The National Committee For Responsive Philanthropy held their annual NCRP Impact Awards this week. The awards honor those foundations that practice responsible, innovative, high impact philanthropy in four categories: large private foundations, small/mid size private foundations, corporate foundations and grantmaking public charities.2014
The 2014 recipients were: The Ben and Jerry’s Foundation, The California Endowment, Hill-Snowdon Foundation and The Liberty Hill Foundation.
The awards were presented by last year’s winners: The Levi Strauss Foundation, Woods Fund of Chicago, Novo Foundation and the California Community Foundation presented the awards to this year’s winners.
Each recipient acknowledged the commitment their partner organizations have to the communities they serve.
Dr. Nat Chioke Williams, Executuive Director of the Hill-Snowdon Foundation, in his acceptance speech, stated “the recognition should really go to our grassroots partners – all the amazing groups that we have the honor of helping to create meaningful and lasting change in the lives of low wealth families and communities across the country.”
More about the 2014 recipients:
Ben and Jerry’s Foundation (corporate foundation): Established in 1985, the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation is known for working to advance social and environmental justice and encouraging safe and sustainable food systems. The foundation is funded through an annual allocation based on a portion of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream sales. Nearly all of the foundation’s grantmaking decisions are made by teams of Ben & Jerry’s employees.
The California Endowment (large foundation): Operating just shy of 20years, the foundation focuses on expanding access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities. The foundation played a key role in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in California – committing an unprecedented $225 million for ACA outreach, enrollment and implementation.
Hill-Snowdon Foundation (small/mid size foundation): Since the early 2000s, HSF has focused its grants in three areas: Youth Organizing, Economic Justice Organizing and the Fund for DC. In particular, grants are awarded to organizations that use multi-generational approaches to address issues facing low-income youth of color and other marginalized youth, multi-issue organizing that promotes family-supporting and community-strengthening jobs, and outreach that strengthens resident-led decision-making within the District of Columbia.
Liberty Hill Foundation: Established in 1976 to support long term social change through grass roots and community organizing. Over the years, Liberty Hill has demonstrated a strong commitment to economic and environmental justice, and LGBTQ equality. Most recently, the foundation showed leadership on the rights of low-wage workers.
NCRP is an independent watchdog of foundations, and uses research and advocacy to ensure that philanthropy contributes in meaningful ways to the creation of a fair, just and equitable world. Earlier this year, NCRP launched Philamplify, a new project that combines expert assessments and community feedback to maximize the impact of grantmaker giving.
Judith Fenlon is the Money and Business editor for The Imprint