Community Impact Funds
Renee Wizig-Barrios
Senior Vice President & Chief Philanthropy Officer
Greater Houston Community Foundation
Community Impact Funds (CIF’s)
Community Impact Funds create opportunities for
GHCF donors and other local funders to pool their
giving in support of strategic efforts around a chosen
giving area.
Value Proposition
• Venture philanthropy
• Systemic Change
• Peer learning
• Leverage
• Impact
• Partnership
Measuring Impact of CIF’s
• GHCF Positioning
• Donor Engagement
• Grantmaking Impact, Leverage, and
Catalyzation
• CIF Business Model
Strategic Education Fund (SEF)
Strategic Education Fund (SEF)
Results & Leverage
• KIPP Courage outpacing national average in student growth.
• Personalized instruction engaging students and teachers in new
ways.
• Additional grants leveraged by KIPP
• $760,000 additional dollars from other foundations to take the
program to scale.
Catalyst
• 4 new KIPP schools fully implemented Blended Learning
• 5 other schools in process
• KIPP hired Dr. Minaz Fazal to lead blended learning efforts and
the region’s Blended Learning Community of Practice.
• KIPP collaboration with Rice University to develop a
comprehensive blended learning evaluation methodology
Next Steps for SEF
• SEF will continue to fund KIPP Courage Pilot through
implementation of 8th grade which will be launched during
the 2015-2016 school year.
• SEF is working with Spring Branch ISD to develop the first
blended learning pilot in a traditional school district.
• Seek new donors for next phase.
• Reevaluate donor participation and governance model.
Greater Houston Fund to End Homelessness (GHFEH)
• The City of Houston has a strategic community plan to end
chronic and veteran homelessness by 2015 and end all forms of
homelessness by 2020.
• The purpose of the GHFEH is to build a local network of funders
who are committed to reducing homelessness through:
• Leadership
• Education
• Advocacy
• Strategic Collaboration and Grant-Making
• Promotion and replication of best-practice models
Donors
• GHFEH was started through the leadership of Nancy Frees
Fountain from The Frees Foundation
• Partnership with a national organization – Funders Together
to End Homelessness (FTEH).
• Local Private Foundations and GHCF Donors participating.
GHFEH Overview
GHFEH Overview
GHFEH Grantmaking
• The GHFEH made its first strategic grant in June of 2014
to fund Youth Count 2.0.
• The University of Houston, School of Social Work and the
University of Texas, School of Nursing are implementing a
homeless youth count
• This ground-breaking study will provide previously
unavailable data about the scope of the homeless youth
problem in Houston.
Adaptive Learning
Source: Deming
Lessons Learned from CIFs
• Engaging donors into CIFs is a patient process.
• Three to five years needed.
• Donors who engage build deeper bonds with GHCF.
• Recognized community leaders are needed.
• Donors must have predisposition for collaboration.
• Continually evaluate donor participation model.
• Build vehicles for traditional donors.
Adaptation for Other Community Foundations
• How do you currently offer opportunities for donors to leverage
their giving?
• Do donors in your community have an interest in community
giving vehicles?
• Can you include significant donors/community leaders who can
attract others?
• Does your staff have capacity to facilitate Community Impact
Funds?
• Can you partner with other foundations?
• Do you have financial resources to start up CIF’s?