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Community Connections small grant program 2006 2016 A retrospective 1

Unless someone like you cares an awful lot things aren t going to get better They re not Dr Seuss Equity p 8 Youth Leadership Investments p 10 Adult Leadership p 14 Systems Change p 6 Philanthropy p 4 Community Connections is all about 2 Civic Engagement p 20 p 18

Birth of a revolution Our Story T he birth began in 2006 when then Skillman Foundation program officer Sharnita Johnson conceived of the idea for a grassroots grant making program to serve as the civic engagement component of the Good Neighborhoods Program She contacted veteran grassroots grant maker Sheila Taylor then Director of Prevention Network who developed the initial foundation for the Community Connections grant program The design was soon passed on to Lisa Leverette to nurture and grow the program Many find it revolutionary that we provide grants between 250 and 5000 to regular folks neighborhood residents including groups of youth for youth focused projects in six Detroit neighborhoods Project types include community organizing arts and culture college and job preparedness athletics life skills and more Staying true to our revolutionary spirit residents of the community are the grant makers Change Maker Resident Reviewers meet monthly to award funds We actively outreach and provide technical assistance to neighborhood groups in order to support a wide variety of applicants Capacity building opportunities are provided to grant reviewers and grantees keeping them informed and informing others about trends in the field Grantees are convened several times a year for networking collaboration and resource sharing Community Connections is a tool for civic engagement identifying and supporting resident leadership and inspiring bottom up systems change Continuous learning and evaluation are integrated into the fabric of the program Problems and solutions are processed through a lens of equity in order to positively impact the most vulnerable 3

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More than money Philanthropy G rassroots Grant Making is an emerging form of philanthropy that challenges assumptions made by traditional philanthropy about who is best to decide what a community needs and who decides who receives support Community Connections practices fair and inclusive principles and takes the mystery out of the grant making process by providing A simple and transparent application process Extensive outreach and technical assistance to engage and support traditionally overlooked groups Monthly grant reviews by grant reviewers from the community Opportunities for grantees and reviewers to learn new information and network Alternate forms of evaluation that allow us to capture outcomes that might not be best measured by numbers and charts Commitment to evaluate problems and solutions through a racial equity lens 5

New leaders New futures A powerful group of youth leaders emerged from the JIRAN program a program housed with ACCESS The group started with adults arranging training for youth to begin to speak frankly about race with their peers family and neighbors Adult facilitators encouraged the young people to think and act beyond the initial training The rest is history Youth leaders seized control and continue today planning and implementing programs to benefit themselves their peers and the community They applied for and received funding for training to strengthen their ACT scores They also serve as trainers to other youth who continue the race dialogue sessions and participate as leaders in many other projects in their community Chadsey Condon and across the city I would really be tired if I had to really work hard with the kids after work on their projects It s really easy though because they lead themselves I m just here as a resource Aswan Almaktary Adult supporter of JIRAN 6

INVOLVEMENT BENEFIT Youth helped develop the project application 55 Youth helped develop the project report 47 Projects offering credit for high school graduation 53 Projects offering work experience Youth Leadership 33 paid 21 unpaid 7

Black Latino males boys of color ages 0 17 make up 51 of our youth in projects 8

Equity The biggest risk is when we don t invest where the greatest needs exist A pivotal aspect of the program involves viewing all problems and solutions through a prism of race gender and class Well intentioned efforts often exclude or invite undo harm to the most vulnerable residents Our team including grant makers routinely scrutinize all aspects of our work to anticipate consequences of our decisions on grantees and youth We are serious about increasing advantages for those most in need 2 Arab 4 White 1 Hmong 1 Other 19 Latino 73 AfricanAmerican Support for our program lets the boys know someone cares about them It s also a springboard to allow us to experience new relationships and to attract more resources for African American Boys Odis Bellinger Building Better Men Program It is doubtful we would have grown to where we are today without Community Connections believing in us Grassroots groups deserve a chance to make a difference Kim Newberry Developing K I D S 9

Community Connections has awarded Community Connections funded 3 031 111 903 projects awarded 519 groups TOTAL GRANT DOLLARS AWARDED PER NEIGHBORHOOD 600 000 400 000 averaged 200 000 0 Brightmoor Chadsey Cody Condon Rouge 10 North End Osborn 3 357 per grant Southwest Grants were awarded in Cody Rouge and North End starting in January 2008 and 90 37 of groups leveraged nearly 1 for every dollar awarded grants per year Grant totals August 2006 through August 2016

A little Investments hange can lead to big change Capacity Building Investing in knowledge is at least as important as investing grant dollars in projects Grantees and Change Makers in our network participated in a variety of learning and sharing opportunities locally and nationally each of the last 10 years Participating in capacity building opportunities provides a number of benefits including Learning new information that allows participants to increase their effectiveness in their home communities Sharing information with others based on participants experiences in their home communities Expanding professional and social networks that support leaders in their work Relationship Building Investment in people and relationships yields the greatest payoff for lasting community change Every aspect of our program is an exercise in relationship building Our regular networking opportunities are much anticipated events each year Grantees share ideas and collaborate on projects Youth participants share the talent and knowledge they gained through funded projects and parents are regular staples at these events Change Makers make regular visits to funded projects to meet grantees and thank them for their efforts They also participate together in regular strategic meetings and retreats each year Our office is also the spot where grantees are welcome to stop in to touch base or work on applications Increased understanding of the systemic nature of challenges experienced in similar communities Demonstrating the value and necessity of creating more opportunities designed to include resident leaders 11

Brightmoor G roups generally fall into two categories 1 Youth innovate agricultural products in an urban landscape and 2 Youth as leaders and innovators in a progressive urban neighborhood The most common project types are Gardening Environmental Beautification and Arts and Culture Cody Rouge G roups are mostly nurtured and incubated by Brightmoor North End Cody Rouge Chadsey Condon Southwest several stakeholders and hubs primarily Don Bosco Hall in the community The most common project types are Sports and Recreation and Social Skills Development Chadsey Condon G roups range in diversity and include African American Latino and Middle Eastern residents Many projects are intergenerational and youth led The most common project types are Gardening Environmental Beautification and Leadership Development Civic Engagement 12 Delford Fort s Yellow Tigers Karate School is an example of the commitment of adults nurturing youth leadership We dedicate this retrospective in part to his generous contribution to youth and families

Osborn Detroit North End Projects overall are implemented by a small cohort of consistent and trusted change agents They have each served youth over several generations The most common project type is Leadership Development Civic Engagement Osborn Projects in the community are clustered around Our Neighborhoods neighborhood associations block clubs Osborn High School and Matrix Human Services which acts as a hub and support system for many groups The most common project types are Sports and Recreation and Arts and Culture Southwest G roups encompass a host of flavors including Latino African American and Middle Eastern residents Projects in the area spanned from the central corridor to Delray and into the southernmost section of the city the 48217 zip code The most common project type is Arts and Culture The legendary Deloris Bennett of the North End Youth Improvement Council is an example of the durability of commitment to youth in the North End We dedicate this retrospective in part to her legacy 13

ADULT LEADERS PER PROJECT 4 had 4 leaders 12 had 5 leaders 37 had 3 leaders 31 had 1 leader 16 had 2 leaders ADULT PARTICIPANTS PER PROJECT 32 of projects reported 20 or more adults involved 36 of projects reported 6 to 18 adults involved 14 32 of projects reported 5 or less adults involved

Adult Leadership Lead follow or get out of the way T ADULT PARTICIPATION BY NEIGHBORHOOD he most phenomenal noteworthy and catalytic component and outcome of the Community Connections story is the impact of adult leaders on youth and the overall neighborhood The number of adults that participated in projects as facilitators and volunteers exceeded anyone s imagination They provided leadership guidance and nurturing to young people many who languished within broken systems and lacked consistent and effective support Neighborhood That is impressive on its own However there is research Illinois 5 essential survey that confirms that the presence of 3 5 consistently available adults in the lives of kids helps them navigate toward positive decisions and solve problems that may have derailed their progress Community Connections provided a conduit for resident leaders to positively impact the lives of youth That s an investment that yields sustainable returns I don t teach a child to read better or play instruments I light a fire within them Range Brightmoor 7 43 Chadsey Condon 2 44 Cody Rouge 1 32 North End 5 45 Osborn 1 100 Southwest 2 557 Projects varied widely in size the number of adults involved reflects a low of one teacher instructor to a high of 557 adults at an annual community school event Randall Mosley The Amistad Reading Project 15

Only those who have walked a day in your shoes should judge you T he lifeblood of the program Review Panelists also known as Change Makers are neighborhood residents who volunteer their time monthly to deliberate as a panel and decide which grant proposals are approved They are a diverse family holding different opinions and personalities Deliberations can at times be intense yet they are always fair and balanced Each Change Maker takes their role seriously as a grant maker The term Change Maker was adopted due to them going beyond the decision making process to build and share knowledge about grant making equity and other subjects They visit projects as well as act as support and coaches to grantees in their communities They are informed change agents A better deliberation and leadership panel cannot be found anywhere on the planet 16 Ground Zero Where community ownership and decision making meet Thank You for exercising leadership and influence on behalf of your neighborhoods

Panelists CHANGE MAKERS Mohammad Dawood Maxine Mickens Mary Luevanos Bryan Hardaway Roberta Sanders Samantha Magdalano Aaron Vinson Victor Robinson Hussein Ahmad Roosevelt Bell Debra Bernard Eileen Bourne Teferi Brent Tawana Brookins Sheila Crowell Ericka Cullum Nada Dickerson Jari Beth Disla Erica Foxx Amber Griffin Tracy Moore Sabrina Young Tangy Washington Sheila Jackson Carter Sankeydra Jones Althea Kyles Sangustine Latham Mia Lee Sanders James Martin Otis Mathis Eugene Moore Lewis Moore Jennifer Ragland Gary Ringer Rito Villareal Tom Coach Watkins Dawn Wilson Clark Father Ed Zaorski 17

Change how you work if you want to change how things work O akland Avenue Farm Way is an example of one group whose efforts demonstrate systems change They were initially committed to introducing kids to nature Jerry Hebron and her team literally started with cups dirt and seeds The enterprise has grown to include several hoop houses multiple growing areas and community houses with plans and investment to expand exponentially Their approach is to invest and trust in community including people Organizational policies of the Farm Way have created solutions to previously entrenched social problems including Living wage employment for several employees including nearby residents Improved nutrition for neighbors who exchange sweat equity for fresh vegetables Productive use of previously vacant and blighted land Support for cottage industries in the community A destination place for serenity art and health education A means to gain employment experience and credentials transferable to other industries 18

COMMUNITY LEVEL OUTCOMES Q Did your project empower residents to improve and or influence schools organizations institutions or your neighborhood A 83 said Yes Did your project help to increase opportunities and equity for youth of color especially black and brown boys and young men 78 said Yes Did your project connect or interact with local policy makers 24 said Yes Did your project contribute to any changes in resources and public policies affecting youth and your neighborhood Systems Change WHAT IS SYSTEMS CHANGE Changes in organizational culture policies and procedures within individual organizations or across organizations that enhance or streamline access and reduce or eliminate barriers to needed services by a target population 17 said Yes 19

When neighbors link up TYPICAL NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS BY NEIGHBORHOOD T here is power in connecting with fellow residents Many of the most pressing problems and subsequently their solutions are local Residents in Detroit communities have a rich history of working together to improve conditions for themselves and young people where systems often fail them Community Connections provided resources to groups continuing to sustain communities The program also served to encourage residents not previously involved to contribute their gifts and talents to making a difference MOST COMMON PROJECT TYPES Groups identified up to two options from a list of 15 20 Sports and Recreation 27 Leadership and Youth Development Civic Engagement 26 Arts and Culture 17 Gardening Environmental Beautification 15 Social Skills 12 Health and Food 10 Neighborhood Youth Adults Brightmoor 26 14 Chadsey Condon 33 6 5 Cody Rouge 47 5 6 North End 28 5 14 Osborn 25 8 Southwest 36 14 5 All 36 10 3 096 youth 860 adults are participating annually

CONTRIBUTIONS BY PROJECT PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS Civic Engagement 92 of the 100 groups analyzed described contributions from at least one other organization 47 of the groups reported that four other groups or organizations were involved in their project Snacks meals 4 Stipend instructor etc 4 Fiduciary 5 Transportation 3 Vendor 5 Host site 38 Youth 5 Staff interns volunteers 19 Training curriculum 8 Computer lab equipment 11 21

Staff If serving is below you leadership is beyond you Lisa Leverette T he busy beavers working behind the scenes to serve the community are also of the community They work together mapping strategy supporting applicants and grantees as well as trumpeting the impact created by the phenomenal work of community leaders The cast of characters are 22 Kayla Perrin Ms I Mims Community Coach 2014 Program Assistant and Evaluation Leader 2013 She is a permanent fixture in community settings providing technical assistance to grant applicants and encouraging grantees to think about next steps Her free time is divided between pursing her Master s degree in social work and attending music concerts Kayla serves on the board of the local Self Development of People SDOP committee She is most likely the first and most friendly face that applicants meet when they contact the program Ms Mims time is equally divided between evaluation and program support activities Her background is in data management and administrative support Her interests are family and DIY projects Director and C C O Chief Change Orchestrator 2006 who managed the program solo for over 7 years She can be found equally in communities and in strategic meetings Lisa believes in imagining and implementing practices that challenge traditional models that have largely left black brown and poor residents languishing on the margins of society She is a fellow with the Detroit Equity Action Lab DEAL board member with Grassroots Grantmakers and Chairperson of the international committee for Self Development of People SDOP Her hobbies are listening to jazz and house music exploring the city and traveling

Thank You Prevention Network Acknowledgments Touchstone Center for Collaborative Inquiry JFM Consulting Group Special and heartfelt thanks to the many groups and leaders who diligently work for and on behalf of youth We recognize and honor your contributions 23

2727 2nd Avenue Suite 144 Detroit MI 48201 313 782 4042 24