So-called "identity-based" or "self-help" funds, the main vehicle for giving by communities of color, currently raise and distribute nearly $400 million a year, roughly equivalent to grants that an $8 billion-asset foundation would make annually, says the report, Cultures of Giving: Energizing and Expanding Philanthropy by and for Communities of Color.

Much of that $400 million comes from donors of color, many of them new to "formal" philanthropy, says the report, which was prepared by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation with major support from Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

Communities of color are growing in size and assets, the report says. Sixty-three percent of Latino households now make charitable donations, as do nearly two-thirds of African-American households, which give $11 billion a year, the report says.

Aggregate charitable giving by African Americans is growing faster than either their aggregate income or aggregate wealth, the report says, while those households and Asian-American households give away a bigger share of their income each year than do whites...

Read the full article

"New Study Reveals Significant Impact of Youth Philanthropy Initiative on Jewish Identity, Leadership Development and Community Involvement" (From eJewish Philanthropy.com)

Young people who have participated in Rose Youth Foundation (RYF), a Denver-area Jewish youth philanthropy program that is among the first of its type in the country, feel a deepened sense of Jewish identity, believe that they can be changemakers and leaders, and continue to expand their involvement in Jewish life.

These findings, among others, are revealed in a just-released research report, Rose Youth Foundation: Ten Years of Impact, which is the first-ever long-term study of an established, Jewish youth philanthropy program.

The report, while focusing on Rose Youth Foundation and positive effects on Denver-area youth, has more far-reaching implications, as Jewish foundations, organizations and communities search for ways to engage younger generations, instill community connection and prepare leaders for the future.

“This report confirms observations we’ve made over the years – that Rose Youth Foundation provides young people with a powerful opportunity to connect Jewish values to the good they wish to do in our community today while building Jewish identity and a lasting commitment to community and service,” said Sarah Indyk, Jewish Life initiatives manager for Rose Community Foundation. “We hope other communities will consider the potential that Jewish youth philanthropy has to engage teens in Jewish life, transforming them and the community they serve"...

Read the full article

If you have colleagues, friends, or family in the Oakland area, tell them about this opportunity to see all the good that's going down in North Carolina. Plus, though the stories are based in NC, the heartbeat behind them is truly universal.

Peralta TV can be seen on cable Channel 27 (Alameda and Berkeley) and Channel 28 (Oakland, Emeryville and Piedmont).

Van and Terri McLean are blind. They have two children – a teenage son and a daughter with Down syndrome. "The biggest challenge was to take care of my daughter with Down syndrome, (so) that she didn't get hurt on certain things," Van McLean said Sunday about the work needed on the family's small house on Brighton Road. But they couldn't afford to make repairs on their own.

That's where Designed to Care came in. The organization, started by realtor and interior decorator Shanna Middleton, gives home makeovers to deserving families. The McLean home was its first project.

"There are so many good people that are just so willing to help," Middleton said. "It has given me a renewed sense of community and love for your neighbor"...

Read the full story

In other words, are we perpetuating the detrimental stereotype that giving only happens (or needs to happen) two months out of the year?

These are questions we've internally wrestled with many times at NCGives, but haven't really addressed in public before. I (Melinda) recently wrote a guest post for the NC Network of Grantmakers, about how I reconcile the "Season of Giving" with the year-round need and presence of giving. You can check it out here.

With a theme entitled "The Poetry of Giving," the Summit helped these high school students decide how and where they will grant over $150,000 to help their communities. The funds have been donated from philanthropic organizations across the state and will be entrusted to these youth for allocation.(The planning and training for the decision-making is taking place, but actual decisions on how to spend the money will take place in individual communities later in the year.)

The youth also engage in regular volunteerism as part of the 10-month program.

Community leaders and churches selected their Summit representatives from local youth that are committed to giving back to the community. During the Summit, students learned strategies to assess the needs of their communities, techniques to effectively facilitate meetings, and methods to further develop resources in their communities. 

► See photos from this year's summit
► Watch news coverage from WFMY in Winston-Salem & WNCT in Greenville
► NEW! Watch the music video recap of both 2011 summits

About the North Carolina Youth Giving Network

The NCYGN is a statewide collection of 24 different youth philanthropy sites, from as far East as Onslow County to as far West as Jackson County. In partnership with NCGives,  Leading To Change (a nationally recognized training organization based in Charlotte) coordinates the NCYGN. Learn more: www.ncyouthgiving.org

Click on the following link to view or download the fact sheet:

American Indian Giving At-A-Glance (PDF)

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If you're in the central North Carolina area, the American Indian Center at UNC-Chapel Hill has a list of many different heritage month activities going on at or near campus. Also, the North Carolina Museum of History is holding its 16th Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration on November 19.

If you know of local celebrations of American Indian culture in your area, please leave them in comments!

RALEIGH/STATEWIDE - At the request of NCGives, Governor Bev Perdue has issued a proclamation designating November as Philanthropy Month in North Carolina, a first in the history of the state. (Click here to access a PDF scan of the original proclamation.)

Philanthropy of all types plays a significant role in North Carolina:

• According to a 2009 report from NCGives, in 2006 (the most recent year for which this IRS data was available at the time), North Carolina taxpayers reported giving a total of $5.4 billion to charities. This number is limited to itemized tax returns, indicating that the total of monetary donations from individual North Carolinians was actually much higher.
• In 2008, IRS tax records show that foundations in North Carolina awarded nearly $1.4 billion in grants.
• According to the Corporation for National & Community Service, North Carolinians volunteered an annual average of 203.8 million hours between 2008-2010.

"We are sincerely grateful to Governor Perdue for this proclamation," says Donna Chavis, executive director of NCGives. "The charitable impulse is a critical part of stable and secure communities. North Carolinians recognize this and give generously of their time, talent and treasures for the common good."

"In the challenging times we currently face," Chavis continues, "the strength of our communities depends even more on our commitment to mutual aid. NCGives sees this as the first year of many to come in recognizing and respecting the importance of giving in our state. We look forward to future efforts that strengthen the charitable nature of North Carolinians."

This year's Philanthropy Month proclamation joins several other related celebrations in North Carolina and across the country. National Philanthropy Day®, observed on November 15th each year, was first recognized in 1986 by a proclamation from President Ronald Reagan. Since then, activities have occurred throughout the country during November to celebrate giving. Today, National Philanthropy Day® is coordinated by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), in tribute to the extraordinary contributions that charitable giving and volunteerism have made to society.

Gail Perry, a North Carolina-based fundraiser and a former AFP chapter president, is "thrilled that Governor Perdue has proclaimed November as Philanthropy Month," she says. "Let's all appreciate the wonderful, hard-working nonprofit organizations across the state, and the good work they do. We send our thanks to the volunteers, leaders and donors who take a stand every day to make the world a better place."

In North Carolina, November is also Nonprofit Awareness Month (http://www.ncnonprofits.org/NAM.asp). North Carolina's philanthropic culture (both conventional and grassroots) supports the more than 10,000 nonprofits in the state, which in turn give back to the communities, creating a continual cycle of giving.

Giving Back: A Tribute to Generations of African American Philanthropists reframes philanthropy with a vast collection of photography and stories, revealing centuries-old customs that endure throughout the African Diaspora. During slavery and its aftermath in America, communities would have perished without the generosity, innovation and sacrifices of its members—who rarely are heralded as philanthropists.

Through inquiry, interviews and images, writer Valaida Fullwood and photographer Charles Thomas engage over 200 black donors and explore such questions as: How do you define philanthropy? Juxtaposing photographs and narratives, Giving Back illuminates transcendent truths and elicits new thinking about philanthropy.

Fullwood, a founding member of the giving circle New Generation of African American Philanthropists, is a native North Carolinian whose areas of work have centered on social innovation, education and the arts. Thomas, also of North Carolina roots, serves as director of education at The Light Factory Contemporary Museum of Photography & Film.

Giving Back  can be purchased at your favorite independent bookseller, and online via Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Indiebound.org.

NCGives is proud to be a sponsoring partner of The Giving Back Project.