Perspectives

As Weingart Foundation program officers, one of the greatest privileges of our job is the opportunity to listen to, learn from, and be inspired by our nonprofit partners. We do this through ongoing conversations, site visits, and listening.

At the Weingart Foundation, we are committed to supporting efforts to ensure that nonprofits are fully reimbursed for their costs for services that public agencies contract them to provide. Vera de Vera, Program Director, spoke with Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum, President & C.E.O. of St. Joseph Center, who shares her perspective on improving the contracting and reimbursement systems between local governments and nonprofits.

The American Rescue Plan Act signed in March directs $151 billion to California. These funds will play a critical role in our state’s recovery from the pandemic and recession—and in ensuring future prosperity. Monica Lozano, President and C.E.O. of College Futures Foundation, and Miguel A. Santana, President & C.E.O. of the Weingart Foundation, shared their insights on this issue.

In the first installment in the series, “Insert Title Here,” James Liou, senior director of Equal Measure, shares his conversation with Eric Medina, program officer at the Weingart Foundation. Eric is also a co-chair, along with James, of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy.

The inaugural cohort of the John W. Mack Movement Building Fellows participated in their last convening in early December 2020. The Weingart Foundation had the opportunity to ask Fellows Janel Bailey and Cheyenne Reynoso what they would want share with others about their experience as a John W. Mack Fellow. Here’s what they had to say.

Fred Ali, former President and C.E.O. of the Weingart Foundation and Monica Lozano, Weingart Foundation Board Member, joined Jim Ferris, Director of the U.S.C. Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy for a conversation on the changes that have unfolded at the Foundation over the last two decades.

In this interview about the Weingart Foundation’s unrestricted grantmaking program (U.O.S.), Joanna Jackson, Vice President of Programs, shares how U.O.S. has recently evolved—and how to best support the Foundation’s partners during the pandemic and beyond.

Responses from a recent survey with grantees of the Weingart Foundation highlighted organizations’ desire to us to continue to provide support “beyond the grant,” through access to technical assistance, learning communities and other activities, Vera de Vera, Director, Leadership for Movements, shared her insights on this topic.

At the Weingart Foundation, we consistently hear from nonprofits that unrestricted support is vital to achieving their missions. In order to deepen our understanding of the impact of our Unrestricted Operating Support grantmaking, we developed a series of case profiles that detail the work. Joyce Ybarra, Director of Learning, highlighted her main takeaways from this research.

As part of the Weingart Foundation’s commitment to equity, we are looking closely at the Foundation’s overall investment and financial strategies. Tim Ortez, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, shared his perspective on how our equity commitment is showing up in ways beyond our grantmaking.