Leveraging Limited Dollars: Achieving Tangible Results for

Families thru Policy & Civic Engagement 

National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy

Grantmakers for Children, Youth & Families ConferenceWednesday October 10, 2012

El Paso, TX

Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.

- Archimedes

NCRP Promotes Philanthropy That:• serves the public

good;

• is responsive to communities with the least wealth, power and opportunity; &

• is held accountable to the highest standards of integrity and openness.

Why don’t more funders invest heavily in advocacy, organizing,

and civic engagement?

Grantmaking for Community Impact

New Mexico

North Carolina

Minnesota

Los Angeles County

Northwest Region

Pennsylvania

Gulf / Midsouth

Findings in Leveraging Limited Dollars

• $26.6 billion in benefits

• $231 million in funding

• $115 to $1 return-on-investment

• 528,880 people communicated with policy makers

• 16,282 people became core leaders of the 110 organizations

• 327 diverse funders participated

A. Less than $1 Million, 34%

B. $1 Million to $10 Million, 32%

C. Greater than $10 Million, 28%

D. Unknown, 6%

Advocacy Best Practices

• Leadership and mobilization of affected communities.

• Coalitions that unite diverse constituencies and tactical strengths.

• Racial equity lens that addresses disparities in policies and programs.

• Using the courts to achieve policy change.• Non-partisan voter engagement.

Funder Best Practices

• General support grants and multiyear funding.

• Reasonable paperwork requirements.• Honest dialog and partnership with

grantees.• Shared evaluation benchmarks.• Leverage beyond the grant.

Stories of Impact

The Brindle Foundation

$580,000 in annual giving

Long-term investment in NM Voices for Children to support child well being.

Expanded access to health care for 22,000 low-income children and their parents, bringing $800M in public funding.

Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation

$7 million in annual giving

Invests in coalitions to achieve long-term change.

Adelante Education Coalition developed innovative model to increase Latino graduation rates.

Go to www.philanthropyspromise.org to learn more and take action.

Some GCYF SignatoriesCleveland Foundation

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

East Bay Community Foundation

Marguerite Casey Foundation

McKnight Foundation

Peppercorn Foundation

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation

WK Kellogg Foundation

Wallace Foundation

Impact and Results

“The solutions to chronic diseases, poverty, and disparities are complex. We cannot achieve our mission by simply funding good people to do good work. We must seek impact and results.”

Karen McNeil-Miller President Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust