battle, and Fahd Vahidy during our May 15 Member Call. CCP is grateful for their leadership and important contributions to philanthropy's collective work. We also took the opportunity to welcome new officers: Board Chair Elaine Mintz, Vice Chair Tiffany Donelson, Secretary Lauren Patterson, and Treasurer Paul Suter – and six new board members: R. David Addams, Joseph Baker, Mary Kay Curtiss, Jill Hutensky, Judy Hartling, and Susan Thomas. We wish we could have thanked them in person, but everyone gave a virtual round of applause to three individuals with a collective 20 years of service on CCP’s Board of Directors: Paul Ballasy, Kathy Luria, and Fahd Vahidy. Read more about CCP's 2020 Board leadership changes >> 

Request for COVID-19 Response Grants Data

Many Connecticut foundations have made, or are planning to make, significant grants in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of CCP’s crucial support of philanthropic coordination, we are compiling information about grants given by CCP members to date in response to the COVID-19 crisis and will be making findings available to our members. Please help in this important effort by sharing a quick spreadsheet with response grant information by Monday, June 8. Please send grants information directly to Karla Fortunato.   

Have You Responded to the Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Survey?

The Grantmakers Salary and Benefits Report is the most requested report by CCP Members. CCP is partnering with Council on Foundations to benchmark your staff salaries. The deadline to complete their survey is June 7. The annual report provides grantmakers the most comprehensive data on foundation staff salary and compensation. Find FAQs and directions on how to complete the survey here >>

Connecticut’s Early Childhood Funders Collaborative Supports CTCARES for Family Child Care

Philanthropy has stepped up to provide investment and stability to the child care sector with Connecticut's Office of Early Childhood (OEC). To help home-based child care providers during this pandemic, the OEC  has launched “CTCARES for Family Child Care” to support licensed family child care providers through the COVID-19 emergency and beyond. The initiative connects licensed family child care providers with regional family child care networks. These networks will provide grant funding and other technical resources to help home-based providers keep their businesses running during this challenging time. The initiative is made possible with approximately $830,000 in support from funders, including the Connecticut Early Childhood Funder Collaborative, and CCP Members: American Savings Foundation, Community Foundation of Greater New Britain, Connecticut Community Foundation, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Grossman Family Foundation, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, United Way of Western Connecticut, and Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation, among others. Read more >>

The Momentum Fund: Grants to Nonprofits Managing Active COVID-19 Funds

The Momentum Fund will provide grants to nonprofits that are managing an active COVID-19 fund. The grants will help these organizations build capacity so they can effectively grow, promote, manage, and sustain their funds. Grants will be awarded in amounts up to $100,000 and a total of $8.5 million will be awarded, thanks to an investment by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Examples of the types of organization that are eligible for funds include community foundations, women’s foundations, public foundations, social justice foundations, United Ways, philanthropy-serving organizations, and community-led nonprofit organizations.

The Momentum Fund is being managed by United Philanthropy Forum, a national network of 86 regional and national philanthropy-serving organizations, including Connecticut Council for Philanthropy. Applications will be accepted until 3:00 PM on THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2020. Learn more >>     

  The power of good leadership . . . Member News

CCP Members and other funders are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic with rapid response funds, increased grantmaking, operating support, pooled funds, and more. Read a few examples below and for additional news links check out CCP's Coronavirus Responses and Resources for Funders and Nonprofits. To add your COVID-19 responses and related news to the resource page, email Laurie Allen. 

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 >>    

Funders Enhance Hartford Small Business Emergency Grant Program

In April, the City of Hartford, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, HEDCO, Inc., and Capital For Change launched a $1 million Small Business Emergency Assistance Grant Program to provide support to at least 100 small Hartford businesses. Additional support from Bank of America and Travelers has grown the capacity of this initiative. “Support for neighborhood businesses is an important component of Bank of America’s $100 million commitment to support local communities facing unprecedented challenges from the coronavirus”, said Joe Gianni, Market President, Bank of America. “Partnering with the City of Hartford and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving on the Small Business Grant program is a great complement to our increased support to help eradicate food insecurity and homelessness.” Read more >>  

Young People’s Voices Are Key to Recovery

Laura McCargar's recent op-ed in the CT Mirror lifts up the importance of youth voice during the coronavirus pandemic. She recommends three ways to start recognizing youth perspective: acknowledge that young people hold multiple identities; explicitly name and address the deeply entrenched race and class inequities in our state which create and perpetuate the structural obstacles and barriers young people face; and talk with young people, not about them. Read more >>    

  The power of good ideas . . . Resources and Opportunities

LEADERSHIP

  • Leader Convenings
    JUNE 3, JUNE 9, JUNE 18: 3:00 - 4:00 PM
    Five Frogs will host virtual convenings to help leaders share ideas and support, connect with each other, and find new ways to lead forward. Hour-long virtual convenings will feature a social sector leader to launch a dynamic group conversation. Presenters include CCP members, Jay Williams, president, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving; Isabel Almeida, interim president & COO, United Way of Western Connecticut; and Alexis Bivens, program director, Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation. Learn more and register >>

LONG TERM RECOVERY

  • CT's Local Long-Term Recovery Committees. The state’s emergency management team has launched an initiative with municipal, nonprofit, private, and philanthropic partners to build local long-term recovery committees (LTRCs) in each of CT’s towns and municipalities. Because of CT’s unique governance structure, most recovery coordination will happen at the local level. These tables are an essential tool to ensure local needs are met and to streamline coordination with the statewide disaster response effort. Philanthropy can play a uniquely helpful role by providing local leadership, connecting local leaders to LTRCs, ensuring resources are brought to each table, and promoting equity and accountability throughout the process. For more information, you can contact the LTRC Coordinator in your region. Long-Term Recovery (LTRC) Planning Presentation and Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) Regions & Key (LTRC) Contacts >> 
     
  • Nonprofit Provider PPE Request Information >>
    As part of the reopening plan, the state has procured $10 million in PPE for agencies, businesses, and nonprofits. The state is implementing a two-phase system for identifying needs and distributing PPE to nonprofit service providers. Nonprofits do not need to have contracts with the State in order to gain access to this system. Please share this Nonprofit Provider PPE Request Information with your networks.

HEALTH EQUITY

Immigrants / Undocumented Communities

  • CT's Undocumented Community Needs Assessment. The initial findings and recommendations of the state’s task force dedicated to assessing the needs of the estimated 140,000 members of undocumented communities in CT was presented to CCP members by Catalina Horak, Building One Community. The task force identified models from other parts of the country that could be implemented in CT, but philanthropic resources would be required. CT Undocumented Community Needs Assessment - Recording and Slide Deck >>

  • Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees' (GCIR) brief, COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Immigrant Families and Communities, analyzes community needs and gives top-line recommendations focused on immediate needs.

Workforce

  • Urban Institute's Data Map, Where Low-Income Jobs Are Being Lost to COVID-19, reveals the neighborhoods hardest hit by COVID-19 job losses. In Connecticut, those working in Accommodation and Food Services are enduring the most job loss in the economic shutdown. To identify which neighborhoods are most at risk, the tool shows estimates of how many low-income jobs have been lost by residents in each census tract or are at risk when stay-at-home orders are in place. Explore the tool >>         

  The power of good leadership . . . CCP Policy Update

Federal

  • COVID-19 Legislative Update from United Philanthropy Forum. On May 15th, the United States House of Representatives voted to pass the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, H.R. 6800. As written, the bill would provide almost $1 trillion to state and local governments, establish a Heroes Fund to provide $200 billion in hazard pay to essential workers, make an additional round of payments to taxpayers, and extend unemployment benefits. There are several provisions in the bill that are favorable to nonprofits. This includes an increased employee retention credit, expansion of the Paycheck Protection Program, and an extension of emergency paid leave, among other things. Read the section by section summary of the bill >>
     
  • Update on PPP Loan Forgiveness Process. A crucial element of the Paycheck Protection Program loan process is applying for loan forgiveness once funds have been received. The Small Business Administration, in consultation with the Department of the Treasury, recently released the Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness Application and detailed instructions to inform borrowers how to apply for forgiveness of their PPP loans, consistent with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

Census 2020

Policy Resources

  • New insight on foundation influence on policy. The Center for Effective Philanthropy's (CEP) new research, Policy Influence: What Foundations Are Doing and Why, seeks to provide foundation staff, leaders, and boards with data and insights that will spur them to candidly discuss philanthropic involvement in public policy and help guide their own practices to engage in policy efforts more thoughtfully as they work to achieve their goals. 
  • JUNE 11: 2:00 - 3:00 PM: Council on Foundations and Center for Effective Philanthropy: How Foundations Are Shaping Policy During COVID-19 >>
    Join an interactive discussion highlighting the health-policy-related actions some funders have taken in response to COVID-19 including, addressing the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color and communities who are most vulnerable.  

  The power of good people . . . Colleague news   

The Connecticut Health Foundation has named Tiffany Donelson to be its next president and CEO, effective Sept. 1. Donelson will succeed Patricia Baker, who plans to retire after more than 20 years as the foundation’s founding leader. Donelson currently serves as the foundation’s vice president of program, overseeing grantmaking, policy, and communications. The foundation’s board of directors unanimously selected her following a national search. “Tiffany has a deep understanding of the issues that are core to the foundation’s work. She is a strategic thinker and committed to the foundation’s work of eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities. We are thrilled she will lead us into the future,” Connecticut Health Foundation Board Chair David I. Newton said. 

Tiffany joined the foundation in 2014 after serving in several leadership roles at Aetna, including as deputy chief of staff for the company’s national business office and as a director in corporate strategy. She previously worked as a consultant at Ingenix Consulting and PricewaterhouseCoopers. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and received her MPH in health policy and management at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. Tiffany serves on several boards and advisory committees, including the United Way of Connecticut and the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, for which she is the newly elected vice chair. Read more >>   

  The power of good connections . . . Job Opportunities

Find Jobs >>

Have an opening at your organization? Contact Laurie Allen to include your position in CCP's jobs bank free of charge as a benefit of membership.    

  About the Member eBrief

The Member eBrief, is a CCP members-only electronic newsletter. Members receive the bi-monthly publication to keep them current on upcoming CCP programs, member and colleague news, trends, and new resources. Members are encouraged to send press releases, public events, announcements, newsletters, and colleague news to Laurie Allen, director of communications.

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