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Community-driven learning: Contributions of multigenerational approaches for the prevention of domestic violence

August 23, 2023

this report is a summary of key findings from a three-year initiative to build evidence for multigenerational, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed practices that effectively support families in breaking the cycle of domestic violence. The Breaking the Cycle cohort is one of Blue Shield of California Foundation's key investments, comprised of 12 established community-based organizations funded to evaluate their multigenerational domestic violence prevention approaches. Breaking cycles of domestic violence requires working across generations because it is an issue that impacts adults, children, families, and communities. To prevent childhood exposure to domestic violence, we strengthen support systems for survivors through funding organizations that build resilience and heal across generations.

Parks After Dark Evaluation Brief, July 2023

July 31, 2023

In this infographic brief, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research provides information from their evaluation of the 2022 Parks After Dark (PAD) program in Los Angeles County. PAD is a Los Angeles County initiative led by the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), in partnership with other County departments and community-based organizations. PAD is implemented in Los Angeles County areas with high levels of violence, obesity, and economic hardship. Thirty-four DPR parks hosted PAD between June and August 2022, after a two-year halt in programming because of the COVID-19 pandemic. PAD was offered three nights a week for eight weeks, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.

Review and Analysis: Resilient Communities Grantmaking Portfolio (2020-2022)

July 27, 2023

The Sozosei Foundation launched its Resilient Communities Program (RCP) in the summer of 2020 at the request of Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OAPI), with the intent of evolving the company's longstanding commitment to philanthropy. The goal of the program was to refine the company's philanthropic commitment by designing guidelines and priorities to support diverse, under-resourced communities where the company has a presence. Over the two years of its grantmaking, the program provided over $1 million in grants and served over 177,000 people across six target communities.

Cultivating the Next Generation of Giving: Concluding Report on the Impact of Honeycomb’s Foundation Board Incubator Initiative

June 22, 2023

Honeycomb launched the Foundation Board Incubator to support community-based teen foundations that empower teens to serve as local philanthropic leaders. As part of the Incubator, host organizations of Jewish teen philanthropy programs engaged in a three- or five-year partnership with local funders and Honeycomb.Honeycomb's Foundation Board Incubator supported organizations to develop their own, local Jewish youth philanthropy programs between 2014 and 2022 in ten communities: San Diego, Detroit, Boston, Toronto, Philadelphia, Melbourne, Israel, Seattle, Indianapolis, and Houston. More than 3,500 participants granted out over $1 million in the programs. Customizable curriculum guided participants through the full grantmaking process, from identifying Jewish values to awarding grants. Honeycomb staff provided coaching and cohort-based learning for program leaders.The Incubator provided host organizations with seed funding to begin their program, a curriculum to guide the participants' experience, and coaching and access to the community of fellow Incubator site staff to support implementation along the way. The programs are now independently operating Jewish Youth Philanthropy programs.

Evaluation of the Shifting Systems Initiative

June 22, 2023

Since its launch in 2016, the Shifting Systems Initiative has played a vital role in catalyzing change within the philanthropy sector. It has conducted extensive research and facilitated numerous convenings, engaging funders and partners across the globe, including the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.In June 2020, the initiative entered its latest phase, which involved commissioning a comprehensive evaluation to assess the evolution of system change as a field, the initiative's role in driving that evolution, and to inform its future direction.The evaluation report pursued five central strands of inquiry, examining the impact and effectiveness of the Shifting Systems Initiative and the sector more broadly. The primary objectives were to assess the extent to which the philanthropy sector has embraced the concept of systems change; explore the influence of the initiative on discourse and practices within philanthropy; analyze critical successes and challenges encountered by the initiative; understand effective strategies to influence philanthropic behavior; and identify opportunities for operational and governance improvements.The evaluation report features significant findings and key insights, shedding light on the impact of the Shifting Systems Initiative and others in the field. It provides valuable guidance for shaping the next phase of the initiative and serves as a vital resource for actors engaged in systems change within philanthropy.

Expanded Child Tax Credits: Impact and Experiences - Spending on Basic Needs (Spotlight on Illinois)

April 28, 2023

During the COVID-19 global pandemic, Congress passed major funding packages that included financial assistance payments to supplement the incomes of individuals and families. In response, the Get My Payment Illinois (GMPIL) Coalition formed in April 2020 to help low-income Illinoisans receive stimulus funds. The coalition is comprised of the Economic Awareness Council, New America Chicago, Heartland Alliance, and Heartland Human Care Services. In May 2020, the coalition launched a website, GetMyPaymentIL.org. In March 2021, the American Rescue Plan (ARP) increased and expanded the Child Tax Credit (CTC). The coalition began to also work with government and nonprofit partners to spread the word about the Child Tax Credit (CTC).Heartland Alliance's Social IMPACT Research Center (IMPACT) and New America Chicago engaged in research for GMPIL to (a) share the impact of CTC expansion on low-income Illinois families to bolster the case for a permanently expanded federal CTC and (b) advocate for improvements to the IRS non-filer tool to strengthen access to the CTC and Earned Income Tax Credit in the long-term. IMPACT focused primarily on accomplishing the first research goal. To that end, we analyzed data from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, Current Population Survey (IPUMS CPS) and the Household Pulse Survey to estimate Illinois families' take up of CTC payments, including demographics--and how they spent those payments--as well as demographics of eligible families who did not receive CTC payments. We conducted interviews with eight families who claimed CTC payments and were intermittent filers (i.e., did not file taxes every year) to learn about their experiences claiming CTC and the impact of the CTC on their lives.Results from this study showed that only a little over half of eligible Latino/a/x and two thirds of eligible Asian families received CTC payments, compared to about three-quarters of eligible White, Black, and multiracial families. Middle-income families made up the largest portion of CTC recipients compared to higher and lower[1]income families. Most families used CTC payments mostly to pay off debt. CTC payments helped low-income families reduce financial insecurities, but families also experienced barriers in accessing payments. Results on spending behaviors showed that the top use for funds was on food, followed by clothing and utilities / telecommunications. 

Expanded Child Tax Credits: Impact and Experiences - Access to Child Tax Credits (Spotlight on Illinois)

April 28, 2023

During the COVID-19 global pandemic, Congress passed major funding packages that included financial assistance payments to supplement the incomes of individuals and families. In response, the Get My Payment Illinois (GMPIL) Coalition formed in April 2020 to help low-income Illinoisans receive stimulus funds. The coalition is comprised of the Economic Awareness Council, New America Chicago, Heartland Alliance, and Heartland Human Care Services. In May 2020, the coalition launched a website, GetMyPaymentIL.org. In March 2021, the American Rescue Plan (ARP) increased and expanded the Child Tax Credit (CTC). The coalition began to also work with government and nonprofit partners to spread the word about the Child Tax Credit (CTC).Heartland Alliance's Social IMPACT Research Center (IMPACT) and New America Chicago engaged in research for GMPIL to (a) share the impact of CTC expansion on low-income Illinois families to bolster the case for a permanently expanded federal CTC and (b) advocate for improvements to the IRS non-filer tool to strengthen access to the CTC and Earned Income Tax Credit in the long-term. IMPACT focused primarily on accomplishing the first research goal. To that end, we analyzed data from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, Current Population Survey (IPUMS CPS) and the Household Pulse Survey to estimate Illinois families' take up of CTC payments, including demographics--and how they spent those payments--as well as demographics of eligible families who did not receive CTC payments. We conducted interviews with eight families who claimed CTC payments and were intermittent filers (i.e., did not file taxes every year) to learn about their experiences claiming CTC and the impact of the CTC on their lives.Results from this study showed that only a little over half of eligible Latino/a/x and two thirds of eligible Asian families received CTC payments, compared to about three-quarters of eligible White, Black, and multiracial families. Middle-income families made up the largest portion of CTC recipients compared to higher and lower income families. Most families used CTC payments mostly to pay off debt. CTC payments helped low-income families reduce financial insecurities, but families also experienced barriers in accessing payments.In regards to accessing child tax credits, previous research has shown eligible families with the lowest incomes were the least likely to receive Child Tax Credit (CTC) payments. Other types of eligible families who may not have gotten some or all of their CTC include families who did not filed taxes in 2019, 2020, 2021, or 2022; families who did not use the Internal Revenue Service's non-filer tool in 2021 to claim CTC; and families with immigrant parents whose children have social security numbers.  

Mediterranean Programme: 1994-2022

March 31, 2023

MAVA's commitment to conservation in the Mediterranean was built on our founder Luc Hoffmann's engagement in the region prior to our establishment in 1994. Of particular note was his passion for three iconic wetlands – the Camargue in France, Doñana in Spain, and the Prespa Lakes in Greece, Albania, and North Macedonia – and the work he delivered in close collaboration with organisations dedicated to conserving these places, namely the Tour du Valat Foundation, WWF Spain, and WWF Greece and the Society for the Protection of Prespa. The fundamental principles behind our approach were also Luc's: trusting key people on the ground, helping develop pivotal organisations and partnerships, and practising evidence-based conservation.From an initial focus on waterbirds and wetlands, our interests gradually expanded to include work on wider marine and landscape issues in all 24 countries harbouring Mediterranean ecosystems. The Mediterranean programme was then formalised in a 2011-2015 strategy. This was broadly organised around three main pillars: conserving biodiversity and ecosystem functions; promoting sustainable management and use of natural resources; and fostering a strong and effective conservation community. This framework helped catalyse collaboration within the conservation community through promoting networks and awarding large core funding grants to strategic partners – referred to as programmatic partners – over the long term.

West Africa Programme: 1994-2022

March 21, 2023

MAVA's engagement in West Africa was preceded by the commitment of its founder, Dr. Luc Hoffmann, in the early 1980s, to one of the most emblematic sites in the sub-region: the Banc d'Arguin National Park. This support materialised in particular by the creation, in 1986, of the International Foundation of the Banc d'Arguin (FIBA, for its acronym in French) for the conservation of this wetland of global importance. Since 1994, MAVA has been active in the West African region, focusing on seven coastal countries: Cabo Verde, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone. These countries share ecological processes, natural resources and socio-cultural features as well as political processes.Coastal West Africa is characterised by a rich biodiversity that provides remarkable goods and services. The sub-region is home to one of the four main upwelling areas in the world, resulting in high fish productivity. Some estuarine areas are of global significance and constitute critical sites for migratory water birds along the Eastern Atlantic flyway. The sub-region is also home to important breeding and/or feeding areas for many seabird, sea turtle and marine mammal species. A large proportion of local communities live in and/or depend directly on the natural resources and services provided by coastal and marine ecosystems. However, many pressures threaten the healthy functioning of these ecosystems, including habitat destruction, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, poaching, uncontrolled development of coastal infrastructure, mass tourism, extractive industries...

National Theater Project Evaluation Report

March 17, 2023

The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) is one of six regional arts organizations established with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. Each program and project that is brought to life at NEFA is created with the underlying goal of building a stronger and more dynamic infrastructure for the arts. In 2010, NEFA piloted the National Theater Project (NTP), modeled on NEFA's National Dance Project. NTP supports innovative devised and ensemble theater artists with building a network of organizations committed to strengthening opportunities and cultivating audiences for their work. Since 2012, NTP has not only provided funding but also has cultivated an informed, interactive network of producing theaters, presenters, and ensembles that promote the funded projects and the development of the field as a whole.In January 2022, NEFA hired McNeil Creative Enterprises (MCE) to examine and document the impact of NTP over the last ten years. MCE worked closely with NTP's staff utilizing a participatory research approach to frame the evaluation goals, data collection priorities, and the modes of analysis.The growth opportunities that emerged during the evaluation — if implemented — will enable NTP and ultimately NEFA to be even more effective and efficient in achieving its goals. It is our hope that the strategic considerations provided (and in greater detail in the report) support NTP's efforts to support sustainable growth and a strong vision for the future of the program.

Sustainable Economy Programme: 2013-2022

March 13, 2023

The Sustainable Economy programme was born of a desire to secure lasting impact and underpin the conservation achievements of MAVA and its partners by addressing the underlying causes of biodiversity loss. Its creation also reflected André Hoffmann's personal interest in using the power of the private sector to deliver positive societal change through transforming unsustainable economic models and mindsets.

Spotlight on Local and Refugee-Led Efforts to Address Key Protection Needs: Lessons Learned in Three Key Regions

March 13, 2023

In 2022, the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) undertook a geographic rapid assessment project to better understand the unmet legal needs and protection gaps faced by displaced people in three regions of the world: Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and South and Southeast Asia.This report synthesizes insights and recommendations gathered from interviews with refugee-led initiatives (RLI) and local organizations serving populations facing acute systemic legal rights violations, shares key trends impacting displaced populations in the three regions, and identifies opportunities for more productive and inclusive philanthropic engagement and international cooperation with historically excluded RLIs.