The Link
February 2023
Hello TPC Members,
As you read this newsletter, over 100 members on grant teams are getting ready to review full proposals for TPC’s 2023-2024 class of grantees! Below you can read an update on this process as well as several opportunities to volunteer with and get to know our current grantees so you can help make a difference beyond the grant. Don’t miss our overview with grantee Mothers For Justice and Equality.
We have also included information on not only the March Dialogue but a special opportunity to attend a virtual event sponsored by Philanos, the leading national women’s giving circle network.
In recognition of Black History Month, we’ve compiled several resources for you to think about how you can give, receive, and learn more.
Finally, the newsletter ends with a note of gratitude from a grantee.
Grant Committee Update
Grant giving is at the heart of The Philanthropy Connection, and our approach is quite unique. TPC focuses on organizations that address systemic inequities impacting individuals and families within the Greater Boston area. TPC also empowers every single TPC member with a voice and a vote throughout the entire grant process.
In this 11th year since our founding, the Grants Committee is pleased to share that we are working toward another exciting and successful year of grant making. We received 91 initial proposals, of which 81 passed eligibility screening and advanced to Letter of Intent (LOI) review. Across 13 teams (10 evaluating new LOIs, two reviewing alumni grantees, and one assessing current grantees) we have now requested 30 Full Proposals, up to nine of which are from current grantees. All this work represents the coordination of 100+ TPC members and keeps us on course for the spring ballot debut. While much has changed and evolved over the past two years, our members’ dedication to philanthropic work that is driven by passion and purpose continues to shine through.
Host a Student Intern: Contribute to Boston’s next generation of young leaders and build a diverse pipeline of future employees at your company by hosting a Minds Matter Boston intern. Minds Matter Boston will support you in hiring and supervising your intern. The timing and details of the position are flexible, though we ask that the internship be paid.
To learn more, contact Meredith, Director of Development, at Meredith.Traquina@
Young Man with a Plan Career Reference Library
Young Man with a Plan is building a career reference library to help young men begin to understand the opportunities in their future. Because TPC professionals come from a wide range of professional backgrounds, you have many professional insights to share. Please take 30 minutes to draft a brief overview of a job or position you are familiar with and send it to their library.
Help Deliver Products for Dignity Matters
Dignity Matters is looking for volunteers to help deliver products from their warehouse in Framingham to women at organizations in Kingston and East Boston 6 times per year.
Help provide hands-on support and learn more about Dignity Matters and their nonprofit partners. Plus, you will be making a difference in the lives of women across Eastern Massachusetts!
To learn more, please email Distribution Manager Andrea Schneider: andrea@dignity-matters.org.
Work Directly with Our Grantees to Plan an Event
Gala events are a crucial source of fundraising for many non-profit organizations, allowing them to gather donors, supporters, and community members in a fun and engaging way. However, planning a successful gala can be a daunting task, especially for smaller nonprofits that may not have the resources or expertise to organize such a large event. If you have the time and energy, consider joining our grantees’ Planning Committees and help make their events a success.
Minds Matter Boston
Minds Matter Boston is looking for help planning their “Spring Soiree” taking place June 1 at Artists for Humanity in Boston’s Fort Point. Committee members are asked to make planning calls (no more than 3-4 calls between now and the event), to attend the event, and to invite their own friends/family/colleagues to attend. It’s relatively low lift, and a great way to participate in a very fun and inspiring evening.
To learn more, contact Meredith, Director of Development, at Meredith.Traquina@
RIA, Inc.
RIA, Inc (Ready, Inspire, Act) is looking for event planning committee members for their October Gala at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. They seek those with experience with event planning, marketing, social media, silent auctions, guest registration, and procuring sponsors. Volunteers will meet virtually once a week.
To learn more, contact Chantha at Chantha@readyinspireact.org
Get to Know Mothers for Justice and Equality
The mission of Mothers for Justice and Equality (MJE) is to end neighborhood violence by empowering mothers and youth to challenge the normalization of violence and become effective catalysts for change in their homes, schools, and communities. By reclaiming the identity of their communities, they strive to restore a sense of hope and purpose for children, youth, and adults.
MJE believes that poverty is the root cause of violence and that Violence of Any Kind IS Not OK! Their goal-oriented, trauma-informed leadership and workforce training programs are designed to support each participant’s personal recovery from trauma, as well as their future career and academic achievements. MJE also aims to engage their participants in civic action so that they can be the voice of change in their communities.
The MJE operating model hinges on two key mechanisms:
- Education that empowers members by providing leadership tools they need to take action and make change
- Engagement, including public actions and campaigns that challenge the normalization of violence, providing members with opportunities to act as catalysts for change at home and advocate for change in the community
Key ongoing programs include:
- The You Matter Leadership Program, which aims to help all women suffering from trauma. MJE understands that trauma cannot be defined in one form. Every woman experiences trauma in different ways, but finding a solution to coping with the trauma is the reason this program exists.
- The Workforce Readiness Initiative is a trauma-informed program to help women from all social and economic backgrounds. Along with our curriculum based training, members develop workforce-readiness skills.
- The Violence Intervention Program assists victims in understanding the dynamics of victimization, helps stabilize their lives in the aftermath of violence, and serves as a liaison to law enforcement, the courts, the Department of Transitional Assistance, housing, and other service providers.
You can support MJE by:
- Donating
- Volunteering or offering your services by contacting them directly at info@
mothersforjusticeandequality. org
Don’t Miss These Events
Minding the Gaps: A Philanthropy Dialogue with MARE and Lawyer’s Clearinghouse
Please join us Thursday, March 2 from 6:30-7:30 pm as we welcome speakers from grantees MARE (Mass Adoption Resource Exchange) and Lawyer’s Clearinghouse in a virtual conversation.
MARE Executive Director Bridget Chiaruttini and board member Keri Califano, and Lawyers Clearinghouse Executive Director Susan Gedrick and board members Mia Friedman and Tonysha Taylor will discuss how each of their programs provide assistance to two underserved populations: foster children and homeless clients. Their work fills in gaps where public and private sector services can fall short. Hear firsthand from these leaders about connecting children with permanent homes and connecting individuals with pro-bono legal counsel to solve housing needs.
We are also excited to welcome a guest appearance from David Delmar Sentíes, former Executive Director of early TPC grantee Resilient Coders, who will discuss his new book, What We Build With Power: The fight for economic justice in tech.
Let’s rally and support our former grantee by reserving an advanced copy of his book! (click here).
Missed last month’s Dialogue??
Watch the recording of Broadening Horizons with TPC grantees Cambridge Camping and Minds Matter Boston. Sharon Zimmerman and Sean Effel, Co-Executive Directors of Cambridge Camping, and Rachel Cantor, Executive Director of Minds Matter Boston, shared their organizations’ work with over 30 members at a virtual gathering
March Webinar – Communicating Impact in a Trust-Based Philanthropy World
Are you aware that TPC is proud to be affiliated with Philanos, the leading national women’s giving circle network? As a TPC member, you have access to attend their webinars, which provide fascinating educational programming. Next month, Philanos will be hosting a webinar that delves deeper into Trust-Based Philanthropy, a practice that TPC employs with our grantees. We encourage all our members to attend and expand their knowledge on this important topic.
Communicating the Impact of Your Grantee Partners to Your Membership and Community in a Trust-Based Philanthropy World
Tuesday, March 14, 12 PM ET
A Note of Gratitude from a Grantee
Executive Director of Cambridge Camping Sharon Zimmerman recently participated in our February Dialogue. Following the event, Sharon expressed her gratitude to TPC and our unique approach to philanthropy:
“We want to thank you for including us in the presentation. It’s rare for philanthropy to practice ‘partnership’ in meaningful ways, and we appreciate the work you did to learn about our organization. Your questions made us reflect on aspects of our work we don’t always consider and your interest in our practice inspires us to improve. For example, your discussion of big-picture social problems and advocacy got us thinking about our long-term goals. We often get caught up in the day-to-day, so thank you for reminding us to consider social change at a macro level.”
- Support and shop Black-owned businesses in the Boston area: https://www.blackownedbos.com
- Prioritize donating to organizations through a lens of reducing racial inequities. This article, titled Overcoming Racial Bias in Philanthropic Funding,” highlights ways that racial bias infiltrates philanthropic systems, and offers solutions for what funders can do.
RECEIVE
- Sign up to receive content from A Beautiful Resistance, a project of the Boston Globe created by culture columnist Jeneé Osterheldt that features Black artists, journalists, and creators in multiple forms of media.
LEARN
Read
- Read about the origins of Black History Month. The Association for the Study of African American Life and History selected the 2023 theme of Black Resistance. You can read more about the theme here.
Visit
- Visit the Museum of African American History, located at 46 Joy St. on the north side of Beacon Hill in Boston! During your visit, learn about African Americans who changed the course of American history in the 18th and 19th centuries in original, historically preserved spaces.
- Visit The Embrace Memorial on Boston Common, situated within the 1965 Freedom Plaza, which was unveiled last month. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. met Coretta Scott while he was earning his doctorate at Boston University and she was at the New England Conservatory. One of their first dates was on Boston Common, and the Parkman Bandstand was the final location of the 1965 Freedom Rally. The 1965 Freedom Plaza now honors the Kings, along with 65 local civil rights leaders who were active between 1950-1970.
Watch
- Watch “The 1619 Project,” a six-part docu-series hosted by creator Nikole Hannah-Jones in collaboration with Executive Producer Oprah Winfey and Filmmaker Roger Ross Williams, airing on Hulu. The series seeks to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of our national narrative
- Watch “The State of Race,” an informative WGBH program that “profiles past Boston civil rights luminaries and how their legacies continue to impact multicultural leaders in Massachusetts today.”