Increasing philanthropic resources for advocacy, organizing and civic engagement
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| Gulf/Mid South report |
Most grantmakers are serious about making sure their giving program helps achieve their mission. Yet, there is still a sizable number of foundations and other grantmaking institutions that have not seriously considered supporting policy advocacy, community organizing and civic engagement to maximize impact. One barrier commonly cited is the difficulty in understanding or demonstrating the connection between advocacy or organizing and tangible improvements in people’s lives.
NCRP hopes to address this challenge through the Grantmaking for Community Impact Project, which will highlight the positive impact that communities have seen through funder-supported nonprofit advocacy and organizing. We will measure impact using quantitative and qualitative methods, drawing on the latest advances in advocacy evaluation, organizing outcome measurement, and the positive returns to social capital from civic engagement.
We will engage funders and community organizations in eight to ten cities, regions or states to gather information and disseminate results through local forums. We will provide useful tools for increasing philanthropic support, and identify resource persons and organizations that can provide ongoing support to current and prospective funders in these areas.
We released our Northwest Region study in September 2010, our Pennsylvania study in February 2011, our study on the Gulf/Midsouth in May 2011 and our summary of all seven sites, "Leveraging Limited Dollars," in January 2012.
- Leveraging Limited Dollars: How Grantmakers Achieve Tangible Results by Funding Policy and Community Engagement NEW!
- GCIP Impacts Directory NEW!
- GCIP Overview (pdf)
- GCIP Literature Review (pdf)
- Additional Resources on advocacy, community organizing and civic engagement
- GCIP on Foundation Review
- GCIP Key Definitions
- GCIP Organizations
Research Sites:
- GCIP in New Mexico
- GCIP in North Carolina
- GCIP in Minnesota
- GCIP in Los Angeles County
- GCIP in the Northwest Region
- GCIP in Pennsylvania
- GCIP in the Gulf/Midsouth
- GCIP Highlight of Findings from all Seven Research Sites
- Grantmakers and Policy Engagement: An Illinois Profile
