COLLABORATIVE PHILANTROPY

The Foundation seeks to promote connections among organizations doing complementary work, including nonprofits, government agencies, foundations, and for-profit entities, in order to advance best practices and build knowledge within a given field. Sometimes, several groups working in the same neighborhood, in related fields, do not know each other. There is much that can be done to alleviate this tendency and grantors have a unique overview that can help bring organizations together. We often see a larger picture and spot similar trends and needs. Through introducing nonprofits to each other across program and/or neighborhood lines, some of these introductions will turn into wonderful collaborations, growing organically out of shared interests and complementary goals and resulting in shared work that advances the missions of all involved.

Engaged philanthropy requires listening to many voices on many levels. It requires the courage to lead, and most of all, a willingness to take risks. Many people contribute to this collaborative effort, the citizens of the areas we serve, the poor, the young, the elderly, the underserved, the sick, the immigrants and all others who benefit from the work of our grantee organizations. We will hear their voices.

The Foundation will support charitable programs that are making a real difference in the lives of those in need where we operate. While the Foundation will focus on establishing new and supporting existing autism and adaptive programs this does not limit our intent to support a wide array of other efforts in any way.

FUNDING PRIORITIES

The Foundation wants to be on the forefront of program development, finding new ways to uplift the lives of those in need. To that end we encourage projects that demonstrate the potential to be replicated; encourage an entrepreneurial nature; promote innovation; demonstrate tangible results; address root causes; emphasize prevention; encourage those being helped to assist others in their community; promote understanding and diversity; and positively impact public opinion and policy.

The Foundation will fund non-traditional programs based upon the specific needs of each respective area to determine the efficacy of alternative approaches. Subsequent to the determination of best practices, the Foundation will support the implemention of such programs in other Foundation facility locations and publish articles to facilitate the implementation of such programs by others nationwide.