Philanthropy of Place in East Bay
Community building and asset development drive start-up of affiliate funds

	for more information… Nicole Taylor Jones DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY PHILANTHROPY 501 Wickson Avenue Oakland, CA 94610 510.836.3223 ntaylor@eastbaycf.org www.eastbaycf.org

In 14 communities in California’s expansive East Bay region, local leadership and resources are being developed and nurtured through affiliate funds, part of the East Bay Community Foundation’s (EBCF) Community Philanthropy Initiative. Since 1995, the number of EBCF’s affiliate funds has mushroomed from two to 14.

Developing local resources and leadership
EBCF’s community philanthropy is based in two key notions:

• Raising assets is best accomplished by strengthening donor involvement in local initiatives and community needs; and
• Sustainable communities are the result not only of increased giving of financial capital, but also the development of human capital— particularly strong, well-informed and involved community leaders.

“Implicit in this concept is the idea that philanthropy can take many forms other than the simple donation of money; it includes commitments of time, leadership and energy,” according to Michael M. Howe, EBCF’s President. “Community foundations have begun to nurture—not donors who donate and then go away—but donors who donate and stay involved, who give not only their funds but also their energy, skills and influence to the improvement of the community.”

Created to serve specific geographic regions, affiliate funds represent successful vehicles for such donor and resident involvement. Through locally-based boards, staff and volunteers, affiliates raise local resources, engage residents in defining local priorities, and make grants to sustain their communities.

Varied Structures and Funding
“Each fund has its own priorities, its own personality, its own strengths and challenges,” explains Howe. The affiliates reflect the demographic and geographic diversity of Alameda and Contra Costa counties; their origins and structures vary as well. Six of the 14 funds began as “restitution funds,” related to environmental contamination or plant expansion settlements. Another raises more than a half million dollars a year through workplace giving. One affiliate grew out of a community effort dedicated to historic preservation. Staffing varies from full-time to volunteer-based to staffing by the local municipal government. Some are component funds, others supporting organizations. Assets range from $2,500 to $3 million. Most aim to build local endowments; five are currently endowed.

Building Affiliate Capacity
Nurturing the affiliates’ institutional capacity while respecting their community values and diversity is a challenge embraced by the community foundation. “There is no one blueprint. Instead, each fund receives training and technical assistance designed to respond to its particular goals and the characteristics of its community,” explains Nicole Taylor Jones, EBCF’s Director of Community Philanthropy.

With multi-year grant support from the California-based James Irvine Foundation, EBCF is providing technical assistance and training on board development, strategic planning, asset and donor development, visibility, community engagement, management, and grantmaking. Building sustainable communities Affiliate funds are true to EBCF’s central mission of building sustainable communities. With their capacity to engage new leaders and focus resources, affiliates funds are proving to be an effective strategy for EBCF’s role in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s long-term investment strategy called Neighborhood Transformation/Family Development. Located in one of the 22 NT/FD sites nationwide, EBCF applied for and received a Casey-supported matching grant from the Coalition of Community Foundations for Youth. The grant will help affiliates build family and neighborhood strengthening principles and practices into their program priorities.

A key component of that capacity building is the use of data to guide program direction and monitor progress, a feature common to all aspects of EBCF’s work. In what it calls the “democratization of data,” EBCF routinely collects information that has not been readily available to the public and makes it easily accessible to community members to guide local decisionmaking.

An Investment Worth Making
Keeping up with the rapid growth and changing needs of affiliates while maintaining core programs and major initiatives requires a substantial time commitment by EBCF staff. But it’s an investment worth making. “Through our support, the affiliates are better able to assist individuals in giving back to their local communities,” according to Howe.

	Courtesy of East Bay Community Foundation
	Affiliate funds are building sustainable communities in East Bay’s two-county area.