Prize for Parent Organizing

Prize for Parent Organizing Program Overview The ZOOM Foundation s new Prize for Parent Organizing supports nonprofit organizations inspired by the potential of parent power to contribute to the achievement of educational equity in Connecticut. Up to five selected organizations will each receive two capacity-building grants over the course of two years (totaling $100,000-$200,000) to develop and implement a parent organizing strategy in a Connecticut city or neighborhood. Organizing staff will be further supported through a leadership and professional development program. To encourage local support for organizing work, these organizations will also be eligible for a grassroots fundraising matching grant. Near the conclusion of the two-year program, one organization from this group will be awarded the Prize itself: a $150,000 grant that recognizes achievement in successfully implementing an effective parent organizing strategy. Background: Connecticut has the largest educational achievement gap in the country. The ZOOM Foundation has invested in organizations that endeavor to cause significant, lasting change and generate momentum in closing this gap. We believe that all children should have equal access to an excellent education so as to achieve their individual potential and our communities depend on it. Too many families suffer the ill effects of poverty and racism and do not have equal access to the skills, opportunities and support necessary to exit poverty, achieve their personal dreams and fully participate in our democracy. In Connecticut, children of color and those in poverty do not have sustained access to high quality teachers and schools. This directly affects their future, as well as the future of our nation. Connecticut can make sustainable gains in closing the achievement and opportunity gaps, but only if we invest in the development of local leaders and their collective action for great public schools. Approach and Purpose: The Prize for Parent Organizing will explore community organizing as a vehicle for empowering parents ( parents meaning any adult responsible for students) from underserved areas. We believe there is pent-up demand among parents and inadequate channels for their engagement as powerful change agents in their schools and communities. Through our grantmaking experience in the field of education, we have observed that many potential leaders who might be agents of change for themselves and their communities are simply under-developed, under-resourced and unheard. Increased organized participation among low-income parents in the democratic process would benefit our communities and has been proven to have positive effects on student achievement, district capacity and the engagement of both parents and students. So that leadership builds among parents who are directly affected by underperforming schools in multiple cities, talented professional organizers must work to find, test and develop community leaders. The job of the organizer is to help individuals acquire power the ability to act, with agency and capacity, to make an impact. Organizers prioritize developing the person and helping them build his or 1

her power. They listen and help individuals find common ground and purpose, building organizations that maximize the power of all involved. They work with these emerging leaders by sharing information, asking questions, defining problems and solutions, arranging training, evaluating progress and reflecting on lessons. The beloved community of which Dr. King spoke, rather than something we reach some day in the future, may be something we experience a little bit every day while, as creative community organizers, we walk and work towards it. -Si Kahn s Creative Community Organizing: A Guide for Rabble-Rousers, Activists, & Quiet Lovers of Justice In organizing, the issues to be addressed are identified by the parent leaders themselves. That is, while the goal of the program is educational equity, we are agnostic to the specific issues that the organized parents may choose to address. Instead, we are focused on learning from parents and organizers and in growing the capacity of education-focused community organizers in the state. This program is meant to be a learning opportunity for all involved, including our Foundation staff and Trustees, grantees and other interested parties. We will learn about organizing in Connecticut, about the strengths of the current field, and what it takes to do quality organizing work. About the Prize Program: Threshold Requirements Nonprofit organizations of any size with operations in Connecticut may apply. Organizations with prior experience in community organizing will be favorably considered. The single most important selection criterion is the high potential of an organization to create and execute a realistic, yet aspirational, strategy for organizing parents. This strategy should contain a thoughtful implementation plan for measuring outputs and outcomes. In order to qualify, applicants must: Submit a completed application by the stated deadline of August 28 th at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Be a 501(c)(3)-designated organization or have secured a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor by the fall of 2015. Demonstrate organizational capacity to organize primarily low-income, diverse populations in the state of Connecticut. Selection Criteria Experience in Community Organizing: Although experience in parent organizing, specifically, is not required, most organizations selected for the program will demonstrate at least some experience in general community organizing. 2

Parent Organizing Implementation Plan: The most important part of the application; all applicants must craft a thoughtful implementation plan detailing how they will organize parents in a Connecticut city or neighborhood. In addition to addressing the questions listed in the application, successful applicants will describe their approach to the two following specific areas of inquiry referenced in Part II of the application: The ZOOM Foundation is interested in understanding the degree to which learning about and experiencing high quality schools makes a difference in parent leadership development, activism, issue selection, and collective action. It is expected that parents will define what high quality means. We expect applicants, therefore, to build opportunities for such learning, including site visits, into their implementation plan. The ZOOM Foundation is also interested in learning about current voter registration efforts in organizing as a means for greater democratic participation. It is expected that applicants will outline voter registration efforts in their implementation plan. Long-Term Focus: Achieving educational equity in Connecticut requires a long-term commitment. Therefore, applicants should demonstrate their long-term commitment to parent organizing beyond the two-year duration of the program. Commitment to Personal and Organizational Learning: The success of this program hinges on a commitment to leadership development, for both the organizers who participate in regular organizer cohort convenings and for parents who will become community leaders through your organizing efforts. We seek an organizational openness to learning and a commitment to continuous improvement. Integrative and Innovative Thinking: Community organizing requires the creative utilization of diverse local resources. Applicants should highlight their unique assets and demonstrate how their intended approach might differ from that of other organizations. The following approaches are considered ineligible: Efforts focused solely on charter schools, or choice. Efforts solely using mobilizing tactics or advocacy. Statewide organizing; a statewide focus is too broad for our program at this time. Efforts focused solely on youth organizing. Live Pitch: Selected organizations will be invited, based on review of their written application, to make an in-person presentation. The pitch session will afford you approximately 10 minutes to pitch your parent organizing plan, your organization and yourself. The selection committee (see below) will be your audience and will have the opportunity to ask you follow-up questions. In order to help selected applicants make the most of this opportunity, a practice pitch session will be offered. Additional information will be made available to selected applicants. 3

Program Benefits Capacity-building Grants: Organizations may apply for two capacity-building grants, one per program year, not to exceed $100,000 each. Therefore, an organization s total capacity-building grant eligibility is not to exceed $200,000 over the two-year duration of the program. These funds are to be used for executing the organization s parent organizing plan and may cover relevant staff and other costs. The second year of grant funding will be made available only if the organization is making adequate progress on its implementation plan, as measured by mutually-agreed upon metrics. This stipulation will be further described in an award agreement presented to selected organizations. Grassroots Fundraising Matching Grants: During the two-year program, when an organization can demonstrate success in raising funds in the form of new gifts made by local donors, The ZOOM Foundation will provide a 1:1 match of up to $50,000. The purpose of this match is to encourage organizations and their memberships to invest in themselves. Additional details about the matching grant opportunity will be shared with selected organizations. Participation in Organizing Cohort: Active participation in an Organizer s Peer Learning Cohort focusing on leadership development, skills-building, mutual support, and lesson-sharing amongst participants is a requirement of funding. Organizers will meet for facilitated half-day sessions (approximately) each month for the two-year duration of the program at locations across the state of Connecticut. At select points during the program, the Executive Directors of selected organizations will be asked to participate in convenings, covering topics such as program measurement and evaluation. If organizations are hiring new organizing staff in order to execute their implementation plan, organizers will join these convenings once on-boarded. Content experts will be engaged to provide skills training or knowledge as determined by the needs and interests of the cohort. Possible topics include: Organizing skills, models and approaches. Effective voter registration. Effective practices of high-impact nonprofit organizations. Building a local fundraising program. Culturally competent organizing. Effective leadership development. Supporting and developing organizers. Individualized Coaching for Organizers: Lead organizers will have access to regular 1-on-1 coaching from a seasoned organizer. Organizers will work with their coach to strengthen their organizing practice. The timing and topics of these coaching sessions will be determined between the pair after an organization s selection into the Prize program. At ZOOM, we think about coaching as a designed partnership that helps you move from where you are to where you want to be. A coach assists you in becoming clearer, more focused, and helps you to be accountable for progress. Coaching is an ongoing relationship that accelerates your learning, your performance and your progress. Our coaches begin with a strengths-based approach; the assumption is that you can build on your strengths to be a great organizer and leader. 4

The Prize: Near the conclusion of the two-year program, one organization from the cohort group will be awarded the Prize itself: a grant of $150,000 that will recognize achievement in successfully implementing an effective parent organizing strategy. Additional details about the Prize opportunity will be shared with selected organizations. Future Funding: While not guaranteed, additional funding may be available to those organizations that successfully complete the two-year program and demonstrate significant achievement in organizing Connecticut parents. Application Timeline The ZOOM Foundation will host an information webinar on August 21, 2015, to further introduce the Prize for Parent Organizing and to answer the questions of potential applicants. Attending this webinar is not a requirement of the application process. A registration link for this webinar will be posted on The ZOOM Foundation s website. Interested organizations must submit a complete application, available for download at www.zoomfoundation.org, by August 28, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. In September, a sub-set of applicants will be invited to pitch their strategy to a selection panel made up of civic leaders from across the state. During this pitch, organizations will make a ten minute presentation and respond to ten minutes of questions from the selection panel. Final decisions will be made by September 30, 2015. Date August 21, 2015 August 28, 2015 September 4, 2015 September 17, 2015 September 23, 2015 September 30, 2015 Application Component Informational Webinar (Optional) Application Deadline Status Notification Practice Pitch Session (Optional) Pitch Session (Mandatory) Final Selection Notification Program Selection Committee The following five individuals make up the selection committee for The ZOOM Foundation s Prize for Parent Organizing: Erik Clemons: Erik is CEO and President of ConnCAT, an organization he established in New Haven in 2011. The Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology, ConnCAT, is a post-secondary career training hub committed to connecting a world-class facility and resources to local need. Currently ConnCAT provides market-relevant job training and placement services to under and unemployed adults and multimedia arts education to 5

under-achieving youth from low-income families. Erik has devoted his career to empowering marginalized communities across the state of Connecticut and helping others see their own potential and power. Prior to founding ConnCAT, Erik served as the Connecticut Executive Director of the premier national youth development organization Leadership, Education, and Athletics in Partnership (LEAP), which provides innovative academic and social enrichment programs to youth ranging from the ages of five to 23. Erik has also served as Director of Vocational Training at the U.S. Department of Labor s New Haven Job Corps Center. A lifelong Connecticut resident, Erik volunteers significant time and energy in supporting other organizations doing good work in the local community. He currently serves on numerous boards including: New Haven Legal Aid, CT Voices for Children, and Board Chairman of the Housing Authority of New Haven. Erik was chosen in 2015 as a Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow. He is a proud father of four daughters who are New Haven Public School graduates. Andrea Comer: Andrea Comer is Executive Director of The Connecticut Business & Industry Association s Education Foundation. In this role, Andrea stewards the efforts of CBIA s nonprofit affiliate, which is responsible for promoting the development of Connecticut s workforce through education and training, particularly as it relates to the manufacturing and energy sectors. In addition, she leads a committed team of professionals who facilitate partnerships with educational institutions, government entities and sector-related business groups to ensure that Connecticut has a competitive, highly skilled workforce. A former member of the Hartford and State Boards of Education, Andrea has spent the past two decades working to improve the lives of children and strengthen communities. Prior to joining CBIA, Andrea served as Chief Development Officer for an education management organization, where she oversaw communications, strategic planning and development. She has also worked in various municipal government roles and as a consultant for the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities. Andrea currently serves on the boards of the Connecticut Employment and Training Commission, Teach for America Connecticut, the Urban League of Greater Hartford, and Capital Community College Foundation. She also serves on various legislative committees dealing with higher education and minority teacher recruitment. A journalism major, Andrea was an award-winning writer for the Hartford Courant and has volunteered with countless campaigns and organizations. Her community efforts have been recognized by the CT Commission on Children, the YMCA, the Urban League of Greater Hartford and the CT NAACP, which named her among the 100 Most Influential Blacks in the State. Lynne Ide: Lynne joined the Universal Healthcare Foundation in January 2006 to coordinate the healthcare4every1 campaign and currently serves as the Foundation s Director of Program and Policy. The Foundation s mission is to serve as a catalyst that engages residents and communities in shaping a health system that provides universal access to quality health care and promotes health in Connecticut. Lynne is responsible for the development, coordination and execution of the Foundation s health care policy, advocacy, outreach and education efforts, consumer engagement, convening partners and grant-making strategy. 6

Under her leadership, the Foundation s healthcare4every1 campaign galvanized a broad-based coalition that pushed for the passage of landmark health care reform legislation which was passed into law in 2009. Prior to joining the Foundation, Lynne served as Associate Director of the Connecticut Housing Coalition, Director of the Legislative Electoral Action Program (LEAP), and Director of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG). She has been involved in community organizing and issue advocacy in Connecticut since 1981. She resides in Willimantic. David Sailer: David has a long career in mission-driven organizations in labor, education reform, and organizing. He served as the Chief Program Officer at Families for Excellent Schools, where he led organizing, advocacy and campaign work across several states. Previously, David led the Leadership Effective and Development (LEAD) Program at the Service Employees International Union, working with local unions across the country on organizational change initiatives and strategic campaigns. While at SEIU, he also started and ran a $7 million shared services company to provide best-in-class financial and member services to local unions and non-profit organizations across the country. He started his career as an organizer with the Clothing and Textile Workers Union (the Norma Rae union), leading campaigns with African American and Latino workers across the country and in Central America. He earned his B.A. from Wesleyan University and a Masters in Organizational Development and Leadership from Fielding Graduate University. Liz Torres: Liz is passionate about community development and providing high quality affordable housing to people that need it most. She is a product of subsidized housing and knows firsthand the stability that affordable housing provides a family and child, and is driven to ensure that others have the same opportunity as she did. When Liz joined Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust (BNT) in 2005, she was the only full-time staff member. Ten years later, she is the executive director of a staff of eighteen and managing millions in federal, state, local and private funds. Prior to BNT, Liz gained experience in the affordable housing development field working for a national community development organization (The Community Builders) for ten years. Today, Liz leads BNT to transform targeted neighborhoods into communities of choice where families want to live, work, and invest. She is responsible for expanding BNT s operations to include the development and management of affordable housing and other programs like BNT s Homeownership Academy which offers pre-purchase homeownership education and foreclosure prevention services. Under her leadership, BNT has become the leading community development organization in Bridgeport; completing 169 housing units representing millions in community investment, managing 110 of these units providing affordable housing to 275 adults and children, and assisting hundreds of families to achieve homeownership or avoid foreclosure. Liz remains active in her community and has been involved in the City of New Haven Capital Project Committee, Casa Otonal, New Haven Board of Education (BOE), Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition, CT Trust for Historic Preservation, and Great Oaks Charter School. Currently she serves on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Housing Coalition. 7

Program Staff and Consultants Meghan Lowney: Meghan is the founding Executive Director of The ZOOM Foundation, a Connecticut family foundation that focuses its philanthropic investments on innovative change efforts that have the high potential for sustainable, scalable impact, especially in the areas of education, the environment and leadership development. Among other initiatives, Meghan launched the ZOOM Fellowship Program in 2012 to create action-oriented learning opportunities for emerging public policy and social change leaders. The Fellowship intends to develop a sustainable public service leadership pipeline in Connecticut and to add value to Connecticut s public policy efforts as a result of Fellows contributions. In 2014, the Foundation partnered with Echoing Green to launch a Climate Fellows program specifically targeted for next-generation social entrepreneurs committed to working on innovations in mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Previously, Meghan founded Ripple Effect Consulting, a leadership and organizational development company specializing in services to enhance social impact. Meghan founded and now continues to oversee under the auspices of The ZOOM Foundation, the Leadership Development Roundtable (LDR), a professional development program geared to developing a powerful movement of focused nonprofit leaders working to affect social change in Connecticut. Prior to this, Meghan served for ten years as the Executive Director of Operation Hope in Fairfield, a nonprofit providing innovative solutions to homelessness. In recognition of her work, Fairfield University bestowed upon her an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2007. Meghan currently serves on the boards of the Connecticut News Project, Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, Excel Bridgeport, and Public Square Partnership. Meghan earned her B.A. from Boston College and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Connecticut. Justin Goldbach: Justin is the Founder and Managing Director of Social Strategy Associates LLC, a strategic philanthropy and social impact consultancy based in New York City. He has worked closely with over a dozen foundations and corporations to enhance their community investment activities. Previously, Justin served as Director of Corporate Social Engagement at Changing Our World, an agency of Omnicom Group Inc. There, he advised clients such as Arizona Public Service, The CarMax Foundation, ConocoPhillips, FedEx, and more. Justin speaks at conferences around the world on topics related to strategic philanthropy and corporate social responsibility. In the fall of 2015, Justin will be speaking at the Social Responsibility Forum in Madrid, Spain, and the National Forum on Family Philanthropy in Seattle, Washington. Justin was a founding member of the Aspen Institute s Center for Business Education, where he worked to integrate social, environmental and ethical thinking into business school curricula. He founded and continues to direct the Aspen Institute s annual Business & Society International MBA Case Competition, which is currently sponsored by companies such as BNY Mellon and Lockheed Martin. 8

Justin holds a B.A. from New York University and an M.Sc. in Public Policy from the London School of Economics. Additional Information Should you have any questions, please email assistant@zoomfoundation.org. Thank you for your interest in The ZOOM Foundation s Prize for Parent Organizing! 9

Schedule of Organizer s Peer Learning Cohort Meetings The lead organizer is required to attend each session and actively participate. In addition, the executive director is required to attend specific sessions where the content is deemed particularly valuable to the organization as a whole. Our aim is to ensure that the organizer is not alone in his or her learning, but that the organization itself benefits. Our experience leads us to conclude that an executive director s participation may further help bring ideas and learnings back to the organization. The first year s cohort meetings are listed below. Sessions requiring the executive director s participation are marked with an *. NOTE: Changes to these dates may occur; additional dates may be added. Date Activity October 23, 2015, 9am 1pm Convening #1* November 13, 2015, 9am 1pm Convening #2* January 22, 2016, 9am 1pm Convening #3 February 19, 2016, 9am 1pm Convening #4 March 18, 2016, 9am 1pm Convening #5 April 15, 2016, 9am 1pm Convening #6 May 20, 2016, 9am 1pm Convening #7 June 17, 2016, 9am 1pm Convening #8 July 22, 2016, 9am 1pm Convening #9 August 14, 2016, 9am 3pm Year 1 Presentations and Celebratory Lunch* 10