Tag: Nonprofit

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My Sistah’s House Calls For Equity and Leverage In Nonprofit Sector

CREDIT: Photographs by Maya Smith

The Shelby County government recently announced an investment of $194,000 into transitional housing at My Sistah’s House.

The organization was founded in 2016 by Kayla Rena Gore and Illyahnna C. Wattshall, two trans women of color who, according to My Sistah’s House, “sought to bridge a gap in services for trans and queer people of color (TQPOC) in Memphis, TN, with a focus on transgender women of color. 

The organization focuses on building and renovating homes in hopes of helping trans women move towards home ownership. They provide emergency housing for trans and gender nonconforming people on a temporary basis. According to My Sistah’s House, housing is a safe zone and drug free.

According to Gore, executive director of My Sistah’s House, the mayor’s office reached out a few months ago in hopes of exploring some of the organization’s properties. Gore said that her organization had garnered a lot of national attention from outlets such as USA Today and CNBC. She said it wasn’t necessarily a surprise that Mayor Lee Harris knew about their project, however she said that it was an amazing experience for the mayor to “come view your work.”

“After viewing some of the houses and meeting some of the homeowners, they had a great opportunity for us to be able to continue the work,” said Gore. “We were there at some of the lots that we planned on developing.”

Gore said that this investment into transitional housing for the transgender community specifically speaks a lot to Memphis, and what the city is, which she said is a city that really cares about its people.

“These last couple of years have not been the best for the trans community when it comes to our elected officials,” said Gore. “This sends a clear message to a lot of people here in Memphis that there are people, who are in power, that are looking out for us. It’s a momentous occasion because trans-led organizations don’t get that type of support very often. So, being able to accept this grant on behalf of the community from the mayor was really mind blowing.”

This investment gives My Sistah’s House the opportunity to continue building homes, said Gore. The organization currently has seven homes that are complete, and they currently have four lots that they plan on developing this summer.

While this has been a step in the right direction for the trans community and city government, Gore said that the community also needs leverage. She explained that Memphis is a city of nonprofits, however she said that it has gotten to where they have to “compete a lot more for funding opportunities,” and they don’t have the necessary resources to do so.

Around 11,505 nonprofit organizations operate in Memphis, according to Cause IQ. These organizations employ 89,422 people, the agency said.

Gore said that it can be harder for new nonprofit organizations to get the funding and recognition that they need, because she said oftentimes organizations that have been around for 10-plus years get priority. Gore added that it usually takes 10 years for nonprofits to get off the ground.

“We need for people to be able to leverage what they have,” said Gore. “That could be connections, status, position. Whatever it is that they have that can make things better for trans people. I think that could be used universally for anything and everybody, where we have to take what we have and make it work for the good of not just ourselves, but for other people as well … Equity if you will. Some people need a little bit more than others”

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News News Blog

CodeCrew Scores Another Big Grant

Students practice coding in a CodeCrew class. (Photo courtesy of CodeCrew)

Put another tally in the win column for CodeCrew. The nonprofit, which has been pulling in plenty of grants over the past couple of years as recognition for its outstanding programming, will be a recipient of Nike’s Black Community Commitment Grant.

“CodeCrew is proud to partner with Nike as a Black Community Commitment grantee to bring diversity and equity to computer science education to kids and young adults,” said CodeCrew executive director Meka Egwuekwe. “Nike understands that equity, economic empowerment, and social justice in the 21st century must include the kind of inclusive, innovative tech education that CodeCrew provides, and we very much appreciate Nike’s recognition and support.”

CodeCrew joins 43 local organizations from New York to Los Angeles, along with 10 national organizations, that are teaming up with Nike to advance equality and increase a collective service to the Black community.

This month, $2.75 million will be shared among organizations in seven U.S. cities — where Nike has a large presence — as part of the organization’s multi-year pledge made in 2020 to support national and neighborhood organizations that focus their efforts on improving economic empowerment, education innovation, and social justice for Black communities in the country. The pledge will see a combined $140 million invested in organizations over a 10-year period.

“Nike, Inc.’s purpose is to move the world forward — breaking barriers and building community to change the game for all. Our Black Community Commitment embodies this belief and drives how we are showing up to advance racial equality for Black people,” said Karol Collymore, senior director of inclusive community for social & community impact at Nike. “These strategic investments across the United States — at both the national and local levels — have the power to fuel transformative change, and we applaud each and every organization for their focus and passionate commitment to reach and uplift their community.”

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News News Blog

Nike Announces Investments in Local Organizations

CREDIT: BRIDGES

Nike announced several large contributions it will be making to local organizations. The grants focus on programs that bolster education, economic empowerment, and social justice as part of its Black Community Commitment.
BRIDGES

BRIDGES’ Downtown headquarters.

A partnership with the National Urban League has seen Nike pledge grants to organizations in seven cities, to the tune of $2.75 million. Four institutions in Memphis were selected as recipients.

RISE Foundation ($75,000): The grant will go towards the RISE Foundation’s Save Up program, which is a matched  savings account that helps low-wage workers manage their income, improve credit, purchase assets, or attend post-secondary education. A portion of funding will also boost the Goal Card program, which focuses on helping public school students understand financial and life goals.

Memphis Urban League ($50,000): Funding from Nike will aim to increase capacity for the Memphis Urban League’s Save Our Sons program, which provides workforce and life skills training to juvenile detainees in the Juvenile Detention Center, the District Attorney’s office, or others that are participating in nonprofit re-entry programs.

BRIDGES ($75,000): Nike’s grant is geared mainly toward students in 8th-12th grades, and will help BRIDGES provide a platform for them to tackle social justice issues through community organizing, and promote diversity and equal rights.

Stax Music Academy ($50,000): Financial support will go towards expanding the academy’s capacity, allowing it to prepare more students for post-graduate success, whether that means pursuing a career in or outside the music industry. Every artist will learn the complexities and best ways to earn a living if they do decide to pursue music, in any capacity.

“We are thrilled to have the work of our Bridge Builders CHANGE program recognized with a Nike Black Community Commitment grant,” BRIDGES said in a statement. “This funding will support a diverse coalition of young leaders working hands-on to address racial inequality in schools, institutions and across our community. BRIDGES is grateful to Nike for investing in the future of youth-led social change and honored to stand beside our fellow Memphis grantees: Memphis Urban League, Stax Music Academy, and RISE.”

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News News Blog

United Housing Awarded $50,000 from Bank of America

Amy Schaftlein, executive director for United Housing, holds their award

Through Bank of America’s Neighborhood Champion program, United Housing has received a grant for $50,000 as well as an opportunity for its staff to undergo virtual leadership training. The Neighborhood Champion program gives recognition to nonprofits that play a role in advancing economic mobility. Due to the program, Bank of America is the largest corporate philanthropic investment in nonprofit leadership in the country. Bank of America Memphis Market President, Livingston Albritten, released a statement.

“As we consider many of the challenges that our communities are facing – from the health and humanitarian crisis brought on by the coronavirus to the need for progress on racial equality and economic opportunity – the Neighborhood Champions program is a relevant and timely initiative to support the communities we serve,” said Albritten. “This program enables partners like United Housing to plan strategically for growth and long-term sustainability, and we look forward to seeing how this investment helps United Housing make even greater strides to address homebuyer education and assistance in the Memphis area.”

 United Housing is known throughout the city for helping Memphians through the homeownership process. United housing is nationally recognized for its efforts in providing curriculum, homebuilding, and neighborhood revitalization and rehabilitation. Using a holistic approach the non-profit accurately helps Memphians on a case by case basis. Amy Schaftlein, executive director for United Housing, said that being chosen doesn’t distract them from their mission on hand.

“Our goal will be to keep people safely housed and working on preserving homeownership and neighborhood stability next year, which will be critical for many families,” said Schaftlein. “We are humbled to be recognized by Bank of America for this mission and we are eager to get to work meeting essential housing needs in Memphis.”

United Housing will use funds from the grant to provide further education and revitalization to members and member neighborhoods in their organization.

“Funds from the grant will support United Housing’s homebuyer education and minor home repair programs as the economic impacts of the pandemic have increased demand for these critical services,” said Schaftlein. “This opportunity will allow the organization to expand mortgage and rental assistance counseling services, while expanding the ability for aspiring homebuyers to get closer to their goals in uncertain economic environment.”

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News News Blog

Tech Nonprofit CodeCrew Receives Major Donation

CREDIT: bbb.co.uk

Courtesy of CodeCrew

Students practice computer coding with CodeCrew.

Memphis nonprofit CodeCrew was donated $50,000 by Verizon to help the tech startup continue to impact the city of Memphis. The donation also marked a partnership between Verizon and CodeCrew. Through the donation, Verizon has pledged to co-sponsor and fund CodeCrew’s after-school and summer programs at Lester Community Center and to establish four new after-school programs at local schools.

“We are proud to invest $50,000 into CodeCrew programs to further their impactful work in our most underserved communities,” said Sheleah Harris, local and state government affairs officer for Verizon. “With a hyper-local focus, Verizon will continue to cultivate relationships with grassroots organizations to actively address the digital divide in Memphis.”

CodeCrew was founded in 2015 as a summer camp program at Lester Community Center and, since then, has taught more than 2,000 thousand students across Memphis. Students in the CodeCrew program learn a wide variety of topics ranging from web and mobile app development to robotics and drone programming.

“CodeCrew is excited to partner with Verizon as they empower us to continue eradicating the digital divide through tech and computer science education,” said Meka Egwuekwe, CodeCrew’s Executive Director.

CodeCrew’s after-school program is geared around teaching kids in grades 5-12 how to use the entry-level coding language scratch, build Android apps, practice JavaScript coding, and work on entry-level game development. During their Hour of Code of events in December and May, students get the opportunity to show off their skills to friends and family. CodeCrew’s Summer Program functions in a similar light with students competing in an annual hackathon after the camp.

More information about the code crew program can be found here.

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News News Blog

TECH: New Site Shows City Issues at a Glance

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Justin Fox Burks

Community Foundation of Greater Memphis CEO Bob Fockler and Executive Vice President Sutton Mora Hayes

Memphis has problems and hundreds of organizations fighting to ease them; a new tool maps them together, making it easier to find out who’s fighting what where and how you can help.

The Community Foundation of Greater Memphis (CFGM) launched two websites in 2015. One (Where We Live MidSouth) was a clearing house of information about the region, rich with data about everything from air quality to the unemployment rate mapped by ZIP Code, Census tract, and more. Another, (Where to Give MidSouth) was a clearing house of information about nonprofit agencies working on problems here from housing to healthcare.

“There were two systems and you could flip back and forth between them but it wasn’t a single, unified system and that was a little frustrating,” said Bob Fockler, president of the CFGM.

The two systems were also built by two different groups, one by the University of Memphis and the other by Guidestar, the nonprofit information service. For the new site, CFGM hired Thriving Cities Group, an urban advocacy group based in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The new CFGM site (Live Give MidSouth) is built on Thriving Cities’ City RoundTable platform. “Philanthropy is a centerpiece of our civic ecosystem that urgently needs to be reconfigured and redirected,” according to Thriving Cities. Its platform shines a brighter, more-complete light on cities’ problems, helping donors invest their funds with greater accuracy.

Community Foundation of Greater Memphis

Where in Memphis are education rates low? What organizations are working to fix that? With a couple of clicks on the new CFGM site, you can filter the hundreds of nonprofits here down to those working on education, for example. Another click will show you which nonprofits are working in neighborhoods with the lowest education rates. Another click will give you a full, uniform description of the nonprofit, its leadership, financials, and more.

Olivia Wilmot, CFGM’s director of community information, says the site can help donors look under the hood of a nonprofit before they invest with them. But she’s seeing nonprofits dig into the data, too.

Community Foundation of Greater Memphis

”What we found in the nonprofit side was that organizations were actually using data for the first time and accompanying their grant applications with Census data and baseline information about the communities that they serve and maps,” Wilmot said. “I helped two organization use the map to help them figure out where to put a new location.”

All of the data on the site — from the environment to the economy — is publicly available, Wilmott said. But finding it and piecing it together is tough. The new platform seeks to pull that data from many silos, pour it all together, and make it easier for anyone who wants a more-clear (and data-driven) picture of what’s really happening in the Memphis community.
[pullquote-1] “We’ve always said that people respond when they understand what the problems are,” Fockler said. “To the extent that the problems are informed by data and the better access people have to the data, the more willing they are to step up and get involved: volunteer, or write a check, or serve on a board. Data informs everything, directly or indirectly.“

The new Live Give MidSouth site from CFGM launches Friday, November 15th.

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Music Music Blog

From Continuum Fest to A Change of Tone, Crosstown Keeps It Edgy

CREDIT: Ben Rednour

Ben Rednour

Jenny Davis plays amplified cacti in John Cage’s ‘Child of Tree’ at the 2018 Continuum Fest

While several cities have renovated former Sears, Roebuck & Company warehouses/retail centers, including Minneapolis, Atlanta and Boston, Memphis’ own Crosstown Concourse may take the cake in terms of grounding such projects in community art projects and concerts. And, far from curating softball ‘pops’ concerts and blockbuster movies, Crosstown Arts, the nonprofit that jump started the local Sears building’s revitalization in 2010, has kept the “urban” in its original vision of a “mixed-used vertical urban village.”

In this context, urban means bringing to Midtown the kind of pioneering music that one might find at world-class halls like the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) or C4 Atlanta’s FUSE Arts Center.  With three venues, an artist fellowship program, a recording studio, a music film series, and other resources for local and international musicians (and other artists), Crosstown Arts has become one of the nation’s premier centers of innovation.

Case in point: the upcoming Continuum Music Festival, now in its third year, which, in hosting events in the Crosstown Theater, the Green Room, and the East Atrium Stage, may make the fullest use yet of all the old retail center’s environs. As a festival of new sounds, from experimental to electronic, classical to multimedia, Continuum is beyond most precedents in the local scene. Headlining is Project Logic, featuring local bass wunderkind MonoNeon, guitar virtuoso Vernon Reid (Living Colour), and drummer Daru Jones. The festival also features Opera Memphis’ staging of the transgender-themed work As One, a chamber opera created by Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell, and Kimberly Reed.

CROSSTOWN ARTS PRESENTS: CONTINUUM MUSIC FESTIVAL 2019 from Crosstown Arts on Vimeo.

From Continuum Fest to A Change of Tone, Crosstown Keeps It Edgy

The kick-off show on Thursday, August 15th features the Blueshift Ensemble playing compositions by longtime collaborators from the ICEBERG New Music collective and is to be held at Crosstown Brewing Company.The festival will also feature a Duet for Theremin and Lap Steel, a concert by multi-instrumentalist New Memphis Colorways, and a performance of Sarah Hennies’ ‘The Reinvention of Romance’ by Two Way Street.

Finally, like any good gathering of the tribes, there will be many interactive workshops and talks: Sweet Soul Restorative (Yoga with Live Music); The Quest for the Perfect Pop Song; The Metaphysics of Sound; Sheltering Voices: Impactful Community Storytelling; Breaking Boundaries: The Music of ShoutHouse; and The Sounds of ‘Starry Night:’ Writing Music to Van Gogh’s Masterpiece.

But Continuum is really only among many examples of the cutting edge curation of the Crosstown Concourse space going on now. In addition to last year’s Mellotron Variations or this spring’s Memphis Concrète electronic music festival, more ideas are percolating in the wings. For example, musical artists who are pushing the very boundaries of how concerts are experienced will be featured in next spring’s A Change of Tone concerts.  

Four such shows are planned for April 18th-21st, 2020, but we don’t yet know what we’ll hear. Musicians of any genre are applying to be featured as we go to press, and may do so until September 10th of this year. Click here to submit a proposal.

One thing they all will have in common is thinking outside of the music box, or rather, outside of the venue. Subtitled “In/Out of Sync,” the concerts will be organized around a weirdly specific, yet open ended theme: Musicians will “exhibit” their music for a listening audience over loudspeakers in one venue as they simultaneously perform it in another, creating a non-traditional listening experience.

With a live-feeds between The Green Room music venue and Crosstown Theater, audio from the latter will be piped over to the audience in The Green Room to listen to, as the musicians, out of sight, perform their original work live in the otherwise empty Crosstown Theater auditorium. The second feed will video-capture The Green Room audience for the performing musicians in the theater to see on a screen, so that they may virtually watch their audience as they play. With such technological feats, concert organizers hope the performers “might achieve a vivid and seemingly living omnipresence.” As the organizers further expound:

Similar to the experience of being inside of a haunted house or abandoned building, this spectral approach to auditory perception will be, among other things, a sonic experiment in vulnerability. It will be an attempt to enhance and heighten the audio-sensory experience for the listener, and perhaps will intensify the presence and impact that music can have when our fight-or-flight response is instinctively activated, giving the sounds we hear the power to demand our full attention.

It’s an embarrassment of riches, really, for those hoping to reimagine their sonic art. In fact, the many series at the Concourse may be remaking the musical arts as Crosstown Arts remade the empty shell of an abandoned retail center only a few short years ago. 

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Opinion

Full Disclosure

Pat Halloran may have the best job in Memphis.

The guiding force of The Orpheum theater is a talented speaker, raconteur, and author. He hobnobs with famous actors. He gets to see the most popular shows on Broadway. As president of the not-for-profit Memphis Development Foundation (the business name for The Orpheum), he is the gold standard for big-stage theater managers. He is also the bronze standard, silver standard, and platinum standard since there is only one Orpheum and Halloran has been its public face for more than 25 years.

His board likes him, too. So much that he earned $420,105 in salary and benefits last year. His $375,000 salary — which is more than the combined salaries of the mayors of Memphis and Shelby County — puts him in the top ranks of executives of Memphis nonprofit organizations.

Memphis nonprofits are increasingly influential but rarely scrutinized, despite the efforts of Congress and the Internal Revenue Service to publicize their Form 990 tax returns. Curiously, most local reporters ignore them. For example, a recent story in The Commercial Appeal about The Orpheum possibly changing its name to generate sponsorship income made no mention of anyone’s salary.

Nonprofits are tax-exempt because they perform some public purpose, thereby relieving the public sector of some of its burden. They include organizations as diverse as Rhodes College, Memphis Country Club, the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, the Mid-South Chapter of the American Red Cross, and the Memphis Humane Society. As governments reach the political limits of their taxing power, they increasingly turn to nonprofits for help. The Salvation Army, for example, is a possible key player in the redevelopment of the Mid-South Fairgrounds.

Some nonprofits, including the Memphis Development Foundation, hold fund-raising events, recruit volunteers, and seek donations. Others, such as the Plough Foundation, manage old money and give it away. Grassroots organizations such as Friends for Our Riverfront and Parents for Public Schools operate on shoestring budgets of less than $50,000 a year. United Way of Greater Memphis and Senior Citizen Services, on the other hand, have budgets of more than $25 million.

Quasi-public nonprofits like the Riverfront Development Corporation (RDC) and the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau work closely with the city and county on downtown development. Three former city division directors work for the RDC, which has taken over some of the duties that used to belong to the Memphis Park Commission.

The IRS requires nonprofits to make their tax returns, including executive compensation and program spending, available to the public. Many organizations post their Form 990s on their Web sites. Another place to look is www.guidestar.org. Some nonprofits describe what they do in great detail. See the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center’s return. Others require you to do a little digging. For example, you wouldn’t know it by looking at its tax form, but Senior Citizen Services, which got $26 million in government grants last year, is managed by another nonprofit: Generations Inc.

Here is a sampling of Memphis nonprofit organizations, what they do, and what they pay in salary and benefits to their key people.

MIFA; provides meals and services to the needy; Margaret Craddock, $112,000.

Memphis Tomorrow; corporate execs tackle big issues; Blair Taylor, $150,731.

Partners in Public Education; leadership training; Ethele Hilliard, $178,080.

Senior Citizen Services/Generations Inc.; home-based care and other services for seniors in four states; Deborah Cotney, $216,011.

United Way of Greater Memphis; Harry Shaw, $250,101.

Memphis Union Mission; houses the homeless; Donald Bjork, $83,743.

Plough Foundation; manages $163 million endowment and supports various causes and organizations; Rick Masson, $200,767.

Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau; Kevin Kane, $243,691.

Riverfront Development Corporation; Benny Lendermon, $201,830.

Bridges USA Inc.; supports youth programs; James Boyd, $125,650.

Mid-South Peace and Justice Center; performs peace vigils, supports a living wage, opposes prison privatization; Jacob Flowers, $15,000.