Community Impact Funds

Renee Wizig-BarriosSenior Vice President & Chief Philanthropy Officer

Greater Houston Community Foundation

Community Impact Funds (CIF’s)

Community Impact Funds create

opportunities for GHCF donors and other local

funders to pool their giving in support of

strategic efforts around a chosen giving area.

Value Proposition

• Venture philanthropy

• Systemic Change

• Peer learning

• Leverage

• Impact

• Partnership

Measuring Impact of CIF’s

• GHCF Positioning

• Donor Engagement

• Grantmaking Impact, Leverage, and

Catalyzation

• CIF Business Model

Strategic Education Fund (SEF)

Strategic Education Fund (SEF)

Results & Leverage

• KIPP Courage outpacing national average in student

growth.

• Personalized instruction engaging students and

teachers in new ways.

• Additional grants leveraged by KIPP

• $760,000 additional dollars from other foundations to

take the program to scale.

Catalyst

• 4 new KIPP schools fully implemented Blended

Learning

• 5 other schools in process

• KIPP hired Dr. Minaz Fazal to lead blended learning

efforts and the region’s Blended Learning Community of

Practice.

• KIPP collaboration with Rice University to develop a

comprehensive blended learning evaluation

methodology

Next Steps for SEF

• SEF will continue to fund KIPP Courage Pilot through

implementation of 8th grade which will be

launched during the 2015-2016 school year.

• SEF is working with Spring Branch ISD to develop the

first blended learning pilot in a traditional school

district.

• Seek new donors for next phase.

• Reevaluate donor participation and governance

model.

• The City of Houston has a strategic community plan to

end chronic and veteran homelessness by 2015 and end all

forms of homelessness by 2020.

• The purpose of the GHFEH is to build a local network of

funders who are committed to reducing homelessness

through:• Leadership• Education• Advocacy• Strategic Collaboration and Grant-Making• Promotion and replication of best-practice models

Greater Houston Fund to End Homelessness (GHFEH)

Donors

• GHFEH was started through the leadership of Nancy Frees

Fountain from The Frees Foundation

• Partnership with a national organization – Funders Together to

End Homelessness (FTEH).

• Local Private Foundations and GHCF Donors participating.

GHFEH Overview

GHFEH Overview

GHFEH Grantmaking

• The GHFEH made its first strategic grant in June of

2014 to fund Youth Count 2.0.

• The University of Houston, School of Social Work and

the University of Texas, School of Nursing are

implementing a homeless youth count

• This ground-breaking study will provide previously

unavailable data about the scope of the homeless

youth problem in Houston.

Adaptive Learning

Source: Deming

• Engaging donors into CIFs is a patient process.

• Three to five years needed.

• Donors who engage build deeper bonds with

GHCF.

• Recognized community leaders are needed.

• Donors must have predisposition for

collaboration.

• Continually evaluate donor participation

model.

• Build vehicles for traditional donors.

Lessons Learned from CIFs

Adaptation for Other Community Foundations

• How do you currently offer opportunities for donors to

leverage their giving?

• Do donors in your community have an interest in

community giving vehicles?

• Can you include significant donors/community leaders

who can attract others?

• Does your staff have capacity to facilitate Community

Impact Funds?

• Can you partner with other foundations?

• Do you have financial resources to start up CIF’s?