Month: February 2013

Black History Month: Celebrating African Americans in Philanthropy

Posted on by Case Foundation

This post was written by Stacey Walker on behalf of the Case Foundation. 

As February comes to a close, the staff at the Case Foundation has enjoyed spending the month reflecting on the great achievements and contributions of fearless African Americans that have transformed our communities and the world. These contributions span the fields of medicine, civil rights, arts and culture, and science and technology. And in looking back, we’ve found that the story of African Americans in philanthropy is equally impressive and groundbreaking.

The philanthropic community has been greatly influenced by the work of household names like Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby, and Magic Johnson. These individuals have brought about meaningful change on an incredible scale, and in doing so have impacted millions. In addition to the great works of these celebrated individuals, it’s also important to recognize the efforts of countless other African Americans working tirelessly to affect change through philanthropy.

Oseola McCarty washed and ironed clothes for a living, and one or two dollars at a time, she was able to save $150,000 in her lifetime. She gave it all away before she died to endow a scholarship that would give young men and women in her hometown the opportunity to go to college. Will Allen has championed the issue of food security and sustainability through his urban farming companies. Geoffrey Canada has empowered thousands of young men and women in Harlem through innovative education techniques. And the paragon of hope and generosity within the African American community – the black church – has long been a mainstay of charitable activities, serving as one of the very first grantmaking institutions to black Americans seeking to build schools and providing college scholarships to deserving individuals. Philanthropy throughout the African American community is pervasive, but the truly extraordinary thing that several surveys confirm is that African Americans don’t even view their gifts of time and money as charitable activities, but rather as their collective responsibility to others.

The Case Foundation strives to lift up people and ideas with the potential to change the world, and this groundswell of African American changemakers in philanthropy is encouraging. Giving back and helping others is the fundamental premise of philanthropy and this premise has been a central tenet of African American culture. The distinguished researcher Mary Winters notes in her study on Endowment Building in the African American Community that perhaps out of survival, “Black Americans have been compelled to share and give back from the moment they arrived on the shores of this country. When they have money to give, they give; when there was no money to give, a generous heart, a strong back or a keen mind. As a value, “giving back” is firmly rooted in black history.” Research by the Kellogg Foundation supports this belief. The report, “Cultures of Giving: Energizing and Expanding Philanthropy by and for Communities of Color,” shows that African Americans give away 25 percent more of their income per year than white Americans. These findings go to show just how deep the spirit of giving runs within the black community.

The story of African Americans has been one of continual progress. It began with slaves coming together and sharing secret messages through song to plan their escape to freedom. It was aided by the fearless Harriet Tubman who along with others helped to create a sophisticated network of passageways and hideouts for runaway slaves. The struggle continued onto the fields of battle, where a divided nation confronted the slavery question with arms. After Reconstruction came an even longer battle for equality complete with the protests of millions of people, inspired by the dreams of a young southern Baptist preacher from Georgia. And out of these movements came some of the first institutional giving platforms dedicated to the Black American cause. Dr. Emmett Carson, President and CEO of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, maintains that the era immediately following the Civil Rights Movement gave rise to the professionalization of black charitable giving. This was represented by the National Black United Fund, which was founded in 1972 “to provide a viable, systematic, and cost efficient mechanism for black Americans to make charitable contributions to black American organizations engaged in social change, development, and human services.”

For the first time, people were systematically donating money to causes and institutions that were not necessarily known to them personally, but that they believed would benefit the African American community as a whole. Today, armed with growing capacity, the descendants of slaves now generate philanthropy that benefits many families who continue to struggle both here in the United States and communities in need around the world, just as their forefathers and mothers before them (Winters, 109). A lot these folks may never make the Forbes List of wealthiest people, but their value-add to society is immeasurable. It is an honor and a privilege to salute these individuals during this Black History Month.

Know any outstanding African American professionals in the philanthropic sector? Show your appreciation for them by sharing their name in our ongoing conversation via Twitter. Be sure to use the hashtag #blackhistorymonth when you do. Our staff will be chiming in with their picks as well. We look forward to hearing your thoughts!

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Celebrate Valentine’s Day as Generosity Day

Posted on by Case Foundation

This post was written by Katya Andresen on behalf of the Case Foundation: 

I love the idea of Valentine’s Day. Expressing how you feel about others is a lovely concept. But somewhere along the way, the occasion has become fraught – and not in a good way. My single friends find it lonely and friends in relationships find it weighted with obligation. Where’s the love?

Two years ago, I joined Sasha Dichter’s Valentine’s Day experiment in generosity. The idea was simple: reclaim Valentine’s Day and imbue it with true love – the kind where you give without expectation. Generosity Day is when you seek to be selfless and see what happens when generosity becomes your default.

The first year, we had a small groundswell. Last year, it grew. And this year, thanks to a group of amazing volunteers like Parker Mitchell and Arpit Gupta, we’re going big, hoping to inspire a million acts of kindness.

So do something big or something small. Give of your money, your time, your talent, your love or anything special that in unique to you. We’ve seen people buy coffee for strangers, take someone to a homeless shelter, make dinner for a friend in need or give blood. You could write a letter to someone who touched your life. Tell a friend why they’re wonderful. Or smile at everyone in the street. There are more great ideas here.

When you set out to be generous all day, you may find what I have – that it comes with two interesting emotions. First, fear. If you put yourself out there – especially to strangers – it can feel uncomfortable. That’s not a bad thing. As the Case Foundation has so wonderfully highlighted, living fearlessly means feeling scared and doing something anyway.

The second feeling is happiness. Once you help someone, you will feel amazing. There’s a scientific explanation for this: helping others activates the pleasure center of your brain. Researchers Lalin Anik, Lara Aknin, Michael Norton and Elizabeth Dunn have shown that people who commit random acts of kindness are significantly happier than those who don’t, and spending money on others makes you happier than spending money on yourself. They also have discovered happier people help others more, and they give more. A positive mood makes you nicer! This makes a circle: giving makes you happy, and when you’re happy you give more, which makes you happier, which makes you give more.

So let’s make this February 14th a day to open our hearts and share our generosity. You could choose to begin the day with a simple act of kindness. You could be wildly generous all day long. You could do that beautiful and needed thing that your heart’s been whispering to you to do. What better way to spend Valentine’s Day?

P.S. from the Case Foundation: if you feel like being generous on February 14, or spot some generosity, upload a photo or video to GoodSpotting.org, or by using the hashtag #GoodSpotting on Twitter.

Make a difference – Be a Presidential Innovation Fellow

Posted on by Case Foundation

Yesterday the White House announced its second round of the Presidential Innovation Fellows. This new program started last year to pair some of the greatest innovators from the private sector, nonprofits, and academia with the best innovators in government. The goal is to make a change in government. This includes work such as the Open Data Initiatives, an innovative project trying to make government data more computer readable and easy to access; RFP EZ, making it easier for the government to do business with small, high-growth tech companies; or Disaster Response and Recovery, building and “pre-positioning” needed tech tools ahead of future emergencies or natural disasters to mitigate economic damage and save lives during disasters. Check out all of the new projects here.

One of the greatest needs in the world is to find, retain, and work with the best talent to make a difference. The Innovation Fellows program recognizes the importance of pairing talent (internally and externally) and rapidly working to create prototypes of solutions and iterating to make the product work better. The government is making a difference. The Fellows are making a difference, and together they are changing the way government operates for its citizens.

Started by U.S. Chief Technoogy Officer Todd Park, a well-known innovator and entrepreneur, the Innovation Fellows is one the many great ways the Administration is supporting entrepreneurship within government and affecting social change. The Office of Science and Technology Policy along with the Office of Social Innovation are changing the way we think about government and the way government does business. We need to support them.

I hope that talented women and men will apply for the Innovation Fellows program. It is an incredible way to make a real difference that will affect many lives. It is a great way to see how government operates and a real opportunity to meet some of the amazing talent that works in government. If you want to be more innovative and find collaborative ways to solve some big problems – why not work in government!

The Whole Is Greater Than The Sum of the Parts

Posted on by Case Foundation

This post was written by Scott Case on behalf of the Case Foundation: 

January 31st marked the two-year anniversary of the Startup America Partnership. And, today, nearly 50 leaders from the 30 Startup Regions will be in Washington to celebrate their success, strategize about challenges, and converse with our partners at the White House and Cabinet agencies. If, as journalist John Gunther said, America was founded on a good idea, then only by securing the future of good ideas will its spirit continue. In the two years since the launch of the Startup America Partnership, I’ve seen that these good ideas are not only prospering, but are prospering across the country.

We already knew that the job growth of past decades was wholly due to new companies — that was the easy part. What we didn’t know is that what makes these companies thrive is unique to each place. Our simple mission — supporting the local startup scene’s development — has grown into a nationwide movement.
One example, Iowa, is among the hottest places for entrepreneurship, beating out cities like LA, New York, and Denver in a recent Kauffman study. The state’s regional champions, inspired by the entrepreneurs they meet every day, are shifting Iowa to be an innovation hub of IT, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing.

Our greatest insight is that it is all about these champions. These leaders — almost all serial entrepreneurs themselves — showcase their regions to a larger group of stakeholders. They share their stories of success, growth, and challenges while amplifying their bold, audacious vision for their region’s future.

Startup America Champions are reimagining the high-growth potential of places everywhere in our country. We can already see the difference in cities like DC, Indianapolis, and Nashville, to name a few. For Startup America — “the catalyst for a movement, for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs” according to a recent Kauffman study — visible, local networks are key.

We supported this rising tide idea with high hopes that founders would foster their own communities, connecting to resources hidden under an outdated image of place. And connect they have, with one another and with Startup America board members, sponsors, and partners. They share lessons learned, brainstorm new ideas to old problems, and maximize relationships old and new. The pursuit of the entrepreneurial game is happening everywhere.

As Startup America begins its third year, it’s building on what champions around the country have taught. From that same Kauffman report, we’re holding “a belief in loose communities of entrepreneurs rather than an organizational hierarchy; propagating from what exists, rather than creating from scratch; embracing, not resisting, disruption; patience to develop communities over years, not weeks; celebrating success; and, above all, focusing on entrepreneurs.”

In other words: we’re power fans of the crazy entrepreneurs everywhere who are committed to their companies and their startup communities — and, in turn, building business that are growing and prosperous and building communities that are healthy and thriving.

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