Bay Area Blacks in Philanthropy. Expanding leadership and investment in the Black community

Transcription

1 Bay Area Blacks in Philanthropy Expanding leadership and investment in the Black community

2 Bay Area Blacks in Philanthropy 200 Pine Street, Suite 700, San Francisco, CA Phone: Fax:

3 Mission With members representing more than 20 local foundations, Bay Area Blacks in Philanthropy (BABIP) is a regional, nonprofit membership organization whose mission is to advance the interests of African Americans in philanthropy and address the impact of racial disparity within philanthropic institutions and African American communities. Bringing together foundation professionals trustees, program officers, administrative and technical staff with corporate, governmental, and association representatives, BABIP members are a strong leadership core within the sector, and individually and collectively, add a needed black perspective to philanthropic discourse and debate.

4 Purpose Committed to expanding the voice and influence of African Americans in philanthropy, BABIP s primary efforts center on: Increasing the number of African Americans in senior level positions; Enhancing the leadership skills and abilities of our members; Identifying and collaborating with Black donors and philanthropists; Fostering creative approaches and solutions to the complex issues facing African American communities; and Ensuring that systems and institutions in Black communities have the capacity to be effective change agents in the neighborhoods they serve. Role BABIP carries out its work in several ways: Convener: BABIP provides space and resources for cutting edge discussions, training, information sharing, and sustained dialogue around issues of significance to our members and the Black community particularly as they relate to racism and poverty; Connector: BABIP connects philanthropic professionals with board members philanthropists, government and corporate sector representatives to facilitate collaboration, learning, and advocacy; Catalyst: BABIP is a nexus for cross-sector thinking and problem solving; Collector: BABIP documents, assembles and disseminates lessons and knowledge on priority interests; and Promoter: BABIP promotes and celebrates African American culture and heritage.

5 Program Strategies BABIP s core work falls within three over arching priorities: Influencing Philanthropy Serving Our Members Investing in Black Community Influencing Philanthropy is at the center of BABIP s efforts. To be a visible, active, informed, and effective participant in the philanthropic community, BABIP is engaged in the critical dialogues and debates that will inevitably affect our core constituents and communities. To sustain BABIP s leadership and influence in the field, the nucleus of BABIP s activity is focused on creating learning communities around the following themes: Civic Engagement: How do we increase civic engagement in poor Black communities? Educational Achievement Gap: How do we create a culture of learning and achievement among Black youth? Black Men and Boys: What is the nature of services, supports, and policies that need to be in place to empower Black men? The Economy and Jobs: How do we equip African Americans to be successful in the new economy? Health and Environment: How do we improve health and environmental standards in the Black community? Race and Poverty: How do we talk about and better address issues of race and racism in philanthropy? Nonprofit Capacity Building: How can we best leverage our roles to help rebuild and strengthen the nonprofit infrastructure in Black neighborhoods? Black Arts and Culture: How does the Bay Area support the visibility and viability of Black artists and cultural institutions?

6 Our learning communities are structured around two recurring events: a President s Circle, a bi-monthly in depth thematic conversation led by executive level staff and other experts and the Grantmaker s Forum, a nuts and bolts dialogue highlighting current and prospective program initiatives that fall within BAPIP s learning interests. Annual Convening: Once per year, BABIP brings together the philanthropic community with community based organizations and donors to network, build capacity, and identify common needs and concerns. Outcomes from this convening serve to inform future BABIP programming. Discussion Series: Beginning in 2009, BABIP will host a multi-part dialogue in conjunction with its other philanthropic partners entitled: The Future of the Dream: The Economy, Race, and Civil Rights. Serving our members is a foundational element to the work that we do. Relying on the active participation of its members to advance its mission, BABIP recognizes its responsibility to provide high quality services and programming to its membership. By becoming a member of BABIP you are not only joining a circle of progressive and talented philanthropic professionals with the opportunity for peer-to-peer learning, cutting-edge dialogue, mentorships, and professional development, you will also be aligned with a network dedicated to sharing its skills and expertise with local Black communities and institutions. Investing in Black communities has been an on-going concern for BABIP. Throughout its history, BABIP has been particularly sensitive to the capacity requirements of grassroots organizations and traditionally hosts workshops that introduce communities to the philanthropic sector. The continued erosion of nonprofit infrastructure in Black neighborhoods however has caused BABIP to take a more systematic look at the management and program capacity requirements necessary for effective service delivery and policy advocacy. Going forward, BABIP will become a repository for promising practices and offer new capacity building tools including leadership fellowships, mentoring, executive director cohorts, and various intermediary functions to strengthen and rebuild the fragile systems currently serving Black communities.

7 BABIP Board of Directors Co-Chairs Colin Lacon, Northern California Grantmakers Jamillah Washington Weaver, The San Francisco Foundation Peggy Baltazar, Marin Community Foundation Cedric Brown, Mitchell Kapor Foundation Angela Jones, Northern California Grantmakers Eric Mc Donnell, United Way of the Bay Area Retha Robinson, The San Francisco Foundation Director Bettie Hodges BABIP Affiliations In addition to collaborating with Asian American/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, Hispanics in Philanthropy and other affinity groups, BABIP works closely with the Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE), its national counterpart, on a common social change agenda.

8 Bay Area Blacks in Philanthropy 200 Pine Street, Suite 700, San Francisco, CA Phone: Fax: