California

The San Diego Foundation has announced the launch of a partnership with the University of San Diego (USD) and a $1.5 million grant in support of its School of Leadership and Education Sciences to prepare Black secondary students for college, fulfill their college financial needs, and create a teaching and learning center focused on supporting neurodivergent students for all San Diego educators. Starting in fall 2023, the Black InGenius Initiative (BiGi) at USD will annually serve a cohort of 60 Black students. Each year, a new sixth grade cohort will be added to the program, with 420 students anticipated to participate by 2030.

Colorado

The Community First Foundation in Arvada has announced that it has contributed $500,000 along with FirstBank to make up the first $1 million for Colorado Gives Day, which officially takes place on December 6. In addition, Incentive Fund Sponsors helped the fund grow to more than $1.4 million. Local nonprofits will each receive a percentage of the incentive fund equal to the percentage they raise between November 1 and December 6, 2022. New this year is the Corporate Challenge, presented by Delta Dental of Colorado, which encourages businesses of any size to give to and participate in Colorado Gives Day.

Connecticut

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has announced that its Catalyst Endowment Fund awarded a total of $73,000 to two nonprofit organizations working to improve access to mental health services for children and youth in need. Recipients of grants from the giving circle include Our Piece of the Pie and My Sister’s Place.

Indiana

The Indianapolis Foundation, an affiliate of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, has announced the launch of the Movement of 10,000 (MVMT10K), a digital platform designed to inform, inspire, and ignite equitable change and justice for Indianapolis and the larger central Indiana community. MVMT10K—available as both a mobile app and online—invites users to advance their journeys toward racial equity through education and collective action. Features of the platform include access to learning pathways with articles, videos, and podcasts.

Minnesota

The Minneapolis Foundation has announced the addition of three philanthropic advisors. Maggie McCracken spent more than a decade at the Target Corporation and most recently served as CEO of BrandLab, a nonprofit working to support talent of color by removing barriers to marketing and advertising careers in the Midwest. Samuel Ndely most recently served at the Center for Economic Inclusion, where he nurtured the organization’s relationships with community members and partners in the public and private sectors as director of employer inclusivity and, prior to that, as director of strategic partnerships. Amy Pfarr Walker has worked in the nonprofit sector for nearly 25 years, most recently as chief advancement officer at the Washburn Center for Children. 

New Jersey

The Community Foundation of New Jersey has announced that SparkNJ, whose funds are held at the foundation, awarded its inaugural grants totaling $35,000 to six small, Black-led nonprofits. Grants ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 were awarded to address a variety of issues including education, food insecurity, maternal health, and child care. The recipients are Spring Street CDC, Empower the Village, New Destiny Family Success Centers, F.O.R.T.E. House, Bethany Baptist Church Food Pantry, and Men of Essex.

Vermont

The Vermont Community Foundation has announced a partnership with The Fund at Hula, a venture capital firm that invests in seed and early-stage technology start-ups, to create VCF at Hula, a new fund. The collaboration couples two entities who share a commitment to advance economic and community development in the state. Investment returns from VCF at Hula will go back into the specific charitable funds that participate, increasing their future grantmaking capacity to drive greater community impact.