BY TFN STAFF
Legislative victories on important issues are rightfully celebrated — but meaningful impact also hinges on equitable implementation, community engagement and local leadership that can fuel that forward momentum long after votes are tallied.
How can funders and anchor institutions work together to support community power-building and help create leadership pipelines and pathways?
Join us for an upcoming webinar, Representation Matters: Deepening Leadership Pipelines and Building Community Power, Aug. 12 at 2 p.m. ET.
We’ll explore these questions and more as we learn how funders and anchor institutions in California’s diverse San Joaquin Valley are developing a $4 million, three-year collaborative fund to leverage a historic opportunity to reform land use and power dynamics across the region.
Tucked into a wealthy and progressive state, the San Joaquin Valley nonetheless has some of the highest rates of economic disparity, pollution and poverty in the country.
Currently, elected and appointed representatives in the region do not reflect the changing demographics of the San Joaquin Valley and have consistently failed to take actions to improve local conditions.
Of paramount importance to the future of the area is the upcoming implementation of two new laws about groundwater management and drinking water. The implementation of these laws has the potential to reform decision-making around land/water management, as well as impact the future of health, housing, and environmental sustainability in the region.
The San Joaquin Valley Funder Collaborative, a working group of TFN’s Smart Growth California initative, was founded
in 2016 as a response to the needs and opportunities in the San Joaquin Valley region. Learn more about the collaborative’s $4 million fund here.
In this webinar, we’ll hear from funders and anchor institutions that are working with community partners to ensure equitable implementation while deepening leadership pipelines and pathways towards long-term progressive governance for water issues and beyond.
Representation Matters: Deepening Leadership Pipelines and Building Community Power
Aug. 12 at 2 p.m. ET
Speakers:
Natalie Garcia-Grazier, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Community Water Center
Veronica Garibay, Co-Founder and Co-Director, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability
Ellen Braff-Guajardo, Director of Regional Programs, Sierra Health Foundation/The Center at Health Program Management
Moderator:
Juliet Christian-Smith, Senior Program Officer, Water Foundation
About ‘Bridge the Divide’ webinars
This webinar is part of an ongoing learning series built around the theme “Bridge the Divide,” which lifts up philanthropy’s unique potential to bridge differences, foster connections and build partnerships — and address urgent issues such as climate change, economic disparity and racial injustice.
Other webinars in this series:
January 2020 – Bridge the Divide: Climate, Land Use and Transportation Connections
February 2020 – Bridge the Divide: Public Utilities as Anchor Institutions
April 2020 – Bridge the Divide: Economic Democracy and Sharing Power
June 2020 – Equity First: Community-led Approaches to Tackling the Climate Crisis
July 2020 – Keeping it Local: Strategies to Support Power-Building and Economic Self-Determination
Please register for this funder-only webinar by Aug. 7 to receive log-in details