Thrive Outgoing Board Members Thanks and New Staff Welcome
Thrive Advocacy & Program Updates
New Funding and Development Opportunities
Upcoming Thrive Events
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Note From Our Executive Director
Dear Thrive Community,
Thrive has kicked off its new fiscal year with special farewells to long standing board members, along with the ushering in of new board members! Read more in our tribute section below.
This last month has also been all about educating ourselves and each other about the changing funding landscape. We have all been rapidly learning about the ins and outs of the American Rescue Plan and its impact on the state and our very local communities. In that spirit, we hosted Congresswoman Jackie Speier last week to discuss how federal dollars going to San Mateo County will impact local nonprofits and our most vulnerable populations. In case you missed our conversation with her, you can catch up on ithere.
We also have been partnering with our neighbors in Santa Clara County to make sure this education happens broadly and in a coordinated fashion. Just two weeks ago, Thrive and SVCN co-presented on Federal & State Funding Opportunities for Nonprofits in a workshop for nonprofits hosted by the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, Palo Alto Community Fund, and the City of Palo Alto. We also co-presented to the American Leadership Forum (ALF) Foundation Leaders group to provide the nonprofit perspective on this historic funding and on the role that philanthropy can play during this critical advocacy period. Additionally, we are tracking new opportunities for local nonprofits. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is expanding the geographic reach of its Community Fund program to now support organizations working across San Mateo County, and On the Verge is working with Thrive to offer its program to North San Mateo County emerging leaders. You can read more about these and other opportunities in our "New Funding & Development Opportunities" section of the newsletter.
At the most local level, Thrive has been advocating for nonprofit recovery investments, and we submitted ajoint advocacy letterwith the SMC Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Contractors' Association and providedpublic commentduring the start of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors budget hearings. We are urging investment in strengthening and sustaining nonprofits for our local recovery along three key dimensions: (1) funding true costs of nonprofits; (2) investing in strategic alliances for nonprofits; and (3) funding racial equity and social justice work led by nonprofits. This dialogue and our advocacy efforts are ongoing, and build on our strategic alliances initiative early findings.
Finally, nonprofit CEOs and EDs are invited to our Leadership Circle Luncheon in Late July to meet with the County's new Chief Equity Officer to exchange ideas about advancing equity in the County, and set the groundwork for nonprofit leaders to work together with the County on future efforts to advance equity.
Let's keep learning, growing, and advocating together in this new fiscal year!
In Community,
Georgia D. Farooq
Thank You Outgoing Board Members
This month, we recognize the incredible board members who have contributed to Thrive in purposeful and dynamic ways and who will be rolling off Thrive's Board this year. You will be missed! Although words can't capture the profound appreciation we feel to these three dedicated and respected board members, we would like to say: thank you Michael, Robin, and Gina, for your tireless and talented service to our community. You have been, and continue to be, some of our most effective change makers.
Stay tuned for our next issue to meet our incoming board members!
Michael Garb Michael has served as Board Chair and has led Thrive's finance and accounting, all while imparting both mentorship and effective advocacy to Thrive in incredibly meaningful and significant ways. With decades of community service experience and wisdom stemming from his years serving as CEO for Starvista, Michael has imparted incredibly momentous insight and support that has impacted Thrive for the absolute best.
Gina Quiney Gina has served as Thrive's Board Chair and as an instrumental facilitator to our relationship with San Mateo County. She has consistently and endlessly supported both the County's mission and Thrive's focus on collaboration. Serving as a Legislative Aide for Supervisor Carole Groom, Gina has made room in her busy schedule to dedicate her time, energy, and expertise to the Thrive network, and contribute to our growth.
Robin Rodricks Robin has been a beacon of dedication and commitment to both Thrive and our community. She not only has served as an enthusiastic Thrive Board member, but also as an impactful and resilient leader for the arts community in San Mateo County. As the Arts Commission Director, her impact on our Arts & Culture Thrive Action Group (TAG) series, as well as her overall influence to Thrive and the nonprofit sector, are history-making for the community, and unforgettable to the Thrive team.
Welcome Our Newest Team Member!
Thrive warmly welcomes Yajaira Ortega to the Thrive team as our Policy & Advocacy Associate.
Yajaira is passionate about bringing innovative social change to our community and she is excited about the opportunity to continue her growth and development in her new position. Yajaira is a Bay Area native and is fully bilingual in Spanish. She was previously a Coro Fellow in Public Affairs and has worked in various sectors across the Bay Area. She is excited to bring her learnings to Thrive!
What Thrive's Been Working On
Budget Advocacy
Thrive Alliance and SMC Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Contractors' Association partnered to submit a joint letterto the Board of Supervisors. The request is for urgent investment in strengthening and sustaining nonprofits in three key priority areas: fund nonprofits in a way that covers their true costs, invest in strategic alliances to increase impact and sustainability, let nonprofits lead the way in social and racial equity work across the County.
Voting Advocacy: The VEOAC, (Voter Education and Outreach Advisory Committee) which is co-chaired by Thrive, submitted a letter in support of the Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee (VAAC) to allocate $1,000,000 from the Capital Improvement Plan to make improvements to Tower Road Elections Office. This is an effort to assure compliance with requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the California Voter's Choice Act (VCA).
We also spoke at the BoS in public comment after the Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder and Elections Office presented their budget in support and appreciation of the partnership between the VEOAC and the elections office. We are grateful for the county funding that goes directly to CBOs who are working with their communities as trusted partners in voter outreach and engagement.
Redistricting: On June 16, Thrive, along with California Common Cause and a state redistricting commissioner presented at the California Policy Forum for theirWe Draw the Lines event. See the presentation here.
More cities and districts are announcing that they are moving from at-large elections to by-district elections, most recently San Mateo and Millbrae. You can see where your city is in this process on our webpage. Many cities are already starting the process although the census numbers will not be released until September.
The nonprofit staff who supported their communities through the turbulent times of the pandemic also deserve self-care. Thrive and the San Mateo County Wellness Center joined forces to host an event for those working on COVID outreach to learn well-being practices such as deep breathing, gentle stretching, and meditation. Watch the full program on the Thrive Youtube channel.
The County of San Mateo is accepting requests from local groups to bring targeted vaccine pop-up events to your organization or neighborhood! Groups of 25 or more can request a vaccine clinic here.
How do we improve communication between teachers and administrators to best support students? First, involve them in the conversation. In preparation for our next meeting in August, the Planning Committee is surveying administrators and teachers to find out and how they want to work with providers going forward. View information from previous meetings here.
Throughout the month of June, the Thrive team and many others embarked on the Community Foundation of San Carlos' 21 Day Social & Racial Equity Challenge.This challenge was an incredible and personal experience for each member of our tight-knit team, and an excellent opportunity to reflect on our individual and unique privileges, experiences, and values with intention and vulnerability.
We are so appreciative to have the opportunity to experience a well-organized and thought-provoking program, and we are especially grateful to be able to share it with each other as a team. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter", so we must continue to vocalize and discuss these matters whenever we can.
Thrive is proud to support the newly formed Reusable San Mateo County through partnership. This initiative was previously known as Circular SMC and grew out of the 2020 plastics research led by the Thrive E&S team and over 30 community volunteers. The alliance consists of government, business, nonprofit, and youth organizations all working together to reduce plastic waste in the county. The initiative is also supported by Upstream. Read Upstream's recently released report which will act as a great resource for Reusable SMC's work as it demonstrates why reuse always wins. Sign up to receive Reusable SMC's updates, learn how you can get involved, and attend their monthly meetings!
The application period for the 2022 Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Community Fund opens on July 12. The Community Fund pairs grants with capacity-building programming to support local organizations breaking down barriers to help create a more socially, economically, and racially just San Mateo County.
As the Community Fund enters its fifth year, CZI is expanding the geographic reach of the program to support organizations working across San Mateo County, prioritizing communities most impacted by structural racism and inequities. CZI is also introducing other program changes to strengthen the Community Fund and support for the San Mateo County nonprofit community:
Shifting Community Fund grants from one-year grants to two-year grants to provide partners with greater flexibility and opportunity to respond to crises, build capacity, and strengthen outcomes.
Introduction of a community review panel to ensure grant-making decisions are informed by community participation and feedback. The 24-person Community Fund review panel will be composed of San Mateo County community members and CZI employees.
Selected organizations will join the 2022 Community Fund grant partner cohort, receiving a two-year grant up to $200,000, and the opportunity to participate in a collaborative capacity building program to support leadership and organizational development.
Register for informational webinar July 15, 10:00 am.
Thrive is proud to champion a new program from Thrive's newest member, On The Verge, for supporting the leadership development of staff members for North County CBOs. We invite North San Mateo County nonprofit and public sector staff members in the family strengthening arena to explore this unique leadership program, specifically for emerging leaders in the family strengthening field. On The Verge is a rigorous program that elevates the abilities of leaders by emphasizing personal, interpersonal and professional development.
Silicon Valley Community Foundation is partnering with Rodan + Fields to launch the Youth Empowerment Fund 2021 Grant Round, which offers program grants ($40,000-$200,000) to youth-serving 501(c)3 nonprofits that focus on any of the following causes: social justice and racial equity, mental health, career readiness and life skills training, and environmental conservation and stewardship.
The focus of this grant round is to provide funding to support organizations that are organizing people, building coalitions and advocating for public policy changes in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
EDs and CEOs are invited to hear Shireen Malekafzali (she/her), Chief Equity Officer at San Mateo County, present the equity framework and early equity efforts underway, and to give feedback on its alignment with your own equity frameworks. This is an opportunity to set the groundwork for nonprofit leaders to work together with the County on future efforts to advance equity.
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