Mariella Puerto

Harvard Climate Action Week is coming! This is always an exciting opportunity to hear directly from climate experts, leaders, and stakeholders as they work to address the complexity of the climate crisis. There will be in-person events as well as offerings for online participation. #HarvardClimateActionWeek #ClimateActionAccelerator #SalataInstitute #Sustainability #ClimateCrisis

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We can't say enough how important democracy work is to climate progress. In a piece for Inside Philanthropy this week, foundation leaders Cathy Cha and Ralph Lewin remind us that "the strength of democracy — whether at the local, state or national level — has huge impacts on the ability of all funders and our nonprofit partners to deliver results on any issue and for any community." We see the impact of lack of representation across the South, from city councils and state regulatory agencies that greenlight polluting industry at the expense of residents' health, to a rash of state-level voter suppression and anti-protest laws that make it ever harder for Black, Brown, and Indigenous people to be heard. Supporting fair elections, accessible public processes, and engaged and energized voters needs to be all of our business. https://lnkd.in/g-vPep6r

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💡 If you work with non-profits, then it’s no secret that it's getting harder and harder for them to reach their fundraising objectives. As a foundation or fonds de dotation (French endowment fund) a simple way help is to provide multi-year funding.   👇This article from KV Philanthropy Consulting offers a few insights as multi-year vs one-off donations and what impacts they can have for both associations and foundations. Don’t hesitate to let me know what you think! (Vous trouvez également la version française via le lien ci-dessous) #Donation #Multiyear #foundation #fondsdedotation #nonprofit #charity #association #grantmaking #fundraising #philanthropy

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The #ClimateCrisis has never been higher in our awareness, yet charitable donations to environmental organizations have dropped over the last few years. Daniel Stein, the founder of Giving Green, and I sat down with Alison Stine, at the Nonprofit Quarterly to discuss the challenges and opportunities in climate philanthropy, meaningful giving strategies, and the importance of donor trust to address the underfunding of climate policy advocacy and tech innovation. Together, we are working to highlight high-impact climate organizations on Charity Navigator. #GivingGreen #ClimateChange #Philanthropy https://lnkd.in/eEyuvyMY

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These recommendations are much of what we support through the Healthy Communities Delaware network! Join us in investing in place-based, community-driven efforts to improve health, well-being and equity across Delaware, along with the State of Delaware, Highmark Health, Nemours, DuPont, and Discover Financial Services. Both public and private investors have "a role to play as an empowering source to support place-based partnerships and continue to advance equity. Here, we offer five areas for support, among many others.  - Supporting “offense” and “defense”:  First, partnerships need funding to design and pursue long-term, innovative, asset-based, community-driven strategies — so collaboratives can pursue both “offense” and “defense” in the long-term work of advancing racial progress and justice. These strategies can surface a bold vision for the future, be informed by assessment and understanding of the local equity policy and cultural environment, and determine the legal support needed to defend and advance this vision. - Collaborative infrastructure: Funders can also resource the collaborative infrastructure needed to move these strategies forward — including facilitation, ongoing research and data work, and community engagement. - Communications and narrative change: Funders can back communications and narrative change work, focused on strategic messaging, stakeholder engagement, and building the narrative infrastructure necessary to both preempt and coordinate timely responses to attacks on DEI and equity-oriented efforts.  - Wellness for leaders: Philanthropy can support wellness for leaders fighting for this work, especially leaders of color who may not have access to supportive networks and resources that can prioritize rest and wellbeing as necessary. - Peer learning and support: Philanthropy can support peer learning spaces where practitioners share challenges and promising practices, collaborate to address issues in rapidly changing contexts, and foster a sense of community to mitigate burnout." #equity #wellbeing #vitalconditions #netde Nicholas Moriello, Rita Landgraf, Stuart Comstock-Gay, Yendelela Cuffee, Tesha Quail, Denée C., Natalie Di Sabatino, Sequoia Rent, Amy Walls, Yvette Santiago, Meghan Walls, PsyD

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Eskin Fundraising Training's 121st Non-Profit Empowerment Series Webinar on “Protecting the Earth” featured Zak Smith, Senior Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council. Key take-aways: (1) We are in the midst of two existential crises -- the biodiversity crisis and the climate crisis, which are so intertwined they are essentially one crisis. (2) More than 1 million species are threatened with extinction, many within decades, and humanity depends on high functioning and abundant with wildlife ecosystems to produce the foundations of clean air, clean water, food security, crop pollination, and flood control. (3) The five drivers of nature’s decline, in order of impact, are -- changes in land and sea use, direct exploitation of species, climate change, pollution, and invasive species. (4) Transformative change will disrupt these drivers, meaning a fundamental, system-wide reorganization across technological, economic and social factors. (5) The only way we’re going to save our planet and ourselves is if we firmly break with the failed systems of the past and embark on a new human journey. A recording will be posted within 24 hours. The webinar series continues May 29th, 4 to 5 p.m., Central time, on “Live, Love, Laugh and Connect” featuring Marjorie Hope, Author, CONNECTIPLOMACY.

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In a clip from our recent webinar on worker self-directed nonprofits, Faye Christoforo of the New England Grassroots Environmental Fund offers concrete strategies for how nonprofits can be managed by their workers, including how to design decision-making: https://bit.ly/3z2Zdc0

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Schoolyard Forest Design Lecture Series next week!! #schoolyardforest design!

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“One Community is maximizing sustainable benefit for the "The Highest Good of All." Our holistic approach encompasses sustainable practices in food, energy, housing, education, for-profit and non-profit economic design, social architecture, fulfilled living, global stewardship practices, and more. Beyond building a community, we're creating a replicable model set to establish teacher/demonstration hubs globally. Everything we create is open source and free-shared, evolving sustainability, and regenerating our planet. Join us on this journey towards a brighter, more sustainable future, created by an all-volunteer team. This is the June 17th, 2024 edition (#587) of our weekly progress update detailing our team’s development and accomplishments.” #Planet #Sustainability #Community #Design #Globalization #HowTo #Living #SocialArchitecture #Permaculture #ClimateChange #Regeneration #OpenSource #GlobalSustainability

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At TPI, we work with many clients who are passionate about #environmental and #climate initiatives. For any #funders who want to get involved with such work, check out this insightful piece published by Inside Philanthropy to learn more on how #philanthropy can advance #sustainable solutions, strengthen #communities and the workforce, and disrupt environmental harm. 🌎 https://lnkd.in/eZMDCz7k

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𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝...  Social Finance are partnering with the Healey Administration to create the Massachusetts Climate Careers Fund. This will be an outcomes-based workforce fund designed to fill climate workforce gaps, increase access to economic mobility for workers, and support a diverse clean energy workforce. It's great to see more being done to help fill the skills gap in the Climate Tech space and hopefully we will see more of these types of funds being started! What do you think about this new fund? Any other cool developments you've seen in this space to help improve the skills gap? ⬇ #smartbuildings #climatetechnology #skillsgap #carboncapture #energyinnovation

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Infrastructure and clean energy transition projects have a history of bypassing — and often harming — low-income, tribal, and rural communities. Both the energy and the profits typically flow outward to urban areas and wealthy shareholders, while the communities where these projects are located see minimal jobs or economic growth. Philanthropy is in a unique position to disrupt this trend, bridging the gap between federal dollars and local impact. In a new piece for Inside Philanthropy, Matt Horton of Milken Institute and Accelerator for America and I outline the current state of affairs in green energy investments, and suggest ways for philanthropy to address common challenges and steer the green energy transition toward justice and equity. Specifically, we recommend that philanthropy focus on three areas: 1) Facilitating community input and benefits agreements so that projects reflect the rights and interests of these communities. 2) Funding green jobs and workforce development programs to ensure that the millions of new jobs spurred by investments are high quality and broadly accessible. 3) Advising state and local officials on how to use federal dollars for maximum community benefit. I hope you’ll read the article and let me know what you think! #GreenEnergy #Philanthropy #Equity https://lnkd.in/g5CGtsrr

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Boston Globe, "As federal pandemic aid dries up, Mass. nonprofits scramble for new revenue" Nonprofits across the country and Massachusetts are facing the same dilemma. While ARPA funding allowed them to serve more people, households, and target communities during the global pandemic, they now face the reality that the end to this significant funding means their expanded services and impact won't last - even though the need remains. One example of this in the Commonwealth is the MassDREAMS program. The program provided down payment and closing cost grants to low- and middle-income first-time homebuyers who lived in one of the 29 communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of 2022, 1,600 people received benefits. As the Massachusetts Legislature starts the conference committee process for the Affordable Homes Act, it must not only refund the MassDREAMS program but also increase the level of total funding allocated. Each dollar spent moved the needle on our housing crisis and our state's racial wealth gap.

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A Fourth of July Note to US Impact Sector Colleagues... Between the barbeques, pool parties, friends, family, and fireworks, let's remember what brought us here and what remains to be done. Many of us are thinking and talking a lot about politics these days. Most of the conversation centers on political parties, their candidates, and the fall elections. But some issues directly impact the liberty of nonprofits, their volunteers, and staff today. As this piece by Rajasvini B. of Solidaire Network in Inside Philanthropy article points out, some politicians are trying to redefine the rights and responsibilities of charitable organizations and those who lead and support them. This is very serious stuff. It involves threats of restrictions on activity, removal of nonprofit status, and prison sentences. There are many opinions on what nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations can and should be doing in 2024. But most of us probably agree that they should be allowed to do what they do and to keep doing it without threats, coercion, or punishment. Efforts to restrict the activities of legitimate nonprofit organizations and penalize their supporters, sometimes threatening loss of charitable status or incarceration, are a dramatic change to a social contract that has existed in some form since before the birth of the Republic. As we celebrate the 248th anniversary of our nation, the role of the impact sector is of singular importance in addressing the needs of the local, national, and international community. Let's keep this in mind today and every day and work together to ensure that nonprofit organizations are unhampered in serving the public in the years to come. https://lnkd.in/ePRHYkYW

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Indigenous entrepreneurs—including farmers, potters, jewelers, and graphic designers—contribute greatly to the financial stability and wellbeing of their communities. But many of their businesses lack investors because of their size. To ensure they can access the resources they need to succeed, RWJF grantee New Mexico Community Capital is working to create a participant-owned economy that reflects Indigenous values through shared power and decisionmaking. In an interview for RWJF’s "What’s Next Health: 5 Questions For…" series, Henry Jake Foreman, Program Director of New Mexico Community Capital, describes just how they are strengthening economic opportunities for Indigenous entrepreneurs using Web3 technologies such as blockchain and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). Explore how their IndigiDAO program combines Indigenous cultural practices with modern technologies, and what it means for health equity, here: https://lnkd.in/eg-_pyna

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