Foundations are the backbone of the nonprofit community. These five have stepped up, organized, and leveraged their networks in exceptional ways.
Cleveland Foundation: Greater Cleveland Rapid Response Fund
The Cleveland Foundation has organized an unparalleled coalition of Northeast Ohio philanthropic organizations and corporate partners to collect and deploy critical resources to nonprofit organizations since March, 2020.
To date, the Foundation has awarded over $18 million to hundreds of nonprofits addressing needs from food insecurity to transportation to medical care. They’ve made it as easy as one click to donate to the fund, enabling the entire community to coalesce resources and increase impact.
We are so proud to be headquartered in a city with such deep, philanthropic roots. To contribute to the Rapid Response Fund click here.
Graves Foundation: Creating Change Gallery
In the fall of 2019, the Minneapolis-based Graves Foundation invited its first cohort of young artists to commemorate their new Creating Change Gallery. The Gallery, located in the Foundation's downtown offices, supports emerging artists by providing mentorship, gallery space, and resources to help launch their careers.
Covid-related closures abruptly changed plans for a series of May 2020 gallery openings, a critical component to the initiative. Thanks to the Foundation’s ingenuity and leadership, they carried on by deploying a suite of simple digital tools.
Highlights included a virtual walk-through with the featured artist, live DJ, and one-on-one virtual chats between patrons and artists. We love seeing technology foster connections between artists and their community.
Stark Community Foundation: Straight From Stark Series
To highlight the impact of their work, and inspire others to give support, the Stark Community Foundation created a video series, Straight from Stark. These short interview-style videos with local organizations feature the everyday stories, successes, and challenges of the people driving change.
Inspired by what you see? You can help in a variety of ways, from the Community Charitable Fund to a Charitable Giving Gift card.
Dave Thomas Foundation: Virtual Adoption
The Dave Thomas Foundation is working to ensure that Covid does not stop the adoption process, which historically relied heavily on in-person meetings. Not only did the Foundation pivot to virtual tools for meetings and document sharing, they are also advocating for more court systems to embrace these tools.
Learn more about one family’s experience with virtual adoption during COVID-19 here.
Ford Foundation: Social Bonds
The Ford Foundation is proving that not all innovative ideas involve technology. They created an extraordinary solution in light of an economic crisis in the form of a Social Bond, the first Bond of its kind. The Foundation is selling $1 billion of these special bonds. Proceeds are distributed to support organizations addressing inequality. This framework provides investors with a socially responsible investing option and positions the Foundation to significantly increase their grant-giving dollars.
Contact us to learn how we can help improve your foundation's digital impact.
