Nontraditional Leaders : simplebooklet.com

Community connections Investing in Individuals O ne woman wanted to teach kids on her block about recycling by making jewelry from things others were throwing away founders of a community garden wanted to show kids in their neighborhood how food grows by providing gardening classes in the summer a group of high schoolers wanted to expand their education by purchasing supplies to help them study for the ACT So what did they do Each group applied for a Community Connections grant Since its start in 2006 Community Connections Small Grants Program has funded about 750 projects like these throughout Detroit For 10 years a panel of community residents has met monthly to review applications and award innovative youthfocused grassroots projects in the Brightmoor ChadseyCondon Cody Rouge North End Osborn and Southwest neighborhoods of Detroit between 500 and 5 000 to fund their activities Not only does Community Connections invest in community projects it also invests The Community Connections team pauses for a photo at a Grassroots Grantmakers gathering in Cleveland in community leaders The organization has provided many grassroots leaders including its panelists and grantees with the opportunity to attend conferences meetings and trainings locally regionally and nationally There these community members learned new skills and made valuable connections with people involved in similar work For Community Connections this investment in individuals is crucial to creating the enduring community change the organization hopes to foster We re here to tell you why 1

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Who are we throughout the country including some folks in the Community Connections network have come together to share their work and best practices Janis Foster Richardson Mohammad Dawood Mary Luevanos Victor Robinson Resident of Southwest Detroit Resident of Southwest Detroit Resident of North End Detroit Community work Caseworker for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services English as a second language teacher and an advocate for the local Yemeni population Community involvement Visual artist storyteller arts teacher in demand board member who has served with the Detroit Council for the Arts WDET Young Audiences of Michigan Southeast Michigan Arts Forum and more a former staffer with New Detroit and with the Detroit Parks and Recreation Department and a lifelong Southwest Detroiter Community involvement Business manager of the Southwest Detroit Business Association s youth music and arts program Center of Music and Performing Arts Southwest committee member for the Association of Fundraising Professionals Detroit chapter executive committee member for the Cass Tech Alumni Association s Board of Directors and a Developing K I D S board member Mohammad has been a Community Connections panelist for about two years Mary has been a grassroots grant maker since Community Connections inception 10 years ago Additional Contributors Lisa Luevanos Resident of Metro Detroit but grew up and works in Southwest Detroit Community involvement Freelance photographer muralist arts educator and co founder of the Detroit Latino arts organization Community of Latino Artists Visionaries and Educators CLAVE Lisa got to know folks involved with Community Connections through her mother Mary who is the organization s longest serving panelist 2 Victor has served as a Community Connections panelist since August 2015 and was recently brought on as a social media marketing consultant for the organization Roque Barros Jerry Ann Hebron Resident of North End Detroit Community work Executive director of Oakland Avenue Urban Farm and a cultivator of people community and food Jerry has been a recipient of multiple Community Connections grants Director for the Ford Institute for Community Building at the Ford Family Foundation First in the nonprofit sector and then in philanthropy Roque s work has always been rooted in resident centered community building As a former director at the Jacobs Family Foundation s Center for Neighborhood Innovation Roque produced multiple Resident Learning Exchanges in which practitioners Consultant and former executive director of Grassroots Grantmakers For more than 10 years Janis served as the executive director of Grassroots Grantmakers a network of placebased funders in the U S and Canada who believe that change begins with residents In this role she helped produce On the Ground learning gatherings where grassroots funders participate in professional development skill building and team building As a part of the Grassroots Grantmakers network members of Community Connections have attended many of these On the Ground gatherings Lisa Leverette Director of Community Connections Grant Program and of Lower Eastside Com munity Grant Program Bringing skills from her experience as a social worker therapist program designer and program manager Lisa manages programs networks and resources to inspire ordinary citizens to achieve extraordinary results Deborah Meehan Executive Director of Leadership Learning Community As the executive director of Leadership Learning Community a nonprofit organization that focuses on leveraging leadership as a way to create a more equitable society Deborah is actively involved in leadership development Each year her organization produces the Creating Space gathering which brings together people invested in developing leaders including funders scholars and community organizers The 2015 gathering which was held in Detroit and co produced by Community Connections was titled Challenging Leadership Assumptions Learning From Nontraditional Leadership About Community and Systems Change What is Capacity Building S imply put capacity building is jargon language that acts as a barrier positioning those that understand it above those who do not This phrase is often used by foundations and other social institutions In the institutional arena capacity building is the process of a group developing skills procedures and resources that will ensure its success That could mean a group participates in a leadership training establishes a system of organizing its supplies or recruits a specific number of volunteers all to make sure their goal of creating positive change in their community is met A group is not considered sustainable and consequently will not be funded unless it builds capacity according to this institutional formula These institutions look at success through a macro lens often measuring it with overall numbers They will ask a group How many community members participated in your program Did you stick to your budget Has the crime rate decreased or the literacy rate increased in your community because of the work you are doing there We look at capacity building differently To us capacity building is an opportunity for an individual to grow their understanding and their abilities by connecting with community members and professionals outside their circles It is an experience in which a community member participates whether it s a conference or a workshop or a community tour Sometimes the experiences are held in your own neighborhood and sometimes they are held across the country sometimes participant community members are funders and sometimes they re grassroots leaders in a different field or from another city sometimes the experiences last a few hours and sometimes they last a few days sometimes you learn about a distant community and sometimes you learn a new technique So more broadly capacity building opportunities for an individual to expand their knowledge expand their connections Demonstrating that a group has fully developed their capacity should not be a condition of funding Instead funding should include resources for the group to build their capacity that is to participate in opportunities to expand their knowledge and their connections over the life of their project This investment in individual community leaders is crucial Numbers aren t the only way to measure success We believe it is individuals skills that contribute to positive change and individuals stories that indicate positive change in a community An investment in an individual is an investment in the group is an investment in the community Capacity building opportunities for an individual to expand their knowledge to expand their connections 3

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Places where we ve learned grown Victor Name of opportunity Results based Leadership and Facilitation Training Hosted by The Skillman Foundation and the Annie E Casey Foundation Date December 15 16 2015 and February 3 2016 Community Connections 2009 Youngstown Ohio Grassroots Grantmakers On the Ground Unconference 2010 Detroit Grassroots Grantmakers On the Ground Unconference 2011 Detroit PolicyLink Equity Summit Atlanta Grassroots Grantmakers On the Ground Unconference 2013 Sacramento California NeighborWorks Community Leadership Institute Lansing Michigan Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion Equity Network Conference It helped me to come in and see what they do Detroit Detroit Food Policy Council conference Washington D C United Neighborhood Centers of America conference Baltimore Leadership Learning Community Creating Space conference and kind of take a hold of it getting outside of my comfort zone and growing Page 7 2014 Holland Michigan Diversity Alliance Summit on Race Inclusion Lansing Michigan Michigan Association for Evaluation conference Detroit Grantmakers for Children Youth Families conference Detroit Youth Development Alliance YDA Capacity Building Conference 2015 Los Angeles PolicyLink Equity Summit Detroit National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures Regional Arts Training Workshop Mohammad Name of opportunity Grassroots Grantmakers On the Ground Hosted by Grassroots Grantmakers Detroit Date September 15 18 2014 Being there with them I know Cleveland Washington D C whatever there is we are in this circle we are one fist When I m with them it s like I m home because I know these guys will back me up no matter what happens Page 11 San Diego Jerry Lisa and Mary Name of opportunity Resident Learning Exchange Resident Centered Community Building What Makes It Different Name of opportunity Latino Art Now Conference Organized by The Jacobs Family Foundation Date June 2012 Organized by The Inter University Program for Latino Research at the University of Illinois at Chicago the Smithsonian Latino Center and the Smithsonian American Art Museum Date November 7 9 2013 I left San Diego with a brand new appreciation for graffiti art realizing that this is not just defaming of a wall or of a building There are messages in some of those and they re very detailed The art is like somebody s soul And there s an economic opportunity for these artists Page 9 4 We re meeting people we re crossing more lines We re making these connections and if we need to address something we call upon these connections that we created Page 12 5

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Residents access to capacity building opportunities L ower wealth communities particularly communities of color have historically been denied access not only to monetary resources but also to knowledge and opportunities to expand that knowledge It s obvious that foundations and other nonprofits are working to address the problem of access to money by making grants available to these communities But addressing the problem of access to knowledge and the people who carry that knowledge usually isn t prioritized in the same way Whether intentional or unintentional spaces for capacity building have been created to accommodate traditional leaders such as funders nonprofit professionals and government officials those from more privileged backgrounds who have not only had longtime access to monetary resources and diverse knowledge but who are also regularly given opportunities to continue building their capacity Oftentimes their employers whether it s a foundation a nonprofit organization or a government entity will pay for them to attend a conference workshop or training The only people in organizations that even get to travel and go to conferences where they re exposed to new ideas are executive directors said Deborah Meehan executive director of Leadership Learning Community It s a fundamental problem in the whole sector These opportunities for learning are often held during times when people are working For those whose employers do not fund learning opportunities attending would mean taking time off and possibly paying for transportation or child care in addition to any fees associated with the conference or training itself These are barriers for many residents Institutions and organizations are realizing there are a lot of changes we have to make in order to make capacity building more accessible said Roque Barros director for the Ford Institute for Community Building at the Ford Family Foundation It really doesn t require anything more than committing to the value of investing in people added Lisa Leverette director of Community Connections Grant Program and of Lower Eastside Community Grant Program Planning in advance to manage costs and sacrificing in areas that are not as catalytic to growth goes a long way toward freeing up resources to invest in building the capacity of resident leaders As grassroots leaders we might not have known about or been able to afford the conferences or trainings we attended had we not been connected to a funder who thought it would be valuable for us to attend We folks don t have the money to be able to go to Washington D C Mary said What do residents gain Building Capacity Expanding knowledge 1 A Victor completes an activity at a leadership development workshop held in Detroit Addressing the barrier of grassroots leaders access to knowledge and the people who carry that knowledge should be a priority There is so much to be gained by residents attending meetings and conferences and trainings Traditional leaders are not the only ones who create and affect change They are 6 We develop our leadership and other skills in our toolkits not the only ones we should be investing in fter living for a few years in Texas post college graduation Victor knew it was time to return home to Detroit I really wanted to be a part of the resurgence and I love the city It s gritty it s tough it s hard working it s tenacious it s love Victor said I just feel like the city gave so much to me in my development and who I am today that it s time for me to pour back into it And that s just what he s doing His list of community involvement is seemingly endless He works with the Southwest Detroit Business Association as the business manager of the organization s youth music and arts program Center of Music and Performing Arts Southwest He serves on a couple of committees for the Association of Fundraising Professionals Detroit chapter He has a passion for youth development and has mentored teens through Developing K I D S He was the president of his senior class in 2006 at Cass Technical High School and is now involved with planning their 10 year reunion which will include a scholarship gala to raise 10 000 in textbook scholarships for 10 seniors in the class of 2016 And of course he serves as a reviewer for Community Connections Grant Program representing Detroit s North End neighborhood but he was also recently brought on as a social media marketing consultant for the organization Victor is ambitious and is always looking not only for opportunities to get involved in community work but also to grow his own development He went to his first learning opportunity through Community Connections a leadership development conference held at Focus HOPE in Detroit only a couple months after he first started volunteering with the organization But it was his participation in a results based leadership training facilitated by the Skillman Foundation and Annie E Casey Foundation that has really had an impact on him Here Victor was introduced to a results based leadership model and learned how to be more efficient and results oriented in the facilitation of meetings and the determination of goals He felt learning these skills was the most beneficial to his work in the community Once he started incorporating some of the principles he learned in that training the improvement in productivity in meetings for his Cass Tech reunion for example was noticeable going from banter where a conference call goes two hours to making solid decisions and having tasks for people to do moving forward in an hour It also helped me to come in and see what they do and kind of take a hold of it getting outside of my comfort zone and growing Victor said It gave me another career option looking at it like maybe I might be pretty good at this and I enjoy doing it so maybe I can infuse this into the fund development work that I m doing With new skills new doors are opened Living in communities that have been disenfranchised doesn t stop grassroots leaders from creating change They re uniquely skilled at improvising often approximating what other folks are doing whether it s facilitating discussions creating strategies developing programming or fundraising They utilize their natural talents cobble together resources and draw on skills learned through experiences they ve had at home such as settling family disputes or organizing church events But the most effective practices aren t always known and don t always trickle down from those who do have access to monetary resources and knowledge sharing By taking part in learning experiences where the playing field is level residents are exposed to and are able to learn some of the skills and practices that would heed the best results for the change they re seeking An investment in their learning new skills is catalytic elevating residents will doubtlessly positively impact their communities as well Deborah notes however that when thinking about growing skills through capacity building opportunities the focus should not be on individual s deficits a what s wrong with you we re going to fix it mentality which is often the mentality in spaces built by funders who have no inten tion of learning with and from community members There s a power structure at play and funders must think about who are considered experts what kind of expertise is recognized and who is making decisions about who needs what skills The focus of a learning opportunity should be on the wisdom that participants already have the wisdom gained by working together and the wisdom participants can bring to each other 7

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What do residents gain Building Capacity Expanding knowledge 2 We gain confidence in our own abilities and validation in our leadership M Learning opportunities offer residents the chance to grow their confidence By convening like minded community leaders conferences and meetings and trainings allow these community members to witness the power of their peers and therefore see the power in themselves For Mary meeting fellow Latino artists at one learning opportunity was an affirmation that the work they 8 ohammad had only been in the United States for about a year and had never been outside of Detroit when he took a trip with some fellow Community Connections panelists to Cleveland As a recent Yemeni immigrant whose native language is not English he was nervous to take part in a learning opportunity where communication could be a barrier It was my first time getting out of Detroit I had never been around Americans my whole life It was like a big jump for me to do that It s not easy He had already encountered difficulty in Detroit at times when trying to take part in group discussions Especially you know when you look at them and they are laughing and you don t know what they re laughing about Mohammad said You re looking at them and they are talking about something serious and you see all the eyes like this with furrowed brows and you re trying to do that to understand When you lose the link of a word of the sentence you cannot follow the other sentences so your mind shuts and you re just dreaming or spacing out and they re talking about something else and you say Oh my god what am I doing here But upon arriving in Ohio Mohammad quickly realized he had the support of his group from Community Connections especially Community Connections director Lisa Leverette They would not leave him to struggle with his English alone At this Grassroots Grantmakers gathering Mohammad felt comfortable He could tell his English was good enough to take part in activities and make connections with other residents at the gathering Lisa Leverette too knew Mohammad was capable and according to Mohammad threw him into many of the meeting s events Mohammad gained confidence not only in his ability to speak English but also in the knowledge that he was a community leader who belonged in this space Once he overcame his initial fears Lisa Leverette said Mohammad s presence was pervasive as he took full advantage of the gathering s many opportunities for learning I have not seen anybody more changed by one single event and it was because it expanded his worldview she said He just found his tribe all are doing is important and far from thankless When we went to that Latino arts conference and heard people say Community arts is where it s at Mary said That pat on the back said You re validated what you re doing is good what you re doing is important Conferences and trainings in particular are often meant to showcase success stories with speakers who have determined a tried and true method or transformed their neighborhood But in this supportive space speakers and participants alike often discuss their failed attempts and problems as well as their successes Residents who may have experienced a similar challenge or might have succeeded where another leader had difficulty realize that everybody doing community work is still learning and that their own experiences have value They learn that first of all nobody has it figured out and second of all that everybody is dealing with sort of different versions of the same problems and that they re further along than they thought they were said Janis Foster Richardson consultant and former executive director of Grassroots Grantmakers 3 I We encounter ideas that inspire action in our own communities t started in 2008 in Detroit s North End with only a few pots some soil and a handful of vegetables community folks wanted to try to grow greens beans tomatoes squash Today Oakland Avenue Urban Farm makes up multiple plots a house with a commercial kitchen and two hoop houses Its organizers hold farmers markets in their neighborhood and sell produce at stands in six Chrysler plants weekly They have youth programming during the summer to teach kids about gardening The farm has grown extraordinarily But still its executive director Jerry is planning to do more Jerry is a Community Connections grantee she s received funding on multiple occasions for the farm s youth programming Despite being part of the Community Connections network Jerry was surprised when Lisa Leverette invited her to San Diego for a learning opportunity a Resident Learning Exchange hosted by the Jacobs Family Foundation After all she was a grantee not a grassroots funder But she went And when she returned home she was full of new ideas including how to turn the alley behind the farm into a street art gallery While in San Diego Jerry and some fellow attendees visited Writerz Blok a legal graffiti art park that encourages street artists to create on its outdoor walls She was blown away not only by the artistry but also by the economics of the program Visitors enter the park through a boutique that sells postcards T shirts and more that show off the local street artists work I left San Diego with a brand new appreciation for graffiti art realizing that this is not just defaming of a wall or of a building Jerry said There are messages in some of those and they re very detailed The art is like somebody s soul And there s an economic opportunity for these artists Now art is featured prominently at Oakland Avenue Urban Farm Decorated healing walls and murals can be found throughout the space They have yet to be tagged over so Jerry knows there s an appreciation in her community for this work Now she s just got to figure out how to help the artists profit from it I m still working on it how can I introduce something similar to Writerz Blok here in the North End Jerry said Jerry left is the executive director of Oakland Avenue Urban Farm At learning opportunities residents are exposed to leaders from different neighborhoods and different cities all across the country Often there are similarities between these communities whether it s in the systemic inequities they face or in their neighbors enthusiasm to grow youth programming so residents can relate In both learning sessions and in the interactions in between residents get to hear from one another about their projects and the logistics They also get to explore the cities in which the learning opportunities are held and see some innovative community programming in action It s inspiring to see and I m thinking in terms of visuals Mary said You get ideas you see firsthand what you ve been reading about and bring some of these ideas back that we can translate to our own means 9

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What do residents gain Building Capacity Expanding connections There s somebody in Michigan as close as Battle Creek in a community very similar to mine dealing with the same thing the drugs the crime the kids raising themselves the this the that Building Capacity Expanding knowledge 4 We understand challenges in a systemic context J erry loves living in the North End of Detroit a place where neighbors pass by the farm and wave hello to her during the days and friends invite her to sit on their porches to chat in the evenings I can honestly say that there s no place like the North End because the North End is When swapping stories with fellow grassroots leaders at learning opportunities the reality that the challenges they face are systemic becomes apparent These barriers are not unique to Detroit or Washington D C or San Diego These are widespread problems that many members of various communities have encountered Lisa Leverette remembers 10 homey she said People are real and unpretentious Still spending day after day working to create positive change in a disenfranchised community alongside neighbors whose lives are riddled with hardships can be exhausting and even isolating You think Man does anybody else feel this or deal Mary having this realization at a Grassroots Grantmakers meeting they attended together in Youngstown Ohio another Rust Belt town plagued by the decline of the manufacturing industry She got to see that Youngstown had the same open spaces dilapidated buildings old neglected factories that had poisoned communities previously she said with this or am I in this by myself Jerry said But attending learning opportunities has made Jerry realize that she is not alone in this struggle There are grassroots leaders in countless communities throughout the country facing almost the same barriers and burnout These problems are systemic With residents in their communities daily trying to survive and thrive often they get caught up in the weeds of this work Stepping outside of their routines and meeting other grassroots folks at learning opportunities helps residents understand the bigger picture Things are multifaceted and more nuanced Lisa Leverette said In those spaces you get to It s like yeah there s somebody in Texas dealing with the same thing Jerry said There s somebody in Michigan as close as Battle Creek in a community very similar to mine dealing with the same thing the drugs the crime the kids raising themselves the this the that explore that You get to hear that This context helps grassroots leaders to be more effective They realize it s not personal so instead of expending energy pointing fingers at specific individuals in their communities they can direct their efforts toward changing entire systems They can also look to and band together with grassroots leaders in other communities facing similar challenges 1 We strengthen relationships with people in our own communities W hen Mohammad talks about his fellow Community Connections grant makers it s as if he s talking about family Being there with them I know whatever there is we are in this circle we are one fist he said When I m with them it s like I m home because I know these guys will back me up no matter what happens His respect for and trust in the group is palpable and it was a learning opportunity that strengthened this bond Mohammad s nerves were running high on the way to Cleveland with some fellow Community Connections Although residents work together regularly on projects and programs in their communities their relationships with one another may be rather one dimensional They know each other as grassroots leaders often in a professional capacity with some small talk or neighborhood gossip thrown in Learning opportunities are usually immersive meant for deep thinking and rapid growth with a group of like minded individuals Sometimes it isn t until a community s residents have had such an experience together that they really get to know one another and feel truly unified upon their return home Bonds are created both folks but soon he realized there was no reason to worry Throughout the trip there was always someone from the Community Connections crew standing by or checking in Together these Community Connections panelists experienced the fun the music the activities the skill building of this learning opportunity Lisa Leverette even introduced Mohammad to soul food while they were there They did a lot for me he said That s why I m very proud of them and to be with them Participants in the Cleveland Grassroots Grantmakers gathering enjoy a meal together after hours during these events and the time spent together after hours There s an agenda and then there s the stuff that you can t capture in an agenda the relationship building Lisa Leverette said The stuff that happens at the bar afterwards the stuff that happens during dinner where people are really talking about their own work in depth and who they are and being valued as a leader not talked down to Even just the travel to and from a learning opportunity is valuable in bringing together neighbors Janis remembers seeing how a van load of Community Connections panelists at one of the first Grassroots Grantmakers conferences in Youngstown Ohio arrived as changed people One of the things that I witnessed happen was just the impact of their time together riding together in the van so they could get to know each other as people and share stories and talk and get out of any professional role they were in as committee members she said I think that was a very powerful experience You could see alliances forming she added During this time together empathy is developed trust is built and communication is improved When residents return home to their communities they are more in sync and therefore more effective in their collaborations 11

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What do residents gain Mary who created this piece titled Abuelita y la Luna was inspired by the fellow Latino artists she met at the Latino Art Now Conference Building Capacity Expanding connections 2 We create bonds with other community leaders M ary has been a Community Connections grant maker since the start of the organization 10 years ago If I say I m going to do something I m going to do it and when I make a commitment I try to stay with the commitment She had hardly missed a meeting that is until she and her husband were in a car accident that landed them in the hospital But even then her commitment to Community Connections was at the front of her mind I called them from the hospital and said I can t make the meeting I have nine fractures Mary said with a chuckle And then we were in rehab for months That s when Mary s daughter Lisa got to know some of At learning opportunities those community leaders from different neighborhoods and different cities all across the country have the chance to gather in a space that fosters openness honesty and connection Because they are doing similar work in similar communities fellow community leaders are uniquely qualified to offer each other support solidarity that not many other people can provide these residents Jerry too feels connecting the Community Connections crew With her mom in a wheelchair Lisa stepped in to help with things like transportation during the recovery process That s also when Lisa Leverette got the idea to send the mother and daughter to a learning opportunity in Washington D C It just made sense It would be easiest for Mary to travel with the help of her daughter and the topic of the conference was right up both ladies alley a Latino Art Now conference Mary is a visual artist storyteller and lifelong Southwest Detroiter At 75 she is a wealth of knowledge she knows the names of countless local artists and business owners and community leaders and proba with fellow grassroots leaders is one of the most important things she gains through these experiences including her trip to San Diego for the Resident Learning Exchange Just being in the circle one morning when we were all talking about the work that we do on the ground and sharing the issues and the struggles and the successes she said We had some very teary moments there We cried together and then we laughed together and what bly the names of their grandparents and of their children too knows both the history of her neighborhood and about the events happening next weekend and is involved with a variety of arts and cultures programming in her neighborhood Lisa an artist and arts educator has followed in her mother s footsteps She s a freelance photographer creates murals throughout Southwest Detroit works in some local schools doing arts infused education and helped found a Detroit Latino arts organization At the Latino Art Now Conference Mary and Lisa met Latino artists and arts organizers from across the country folks doing the work just like them They also saw a large Latino arts exhibit in the Smithsonian a unique and inspirational site for this marginalized group For Mary making connections with fellow grassroots leaders was invaluable By coming together at learning opportunities Mary feels they are starting a movement By linking together we re becoming more global and by being more global we re becoming more united in the issues we need to uplift Mary said We re meeting people we re crossing more lines she added We re making these connections and if we need to address something we call upon these connections that we created happened is I still have relationships with some of those folks around the country Those are the people Jerry still calls on to share successes and disappointments the people who encourage her to get back out there because she is making a difference Day to day Jerry s life revolves around Oakland Avenue Urban Farm and the people who are a part of it It s not always easy for her to admit struggles or get perspective from the neighbors who are in the weeds of the work alongside her I have to present to them a certain degree of strength so when I have my weak moments I cannot talk to them Jerry said I need to go in and send an email to Mary in Texas or Jeremy in Battle Creek or something like that just to talk about some of the stuff Then they come back with some stuff that makes me laugh or whatever the case may be 3 We establish rapport with funders and other traditional leaders A t the Latino Art Now conference Lisa saw the importance of Latinos gathering together to learn and to connect The talent and the power of this group of community residents was on full display and through this learning opportunity she was reminded of the importance of investing in fellow Latinos knowing that we have to involve our own people and give them opportunities that they might never have or never think that they can do That also means investing in herself In the past Lisa often found herself discouraged by the community work she saw Detroit foundations choosing to support It seemed folks from her Southwest Detroit neighborhood rarely received Lisa left and Mary 12 funding for their projects so what was the point of going after local grants But at the conference she met fellow community leaders who had received funding for their initiatives as well as funders who supported the work of Latino artists When she returned from the conference she felt reenergized I said If I m not going to try it then it s never going to happen so I m going to try it again That gave her the impetus to go after the grants her mother Mary added It gave her the impetus to connect with those funders and then because you re there you also get support from the people that you meet You get the connections Not only do grassroots leaders get to connect with other folks doing work on the ground but they also get to connect with funders at these conferences meetings and trainings In these spaces residents are able to speak with funders often informally about their work These conversations help residents understand funders backgrounds and perspectives when it comes to funding community work like theirs You expose the community members to a lot of the funders thinking and more importantly you expose them to relationships that they need to develop Roque said Funders also get the chance to hear directly from residents Before going to San Diego Jerry had rarely interacted face to face with a funder But there she had the chance to sit at the table with funders have a conversation and actually articulate some of her issues and needs In the past Jerry had been told by funders that her project was not fundable because she was running a volunteer organization and therefore was not really sustainable Now that they were in the room together however she could show funders how her project was making a lasting difference We proved that they could invest in us Jerry said Just being in the room to hear about our work and the type of people we are and the type of people that we work with and why you the funder need to be investing in us and trusting us with those dollars I think has been remarkable In these spaces residents have a voice among individuals who in the past may not have listened By being in the room with traditional leaders like funders nonprofit professionals and government officials not only do residents have the chance to tell their stories but they also have the chance to uplift others in their neighborhoods and to question funders actions For Mary that often means asking these leaders at the learning opportunities she attends why there are not more of her neighbors receiving funding or representation on local boards They need to understand that there s more about us than the numbers and that we do care that they re funding Latino projects Mary said When there s no Latinos on these boards they need to hear from us 13

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Mary standing left speaks to the group at a Leadership Learning conference held in Detroit while Lisa Leverette right looks on How do residents influence capacity building spaces T he meetings conferences workshops and trainings where capacity is built are often also where plans are established and decisions are made related to community change I think when funders make decisions to fund community work they ought to know who the folks are who are working in the community they say they re funding Jerry said But often funders never even meet with these community members I believe that is a big mistake they make she added By being present in those spaces residents have the chance to actually push back against even the best intentioned outsiders and to address class and race dynamics They become the educators For Roque having residents in these spaces is crucial He believes most of the work foundations claim to do for the community is done for the res 14 idents and usually it s done for the most needy in the community But because these residents are not usually at conferences or in those rooms where the decisions are made there can be missteps Residents hold us accountable for what we re saying because we may make a statement about the community or the people in the community and it might not be a correct statement Roque said If the community is in the room they re going to clarify that or make us clarify if we ve misspoken in any way Janis added If they hear something that doesn t resonate with them they push back on it or they hear some jargon and they question it Those are the opportunities that I think are really rich with learning Residents also provide a link helping funders understand realities about a community s needs or a program s success Deborah appreciates that in her experience during resident centered meetings attendees hear not only from the creators of programs who naturally are touting their approach but they get to hear honest evaluations from these programs participants as well Their experiences are not filtered by program officers or nonprofit partners Residents are able to tell their stories as they want to tell them It puts not only a face to our work but it puts our story out there because otherwise we re not heard Jerry said Funders then get the chance to directly ask residents questions and receive feedback Because they are in the room together funders and residents make decisions that truly have communities needs at heart It s a very vulnerable space a place for thinking emotions and connections Deborah said Participants in the Leadership Learning conference in Detroit form a circle for inclusive discussion Creating spaces for residents learning A lthough it s important for community leaders to hold space in their own communities and for funders to have time with fellow funders it s critical to get these groups in the same room to learn together as well When Roque convenes funders and residents he knows he must be profoundly inclusive His first step is recognizing who are the hard toreach or unheard voices in a community and then coming up with a strategy for how to reach them But simply inviting these residents to learning opportunities isn t enough to get them involved Inviting them doesn t mean they ll be able to attend Roque recognizes that sometimes it s worth giving residents a stipend so that they can afford to take time off from work or pay a workshop s fee and sometimes it s necessary to provide them with transportation or childcare Or as Deborah suggested why not bring the program to where people live and where they re trying to make things happen Even considering the location of a capacity building opportunity can ensure that residents are able to participate Having residents in the room also doesn t mean their voices will be heard Again conveners must be profoundly inclusive and encourage participants to let go of their preconceived notions about their roles and the expectations of others After bringing folks who fund the programs who run the programs and who participate in the programs together conveners must make sure that professional voices don t dominate and that all those participating in a learning opportunity have an equal voice For Janis this has meant having community residents really sit at a table in a capacity building space and having funders sit at the edges of the room in support of the community leaders It has also meant taking the time for group reflection during learning opportunities and asking residents at random to talk for a few minutes about something that is on their mind At one Grassroots Grantmakers gathering Janis remembers seeing a resident who attended with Community Connections find their voice through such an exercise Somebody had been kind of hanging back and then they stood up and it was like oh my gosh they are this person we were discovering she said But this person was discovering who they were too 15

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Acknowledgments C ommunity Connections operates as part of a 10 year resident led community change effort launched by the Skillman Foundation in 2006 The grant program utilizes grassroots grant making as a tool to encourage resident engagement and to develop and support resident leadership to improve neighborhood conditions for youth most specifically to improve the high school graduation rate for graduating high school seniors to 90 percent and above The ultimate goal Creating lasting change F unders and nonprofit organizations often feel every penny needs to be going to the front line of their community work because people are in need But using some resources to invest in the expansion of residents knowledge and networks will only make our work and therefore our communities better It shouldn t even be a question Deborah said It s not a question in the corporate sector They know that they have to invest in themselves to be able to grow their organizational capacity The benefits to both grassroots and traditional folks are many but at its core capacity building is about growing leaders You could view it as leadership training because you re really investing in people s potential and exposing them to new ideas Janis said An investment in grassroots leaders is an investment in community change We come back from these learning experiences with new ideas new skills new systems of support new plans And with these tools we will make change happen We do this work because we love and are committed to our communities and our communities are our homes First and foremost we have self interest in improving our neighborhoods I make sure that changes are good for me Mary said If they re good for me they re good for everybody else Unlike for many funders From left to right Victor Mary Jerry and Lisa even the most well intentioned this isn t just work for us this is our lives Even if grant money dwindles or funders stop taking notice we ll still be here We are sustainable we have to be The grassroots people are the ones that are going to hold it down once they start getting opportunities like that or supplies that they need Lisa said You know they re going to do it and they re going to get their friends to help They re going to make things happen We are thankful for the bold vision leadership and investment in neighborhoods residents and children in Detroit Thank you for not only having faith in the emerging field of grassroots grant making to contribute substantially to the results but also in a longterm investment strategy that allowed Community Connections to learn from grow and respond to identified needs and changing conditions in communities The steady presence faith and patience of the Skillman Foundation has allowed us to learn from our mistakes and build on our successes over time We are grateful to the leadership and staff Our gratitude extends to the W K Kellogg Foundation We are thankful for the wisdom exercised in co investing in Community Connections along with a funder with a similar vision Thank you for recognizing the catalytic results we can all realize by working together to improve the lives of young people in Detroit We appreciate the steady leadership and continuity of guidance and support We are grateful for your partnership and the opportunity to support groups in their next level of development The combined investment of nearly 3 million in grants of between 250 and 5 000 awarded to more than 500 groups and 750 projects over 10 years has made a significant impact on youth families grassroots leaders and neighborhood conditions Thank you Thanks also to Marie Colombo and Prudence Brown for making evaluation accessible fun and sexy This publication would not be possible without your support valuing and championing for the inclusion of nontraditional contribution This publication is dedicated to the countless voiceless nontraditional leaders who make a difference in their communities every day I make sure that changes are good for me If they re good for me they re good for everybody else 16 Facilitation design by marina Csomor

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Nontraditional Leaders

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