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Happy holidays from all of us!
Georgia, Petra, Keirstan, Letisha, Yajaira, Michelle, and Rjay
Note From Our Executive Director
Dear Thrive Community,
I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you. It’s because of you that we’ve been able to build a vibrant community that has become known as the can-do, action-oriented Thrive network. It’s because of you - those of you that lead nonprofits, those of you in the trenches providing direct services, those of you in business and government that help facilitate partnerships and deploy much needed resources to our community, and those of you that volunteer as private citizens. You show up to our meetings on issue areas ranging from children and education to environment and sustainability; you sign advocacy letters to keep equity front and center in our County; and you speak up at public meetings to present a united front and make it clear that we are willing to work hard for change. It’s because of all of you that true collaboration is possible, and that Thrive has been able to redouble its commitment to equity in everything we do.
TEAM GROWTH
Behind the scenes, it’s because of our incredible Thrive board and staff that we can take on such a breadth and depth of issues across our region, with equity at the heart. Under the leadership of our board chair Bryan Neider, Thrive grew its board and undertook strategic planning this past year, and the board unanimously supported Thrive’s increased advocacy efforts in the civic participation space. Under the leadership of Petra Silton, Thrive’s Director of Advocacy & Education, we made bold strides in this civic participation work - from forming a powerful coalition called the Unity Map Coalition to recommend a compelling, inclusive map for the redistricting process; to partnering with Peninsula Family Service and Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center to launch local conversations on policing; to expanding our environmental justice work. We also continue to grow our team and welcomed several new staff members.
We also have to thank our partners for their support and faith in us this past year. This year, Thrive partnered with Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits, our sister organization in Santa Clara County, to co-host our first annual Nonprofit Racial Justice Summit, spanning several days and drawing hundreds of participants. This is just a start to the work that will continue to grow through our joint racial equity and social justice hub. We also partnered with the County of San Mateo on our Strategic Alliances Initiative, surveying and interviewing hundreds of nonprofits and key informants to be able to provide detailed information to the County and its partners on the most urgent nonprofit needs and the most exciting opportunities. And due to the ongoing nature of this pandemic, we continue to extend our partnership with the County’s Office of Community Affairs to lead important COVID-19 outreach work, where we serve as a hub for 32 nonprofits engaged in COVID-19 safety and prevention work in our most vulnerable communities.
LOOKING AHEAD
We’re thrilled to have been selected by Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to serve as the lead for the Nonprofit Support Pillar for CZI’s Community Space, and we will be launching our Nonprofit Connection Series in 2022. Also, we will be facilitating conversations to enable the kinds of strategic alliances that nonprofit leaders requested. We also have received special funding from the Packard Foundation to continue to work with all of you to find innovative ways to leverage American Rescue Plan Act funding as it becomes available to our communities. And last but not least, Thrive has been asked to serve as the lead for a new emergency preparedness coalition in San Mateo County, also known as a COAD - or Community Organizations Active in Disaster, with support from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and others. These are just a few of our initiatives happening in the months to come. We are grateful to all of our funders and to you - everyone who makes this work possible.
You can see, there’s much work to be done in the new year. But we also know how critical it is - and what a privilege it is - to rest and recharge with loved ones. We hope you can do the same, and when you’re back, we will rev up the engine of our collaborations to spur more progress.
With warm wishes,
Georgia D. Farooq, Executive Director
Thrive's Advocacy for Equity in 2021
Equity was this year’s focus in so much of Thrive's work. We introduced San Mateo County’s new Chief Equity Officer, Shireen Malekafzali, to the nonprofit community; held a town hall with Congresswoman Jackie Speier to talk about equitable opportunities for funding and give voice to nonprofit concerns; addressed how the new state housing bills will help with providing more desperately needed housing; strengthened the nonprofit sector through our nonprofit resilience series, co-hosted with Social Impact Advisory Group (SIAG); and advocated for funding for nonprofits.
Thrive also addressed racial inequality at the Racial Justice Summit in October, continued the conversation at our Policing event in December and will follow up with part two in February. Our Children & Education TAG (Thrive Action Group), Environment & Sustainability TAG, and our Civic Participation work on redistricting and voter outreach are all focused on increasing equity in San Mateo County and we hope to continue to engage with you moving into the new year!
Thrive Builds Cross-Sector Conversations to Address Collective Climate and Climate Justice Goals
This year, Thrive's Environment & Sustainability TAG partnered with nonprofits, government agencies, and youth organizations to hold events spanning multiple environmental topics, from transit sustainability and clean water access to open spaces and coastal issues. Read all about them in our blog.
In the last part of the year, Thrive brought the San Mateo County Environment and Sustainability community together to identify their climate change priorities, create their collective climate goals, and look for areas best suited for collaborations that focus on climate justice, mitigation, and resilience. We settled on addressing climate emergency and advancing health, equity, and racial justice across San Mateo County through systemic change in transportation, buildings & energy, food, adaptation, and education.
Thrive will be hosting a San Mateo County Sustainability and Environmental Justice Summit late this summer to bring together all of the cross-sector organizations working on these on the goals.
Throughout our E & S work, Thrive has been placing even more emphasis on Environmental Justice (EJ). We have included the EJ perspective in all our meetings, brought EJ organizations together in our monthly meetings, added several leaders of EJ organizations into our E&S Program Committee, and are currently creating an EJ coalition. Through our work with these organizations, we aim to uplift their voices, highlight their work, and create collective power for EJ advocacy.
Thrive's Children & Education TAG Supports Advocacy for After School Programs (Extended Learning)
Thrive's Children & Education Peer Learning Series continues the work of the Out of School Time Task Force, which, in partnership with the Community Equity Collaborative, successfully secured $1.5M for learning hub providers from the County. Thrive has used this momentum to tackle the digital divide, funding for extended learning from the state, collaborations, and local challenges. We have been communing monthly, gathering out-of-school-time providers, parents, teachers, and district officials, to partake in honest discussions aimed at producing realistic actions.
Thrive is looking forward to next year’s meetings, which will include presentations and information regarding summer learning coordination, including the high school to college/career pipeline, engaging with school districts, and words from a Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission (JJDPC) commissioner.
Building a Coalition: Redistricting
San Mateo County has had a contentious process for redistricting. As part of this process, Thrive along with 12 other organizations formed the Unity Map Coalition. This was a coalition rooted in the pursuit of equity and aimed at uplifting the needs of marginalized communities across San Mateo County in the County’s redistricting process. We represented traditionally underrepresented populations from all over the county and connected with over 20 different community-based organizations, as well as individual community leaders, to discuss our communities of interest. Together, we created a single map that respected our communities, as well as other priorities that members of the public have submitted to the Advisory Commission. Although we are disappointed in the Board of Supervisors’ decisions to adopt a minimal changes map, we are very proud of all the outreach and partnership our coalition created.
Voter Outreach
Thrive is proud to have been part of significant voter outreach events throughout this year. As a Voter Education and Outreach Advisory Committee (VEOAC), we emphasized outreach to those within our community who have the lowest voter turnout rates and are underrepresented in elected positions. We educated our community on the electoral process, thanks to our co-chair from the Elections Office and many other nonprofit organizations, who are the trusted messengers of their communities.
Thrive partnered with Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) and the VEAOC members to educate partners and eligible voters for the Recall Election in a quick and fun way. We hosted five 15 minute election webinars. In addition, we partnered with CalNonprofits to create aninformational video for all CA Nonprofits to learn about this Recall Election.
Upcoming Equity Event!
Leadership Council San Mateo County: Disrupting Bias
Tues, January 25 - Thurs, January 27
Join Leadership Council San Mateo County for a two-part virtual training on disrupting bias. This training is designed to strengthen your ability to build, maintain and sustain an inclusive workplace by understanding personal bias and learning how to recognize bias around you. Featuring: Amber Checky, Social Change-Maker, Master Facilitator; Heather Checky, Relationship Builder, Social Impact Advocate.
Note: Thrive Alliance will be sponsoring 8 nonprofit staff from Thrive members to attend this series for free. Any interested nonprofit should email Keirstan.
Recap - Nonprofit Racial Justice Summit: No Going Back
Thrive is proud to have co-hosted the inaugural Nonprofit Racial Justice Summit with Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits and Sacred Heart Community Service. The speakers at the Summit effectively highlighted their experiences, challenges, and growth towards becoming more equitable, anti-racist organizations and shared tips and strategies for us to all to move forward in our own journeys to build a more equitable society.
Highlights from the Summit:
Session 1: During The Arts as Agents for Racial Justice, Wisa Uemuraspoke about San Jose Taiko’s work highlighting experiences of Japanese internment and using performance to build bridges and create cultural understanding, especially in this time of increased incidents of hate against Asian Americans. Chike Nwoffiahspoke about the African Film Festival’s approach to telling the stories of those with African ancestry in a way that is rooted in social justice and authentic, decolonial perspectives. Dr. Belinda Arriaga spoke about how ALAS uses arts such as folklórico dancing to provide an avenue for disenfranchised, immigrant communities to access wraparound supports. Maria Noel shared how Working Partnerships USAcreated a partnership with the artist in residence Felix Quintana to build a vibrant democracy through GOTV, census outreach campaigns, and more.
Session 2: During A Candid Discussion with Local Equity Officers -The Future of Racial Justice in Government, a group of equity officers discussed the importance and effectiveness of creating dedicated equity positions within government organizations. Shireen Malekafzalispoke about the need to build strong partnerships between nonprofits, community leaders, and local government to further racial equity work. Briana Evans identified the unique role government must play to address the current and historic harms it has inflicted upon communities of color. Zulma Maciel spoke about her vision to create a thriving, equitable city and society where race no longer predicts life outcomes.
Session 3: During Philanthropy’s New Path: Racial Justice Front and Center, Thrive's panelists had a frank discussion on philanthropy’s commitment to racial justice. Adam Fong mentioned some of the long-standing efforts the Hewlett Foundation has been taking to address systemic racism; which includes giving over $15M in grants to nonprofit organizations working against systemic racism. Holly Kreider spoke about putting racial justice front and center in grantmaking and in organizational processes at the Heising-Simons Foundation. Gina Dalma discussed how the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and other philanthropy are currently working to fight for racial justice and remain committed to an equitable society by building a sustainable infrastructure.
Session 4: During Engaging Your Board to Further Racial Equity and Justice, Ali Knight and June Wang shared their insights, practices, and learnings from FLY’s journey to engage the board in a deep and meaningful dialogue on racial justice. They shared the steps they took and the growing pains they faced over the course of a several-year process to center racial justice explicitly throughout the organization. Knight mentioned how he’s hopeful the current racial justice movement is going to change the race relations in America towards a more equitable and just society for Black and Brown communities. Knight and Wang mentioned how they have a process-oriented plan for FLY to help engage their board on these topics as they continue through their journey.
Session 5:Moving Forward In Developing a Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative, Dr. Stacy Richardson highlighted the importance of incorporating racial justice within our nonprofit organizations and shared that justice means fixing our broken systems. She walked us through practical steps including establishing a shared vocabulary, developing and implementing a strategy, and creating a strong infrastructure to develop justice-centered racial equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives within our organizations.
Wellness Support
Through cycles of uncertainty, vaccination requirement changes, and the arrival of several variants, Thrive's COVID-19 Community Action Teams (CCATs ) have stuck by the community and provided its support by delivering effective, equitable outreach, resources, and gentle support since November of 2020.
Recognizing the mental toll that COVID-19 is taking on all of us, Thrive offered the CCATs a special wellness session last month, and we are thrilled to announce that starting in January of 2022 we will be hosting a recurring wellness session every Wednesday for anyone who feels like they need some extra self-care.Sign up for the first installment in the series, set to take place on Wed, January 12, 2:00 - 3:30 pm.
