Collaborations

Connections | Systems | Place

DSYF also supports select partnerships and place-based initiatives that support youth and youth-serving organizations at a systems level. These programs address complex, interconnected issues including youth homelessness, criminal justice, health, well-being, and capacity-building.

PARTNERSHIPS
PLACE-BASED INITIATIVES

PARTNERSHIPS

Cause Communications
Dwight Stuart Youth Fund has been funding the Communicating for Results! training program for its grantees since 2011. The program was developed by Cause Communications as a capacity building program to meet the needs of nonprofit organizations that show a readiness for growth but find themselves behind the curve when it comes to communications in today’s information landscape.

The training curriculum is made up of group training sessions and customized one-on-one coaching, and incorporates multi-media resources (https://causecommunications.org/tools/). The group trainings provide an overview of topics such as how to create a strong core message and how to identify key audiences. The training also instructs the organizations on how to develop their own customized communications plan. One of the most compelling aspects of the group trainings is the opportunity for peer learning among the nonprofits. When each group has a chance to hear the challenges and successes of other groups and brainstorm solutions together, they are reminded they’re not alone and are often inspired to reach new levels of engagement and impact in their own communications.

The one-on-one coaching is also an essential part of the training. This ensures that the participants make time to work through their homework assignments and worksheets. Coaching also provides timely strategic counsel on their most pressing communications challenges including feedback on copy and design for brochures and websites, advice on fundraising events and media opportunities, and even support on navigating challenges with internal staff, board members or volunteers. Each participant knows they have a communications professional who is dedicated to helping them when they need it the most.

DSYF grantees that have participated in Communicating for Results! have gone on to secure major fundraising gifts and grants, reprioritize their communications activities to better support organizational goals, refresh communications platforms like websites and print materials with consistent branding and messaging, and align their communications strategy with both internal resources and ambitious plans for the future.

causecommunications.org
Center for Strategic Partnerships
The Center for Strategic Partnerships (the Center) is a first-of-its kind venture in Los Angeles County at the intersection of the public sector and philanthropy, designed to support collaborations between both sectors to improve outcomes for county children, youth, and families. Since 2016, in collaboration with cross-sector partners, they have helped to develop more than 55 initiatives, resulting in over $40 million in philanthropic investments toward system innovations that improve the lives of tens of thousands in the region’s most disadvantaged communities.

The Center has a mix of public and private partners. On the public side, the Center is housed within the Chief Executive Office of the County and is supported by 12 county departments. Key partners in their youth development work include the Department of Youth Development, the Department of Children and Family Services, and the Department of Economic Opportunity. On the private sector side, the Center is supported by 28 foundations. The partners work together to successfully address critical issues through four priority areas: Child & Family Well Being, Health Equity, Economic Security, and Youth Development & Empowerment.

lacenterforstrategicpartnerships.org
Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy
The Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy at the University of Southern California’s Price School was established in 2000 to meet the need for an unbiased resource that can document the rapidly growing philanthropic sector’s successes and challenges, chronicle its changing landscape, and provide opportunities for leadership in this unique and still understudied field. The Center has conducted groundbreaking research that has led to innovative strategies and partnerships; presented world-renowned speakers in the field; inspired a whole new generation of philanthropists; and helped foundations, corporations, and individuals maximize the power of their giving. The Center continues to fulfill its mission to promote more effective philanthropy and strengthen the nonprofit sector through research that informs philanthropic decision-making and public policy to advance community problem-solving.

The Center conducts research and analysis on philanthropy and the nonprofit sector to provide useful and usable knowledge for practitioners in three key areas: Changing Landscape of Philanthropy, Philanthropic Strategies for Public Problem Solving, and Philanthropic Leadership and Stewardship. Research produced by the Center is made available online at no cost to philanthropic leaders, nonprofit directors, policymakers and members of the business community.

usc.edu/philanthropy

LA County Arts Ed Collective
Arts Ed Collective works to advance the goals and strategies outlined in the new LA County Regional Blueprint for Arts Education. With a commitment to prioritizing resources for youth historically excluded from learning in the arts, the initiative supports regional efforts to expand school-based arts education, community-based arts education, learning and leadership among practitioners and advocates, creative career pathways for youth, research and evaluation, and public awareness about the value of arts education.

The Arts Ed Collective is comprised of policymakers, educators, arts organizations, teaching artists, funders, business leaders, and community advocates. Strategic direction for the initiative is guided by the Leadership Council and Funders Council. The Funders Council is a regional collaborative of public and private funders that serves as a vehicle for sharing knowledge, developing strategy, and providing fiscal oversight of shared investments in arts education in Los Angeles County.

The Funders Council includes 26 representatives from foundations, corporations, and government agencies whose philanthropic priorities support the vision of the Arts Ed Collective. Members pool their resources, track and respond to trends in arts and education, and determine how funds should be allocated to advance the shared goals of the Arts Ed Collective most effectively.

lacountyartsedcollective.org
Play Equity Fund
Founded in 2014, the Play Equity Fund’s (PEF) mission is to bring the transformational power of sport and structured play to all children, regardless of race, zip code, socioeconomic status, or gender. They center their work on equity, inclusion, and justice, as the power of sport is not a privilege for the few but a fundamental right for all kids.

PEF supports special programs and services, as well as engages in a broad spectrum of activities, to increase play and educational opportunities in under-resourced communities. PEF partners with coaches, kids, parents, schools, athletes, organizations, and supporters across the country who value sport as a vehicle to increase physical activity; promote academic, social, and emotional development; and teach kids the value of fair play, compassion, and respect. PEF and its funding partners have funded over 50 different sports with multiple focus areas, including adaptive sports.

playequityfund.org
Project Grantsmanship
Established in 2008, Project Grantsmanship is a collaborative effort of leading Los Angeles foundations and The Grantsmanship Center. The project underwrites the cost of the Grantsmanship Training Program for small and medium-sized nonprofits in Los Angeles County so they can learn how to plan more effective programs, secure funding, and create positive change in their communities.

Project Grantsmanship’s core activity is delivering the 5-day Grantsmanship Training Program for qualifying LA County nonprofits. The training culminates in a dialogue with local grantmakers. Alumni receive six months of membership benefits, including a proposal review and access to GrantStation funder databases.

tgci.com

Cause Communications

PLACE-BASED INITIATIVES

Ready to Rise

Ready to Rise is a public-private partnership with the Liberty Hill Foundation, the Los Angeles County Probation Department, and the California Community Foundation (CCF). Launched in February 2019, R2R distributes public/government funds more equitably and expediently to youth development organizations and provides them with customized capacity building support and training. CCF distributes public dollars to organizations providing a full spectrum of youth development strategies, including education, arts, social services, health and wellness, and workforce development for impacted youth. Liberty Hill provides responsive capacity-building services to these youth development programs to strengthen their abilities, as part of a wider youth development infrastructure, to serve young people and families experiencing trauma and toxic stress. The goal of R2R is to transform the educational, personal, and professional outcomes of young people, as well as vastly decreasing youth interactions with the justice system.

www.readytorise.la

Hollywood Homeless Youth Partnership

The Hollywood Homeless Youth Partnership (HHYP) is a strategic alliance of eight youth-serving agencies working to prevent and reduce homelessness among youth and young adults in Hollywood through: 1) service impact; 2) training and capacity building; 3) research and evaluation; and 4) policy and advocacy. The agencies of the HHYP provide a full continuum of care, including outreach, drop-in, emergency shelter, transitional living, supportive apartments, mental and physical health, substance abuse treatment, life skills, and education and employment services. The member agencies of the HHYP include Aviva, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Covenant House California, Los Angeles LGBT Center, Los Angeles Youth Network, My Friend’s Place, Step Up, Safe Place for Youth, and Youth Emerging Stronger.

hhyp.org

Hollywood Homeless Youth Partnership

Connections | Systems | Place

PARTNERSHIPS

PLACE-BASED INITIATIVES

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