WASHINGTON, D.C., Aug. 2, 2018 – The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities today announced the selection of the community-based organizational members to take part in its “Building Organizational Capacity for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion” cohort. The cohort, which is backed by grant funding from American Express, builds on the Alliance’s commitment to policies that support a healthy and equitable society that is just, fair, and inclusive, enabling all people to participate and reach their full potential.The organizations selected to take part in the cohort include:
- East Side Neighborhood Services in Minneapolis
- Family Foundations of Northeast Florida in Jacksonville, Florida
- Jewish Family Service of San Diego
- Lincoln in Oakland, California
- Louisville Central Community Centers in Louisville, Kentucky
- Martha O’Bryan Center in Nashville
- Northern Virginia Family Service in Oakton, Virginia
- National Youth Advocate Program in Columbus, Ohio
- Pillsbury United Communities in Minneapolis
- Ruth Ellis Center in Highland Park, Michigan
- Spectrum Human Services in Westland, Michigan
- The Children's Home Society of Florida in Orlando
- The Link in Minneapolis
- The UpCenter in Norfolk, Virginia
- Turning Points for Children in Philadelphia
- Villa of Hope in Rochester, New York
- Wellspring Lutheran Services in Flint, Michigan
- Woods Services in Langhorne, Pennsylvania
“We are thrilled to work in partnership with the American Express Foundation to offer a program that can help nonprofit human service sector leaders advance their capacity for supporting equity, diversity and inclusion,” noted Alliance president and CEO Susan N. Dreyfus. “Our primary goal with the cohort will be the creation of environments that attract and retain racially diverse leaders and programs that build on a model of equity for the communities we serve.”
“For more than a decade, American Express has committed to developing emerging leaders across the nonprofit sector,” said American Express Foundation president Timothy J. McClimon. “This program is a valuable opportunity to inspire even greater advocacy for equity, diversity, and inclusion in social purpose organizations at the heart of our communities.”
Each of the selected organizations has identified two of its leaders to participate in the 15-month cohort (Phase 1 will be three months; Phase 2 will be 12 months), including an emerging leader of color. Over the course of the cohort, the Alliance will engage members in organizational assessment through the Commitments of High-Impact Organizations, a framework developed by the Alliance. Through their participation in this cohort, these organizations will develop and implement plans that, not only address building diverse and representative talent pipelines, but also foster an organizational culture that supports the long-term sustainability of equity, diversity, and inclusion. The nine-month cohort experience will include case studies, virtual study tours of best practice and promising organizations, leadership development opportunities, and the sharing and dissemination of success stories and lessons learned.
About the Alliance
The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities is a strategic action network of thousands of committed social sector leaders who through their excellence, distinction, and influence are working to achieve a healthy and equitable society. We aggregate the very best sector knowledge and serve as an incubator for learning and innovation to generate new solutions to the toughest problems. We accelerate change through dynamic leadership development and collective actions to ensure policies and systems provide equal access and opportunity for all people in our nation to reach their fullest potential through improvements in health and well-being, educational success, economic opportunity, and safety and security. Go to alliance1.org for more information.
About American Express: Developing Leaders
One of American Express' three philanthropic platforms is Developing Leaders. Under this giving initiative, which recognizes the significance of strong leadership in the nonprofit and social purpose sectors, American Express makes grants focused on training high potential emerging leaders to tackle important issues in the 21st century. More than 70,000 emerging nonprofit and social sector leaders worldwide have benefitted from American Express leadership programs, including the American Express Leadership Academy among others. Launched in 2008, the American Express Leadership Academy addresses the growing need of leadership development programs in the nonprofit sector by bringing together emerging leaders from a diverse set of nonprofit, social sector and non-governmental organizations. For leadership journey stories and additional resources, visit LeaderStories.org.