Adopting Grantee-Friendly Practices aimed at Impact!

This spring, Central Texas Education Funders and Austin Area Foundations, co-sponsored a session about the potential power of philanthropy's role in improving the nonprofit sector's effectiveness. At this joint meeting, funders learned about Project Streamline, a national movement where grantmakers and grantseekers are working together to improve the grant application and reporting process. On a local level, the meeting highlighted various CTEF "Common" grantmaking tools that have been adopted and used by several funders in the region.

The objectives of this session included:

• Learning about collaborative efforts, at a national and local-level, where grantmakers and nonprofits work together to improve grant processes;
• Understanding how local funders are using the "Common" grantmaking tools aimed at alleviating the administrative burden of nonprofits and free up more time and money for mission based activities; and
• Discussing ways Central Texas can continue to implement best practices in grantmaking to help grantseekers achieve their goals.

For further information on this event, view the presentation slides on CTEF's website. And if you haven't done so already, take a close review at the Common Grantmaking Tools, specifically the Application, Report, Indicators and Giving Profile to see how your funder colleagues around Central Texas are fostering change to elevate nonprofit impact!

Central Texas District Spotlight: Austin ISD & Office of Innovation and Development

Shirley Heitzman, Executive Director of the Office of Innovation and Development for Austin Independent School District (AISD) was invited to contribute as a guest blogger to share highlights of February's CTEF meeting with Dr. Carstarphen. Heitzman leads AISD's partnership and resource development efforts to improve educational outcomes in a district of over 86,000 students.



Photo courtesy of AISD.

This last February, CTEF membership met with  Austin Independent School District’s Superintendent, Meria Carstarphen and Austin Corporate Investors Network members to discuss high interest topics including current successes and challenges in the District, as well as answer questions on topics of interest to the group. More information on the State of the District can be found here. 

Austin is an amazing city, topping the charts of the greatest place to live, run a business and to raise kids. How else can we become the top? We can be number one in education by increasing the number of students who graduate from our public schools through strengthening our student support systems and by increasing community support.



Image courtesy of AISD.



We all have a stake in public education. It is the most important investment that we can make as a community for the future health and prosperity of our city, state and nation. As a community, we need to determine the quality of education we demand for our kids. We need to ask ourselves whether we have the courage and community will to adequately invest in our school and in our children’s education for the future.



How can you contribute and invest in the future of our students and community to continue making Austin great and opportunities greater? Although AISD is currently on sound financial footing, the financial crisis in education remains and additional, tough cuts will have to be made in the coming years. AISD anticipates the need to secure an additional $30 million in private funding over the next three years to continue to provide new delivery models, improve the overall school and district climate for learning and develop academic achievement and support strategies for special populations through accelerated and differentiated instruction. AISD is humbly asking you to help support and fund these innovative strategies to increase student achievement in the areas such as the Arts, Pre-K, expanding Literacy, and High Dosage Tutoring.



While celebrating our diversity, AISD also embraces the challenges of providing excellent education to all of those students in our ever changing demographic. AISD wants to get operations, partnerships and innovations right for ALL of our students, so that AISD can be used as the standard against which urban public education are measured.

To learn more on how to strategically partner with AISD, visit The Office of Innovation and Development. Equally, visit AISD's webpage to learn more details on AISD programs. It is through vibrant, community collaborations that AISD is successful in preparing students for college, career and life.

Saving Philanthropy screening in Austin!

The blog entry below is authored by Kate Robinson, executive producer of Saving Philanthropy. Coupling her passion in film and capturing the vital work of the social sector, Kate and her team set their quest to illustrate how nonprofits think about managing an outcomes strategy and key components it takes to create an outcomes culture that nonprofits and philanthropists can embrace. Saving Philanthropy will screen in Austin, Texas on February 14, 2012 and will feature an interactive seminar for nonprofit professionals after the showing.

Do you wonder if your philanthropic work is having the effect you want? Are you drowning in data? Do you want real evidence of progress but are struggling with how to measure it? If so, mark your calendar on VALENTINE'S DAY to join your nonprofit colleagues at the showing of Saving Philanthropy: Resources to Results Workshop at the Austin Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar!

Hi I'm Kate, life-time nonprofiteer and producer of Saving Philanthropy, a film highlighting the art, science and stories of nonprofit organizations striving towards the evidence of impact. I can honestly say the questions posed above are the very questions I find myself pondering and I know I am not alone. We made this film for leaders of nonprofit organizations and foundations who want to know if their efforts are effective, but are struggling with how to measure it. To date, the film has screened in 23 cities across the country and in Canada reaching thousands of nonprofit professionals who grapple with ensuring program effectiveness. Needless to say, the response has been overwhelming.

I am incredibly encouraged by how helpful people find the film and by the spirited discussions that invariably follow to help communities openly discuss the roadblocks and opportunities for supporting positive outcomes. It’s truly an honor to screen the film in my hometown of Austin and feature local high-performing organizations showcased in the film. Ananda Moss and Jill Nilson from Southwest Key Programs will be sharing their theory of change model and processes for collecting and assessing the right data and Isaac Castillo, from Child Trends, will discuss what happens when you discover a program isn't working. Outcome measurement is here to stay, and the nonprofit sector and the individuals it serves will be better for it.

Check out Kate's interview for the Foundation Center talking about her inspiration for the film!

Join nonprofit colleagues from: Urban Connection, AnyBaby Can, Breakthrough Austin, Center for Public Policy Priorities, Communities In Schools of Central Texas, Front Steps, Greenlights for Nonprofit Success , Hospice Austin, KDK-Harman Foundation, LifeWorks, Southwest Key Programs, Austin Film Society, and OneStar Foundation to explore ways of improving philanthropy and effectiveness in our sector. Aligned with the efforts of Central Texas Education Funders Common Indicator Initiative, I hope you will join in this interactive learning session!

Is CTEF adding value to YOUR education grantmaking?...Key findings of Membership Survey

Earlier this summer, CTEF Steering Committee launched a member survey to learn more deeply on why funders engage in CTEF, ranging from event attendance, service on subcommittees and utilization of CTEF tools and communications. Twenty-five of CTEF's over sixty grantmaking entities completed the survey.

Survey results are in, and we want to share them with you!

Below are a snapshot of the survey findings. These results are important as they give a sneak peek into how CTEF is using this data to guide the direction of its year-round programming, outreach efforts, key initiatives, such as the Common Application, Indicators & Report, and offerings on CTEF Website!

CTEF Member Spotlight: San Antonio Area Funders build the capacity of nonprofit sector

Late last week, San Antonio unveiled its inaugural "Capacity Camp" for its nonprofit community - education, health and human service and arts programs. Below is a guest blog from CTEF members, Francesca Rattray, VP of Center for Nonprofit Support and Sandie Palomo-Gonzalez, PhD, Asst. VP of Grants and Programs, San Antonio Area Foundation.

The San Antonio Area Foundation has taken exciting steps in the area of building nonprofit excellence. First, in 2010, the Area Foundation established the Center for Nonprofit Support, which offers workshops, customized training and technical assistance to help nonprofits get the tools they need to achieve their missions more efficiently in the community. 

Then, after engaging in conversations with community leaders and conducting best practices research to determine how best to use our discretaionary dollars to maximize impact in the community, the Area Foundation announced a new multi-year grantmaking initiative to strengthen nonprofits and help agencies better fulfill their missions in 2011. 

The application process has two phases.  First, nonprofits submit an application for funding to take the Core Capacity Assessment Tool or CCAT, a tool that helps agencies identify strengths as well as areas for organizational improvement.  The Organizational Assessment grant provides agencies with a unique opportunity to engage in an assessment process, use the CCAT as a springboard for strategic conversations between board, leadership and staff, and then create a plan for strengthening the organizational based on the assessment results. 

Nonprofits can then apply for funding for a project that will strengthen their agency -- so long as the project aligns with a  need identified in the CCAT.  In this second phase, nonprofits can request funding for outside support from consultants, trainers, or organizational coaches or for professional development or training workshops to build their capacity.

While the CCAT helps take the guesswork out of identifying training or consulting needs, finding “capacity building” services and the providers offering them in the marketplace can be challenging. 

To make the process easier, the Area Foundation hosted its first “Capacity Camp,” on September 14.  The Camp featured a presentation by the TCC Group, the organization that administers the CCAT, followed by a “capacity fair,” which gave nonprofits the opportunity to “shop” for capacity building services and learn firsthand about the services provided by some of the consultants, trainers and coaches in the community – including the Area Foundation’s Center for Nonprofit Support. 

The presentation and fair, attended by more than 100 nonprofits and 15 “capacity-builders,” demonstrated the range and diversity of services that nonprofits can utilize to take their organizations to the next level.

October 17 is the next deadline to submit an application for the Area Foundation’s Strengthening Nonprofit grantmaking initiative.  Visit www.saafdn.org for more information.