Providing New Resources: Ideas and Tools to Help Funders Invest in Neighboring

Are you wondering how you can help a neighborhood rejuvenate its community life, help families find and keep housing, or provide kids with after-school mentoring activities?

Grants are a key neighborhood development strategy. Neighboring initiatives -- resident-driven programs and volunteer efforts -- have the potential, not only to meet critical local needs, but also connect the community volunteers to the skills. Funders have a stake in seeing the success of service projects that spring from community interest and expertise, strengthening families and transforming neighborhoods. If you are considering creating a grant opportunity, remember that neighborhood development should begin with a place and asset-based approach that builds upon the strengths of the community, and leverages existing political, human, and financial capital . In such effective grantmaking, residents and community leaders are at the forefront of identifying issues and planning responses.

Following are some ideas for funders interested in investing in communities to impact low-income children and families through neighborhood and volunteer based solutions.

• Learn more about the Neighborhood Funders Group, a national network of foundations and philanthropic organizations, who support community-based efforts that improve economic and social conditions in low-income communities. NFG provides information, learning opportunities, critical thinking, and other professional development activities to its members.
• Contact the National Rural Funders Collaborative, a partnership working to expand resources for rural communities and families facing persistent poverty. NRFC's goal is to leverage $100 million in resources to strengthen and sustain regional strategies for rural community transformation and to build the field by strengthening rural practices, expanding philanthropy, and advancing policy change.
• Learn more about the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Place Based Philanthropy Initiative, which aims to identify and partner with like-minded foundations to increase philanthropic resources -- both financial and human -- that advance the mission of improving results for disadvantaged children and their families. They support the development and testing of innovative approaches and broker ideas, relationships, and opportunities, which turn into strong, locally-led alliances in identifiable places around the country that improve results for disadvantaged children and their families.
• Contact your local Volunteer Center, community foundation, and United Way to learn more about their activities in your community.
• Invite community groups, advocates, and residents to share with you what programs are working in their community. Invite them to serve as advisors to your initiatives.
• Review the following publications from the Points of Light Foundation:
  • Leveraged Grantmaking: Challenging Funders and Programs to Sustain National Service
  • Improve Your Philanthropic Portfolio: A Guide to Investing in Volunteer Resource Management

If you are a funder, you may be wondering what kinds of family strengthening initiatives already exist. Here are some examples of neighborhood-based grants for you to investigate, and inspire your interest to become part of the solution.

• Myers Foundation
• Community Foundation Silicon Valley
• Peninsula Community Foundation
• Department of Neighborhoods, City of Seattle, Washington
• The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
• Community Foundation of Greater Memphis

Visit our website for examples of how extraordinary people, organizations, and businesses successfully implement the neighboring concept to strengthen families and empower communities.