Winston-Salem, NC (June 25, 2018) – After a process of examining and evaluating its grantmaking and broader work, today the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation (ZSR) is excited to announce the launch of All For NC: Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation's Framework for Grantmaking and Learning.
All For NC: ZSR’s Framework for Grantmaking and Learning builds on the strategies of the Foundation’s “emerging direction,” which was shared in June 2017, and aligns with ZSR’s mission and core values to:
-
Support a network of organizations that are working to affect change through a State-Level Systemic Change Strategy;
-
Create more connections between people, places, organizations and sectors who are working to impact the communities in which they live through a Community-Based Strategy;
-
Remain open to bold, unconventional or higher-risk ideas that have transformative potential through an Exploratory, Visionary Ideas Strategy.
Alongside these three main strategies, the Foundation also has expressed its commitment to:
-
Augment its participation in its hometown of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County,
-
Use a racial equity lens to underpin all of its work, and
-
Continue to be a learning organization.
“ZSR’s new framework reflects the Foundation’s longstanding commitment to improving the quality of life for all North Carolinians and infuses what it heard during its yearlong statewide listening and learning tour about what is critical, and visionary, at this moment in time,” said Maurice “Mo” Green, executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. “It also reflects the Foundation’s spirit of ongoing learning. We are excited about the future, the opportunities, and the possibilities as we move forward.”
“This is a defining moment in the Foundation’s history,” said Dr. Lloyd “Jock” Tate, president of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. “We have done our best to listen to what we have heard from individuals, groups and organizations over the course of our assessment process and used that to help inform the design and development of each of the strategies of our new framework. We look forward to continuing to work with new and existing partners, as well as learn alongside of them, as we begin rolling out each of these strategies over the course of the next year.”
The intent of ZSR’s Framework for Grantmaking and Learning is to provide different strategies that meet people and communities where they are, as well as to break down the silos of the Foundation’s traditional focus areas, allow more flexibility in its grantmaking, and provide multiple entry points for potential applicants. The Foundation recognizes that not all the work that it funds will fit neatly into these three strategies; rather, there is work that lives in between them. Therefore, ZSR wants to remain flexible to foster those areas of intersection.
Below are descriptions of each of the strategies and associated grant opportunities.
ZSR's State-Level Systemic Change Strategy
Over the past two years, ZSR heard from individuals, organizations and communities that it has a unique role as a statewide funder and should continue its support of state-level systemic change. ZSR developed its State-Level Systemic Change Strategy around a statewide vision for North Carolina that includes supporting work in four priority areas and the intersections between them. The four priority areas are:
These priority areas do not span across the other major strategies of the Framework.
In addition, ZSR will focus on supporting grantee efforts to collaborate and align their efforts across issues and populations. The Foundation will not only help its grantee partners make deeper connections with one another, but will also provide them with support to increase their internal capacity.
The annual Fall grant cycle of the State-Level Systemic Change Strategy will be open to any eligible state, local or regional organization that is aligned with the Foundation’s core values, mission and state-level vision, and which is working to change state-level systems. The Spring grant cycle is by invitation-only, to help fill in the gaps of the work ZSR is trying to accomplish.
Applications for the State-Level Systemic Change Strategy Fall grant cycle are posted to ZSR’s website. The deadline to submit applications is August 1, 2018.
ZSR will hold a webinar on July 11, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (in English) and on July 12 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (with Spanish translation) to provide more explanation about our Framework and the State-Level Systemic Change strategy. More information can be found on ZSR’s website.
ZSR's Community-Based Strategy
During its statewide listening and learning tour, ZSR heard from people that they wanted to connect with one another across lines of difference or geographical boundaries. ZSR’s Community-Based Strategy centers on two grant opportunities:
-
A Collaborative Problem-Solving approach that is intended to bring people together to define and tailor a path for creating positive change; and
-
A Community Progress Fund that is intended to support local projects by making time-limited investments in communities at key moments in time.
Grant opportunities for both will be offered once a year, beginning in the Fall.
ZSR's Exploratory, Visionary Ideas Strategy
North Carolinians told ZSR that the Foundation needed to be more flexible and take more risks to identify North Carolina's best, brightest and boldest ideas. In response, ZSR developed its Exploratory, Visionary Ideas Strategy around two initial initiatives:
-
An All For NC Fellowship* that is intended to invest in the next generation of up and coming leaders in North Carolina, who have innovative ideas; and
-
An Inclusive Public Art initiative that is aimed at inclusive community processes that result in public art that recognizes and acknowledges North Carolinians, especially women and people of color, whose stories historically have gone untold.
*The launch of the fellowship is contingent on receiving IRS approval of the Foundation’s proposed fellowship program.
In addition, the Foundation is supporting the work of Race Forward’s Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) to work with local jurisdictions in North Carolina. GARE is a national project that helps local governments apply a racial equity lens to their work.
The Exploratory, Visionary Ideas Strategy will not follow a traditional grantmaking approach and will not use specific grant cycles or a traditional grant application process. Instead, work funded in this area will continue to evolve and vary from year to year. Information and applications will be available when new initiatives are announced.
As an 80-year-old, statewide, private, family foundation that only funds work in North Carolina, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation has always strived to respond to the changing needs of the state. A shifting landscape in North Carolina – demographically, economically and technologically, to name a few – led ZSR to this new framework for grantmaking and learning. In addition, when traveling across the state, the Foundation heard that North Carolinians are feeling great uncertainty about the future. ZSR believes that during times of uncertainty, adaptability and flexibility are key. This new grantmaking framework is the way ZSR feels it can best meet its mission within the current, yet rapidly changing, context of North Carolina.
We hope that all North Carolinians will continue to join us in creating a better North Carolina for all. We will do it together – for ourselves, our families, our communities – and All For NC.
More information about the Foundation’s new framework and grantmaking strategies are available at www.zsr.org.
###
ABOUT THE Z. SMITH REYNOLDS FOUNDATION
The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation is a statewide, private, family foundation that has been a catalyst for positive change in North Carolina for more than 80 years. Headquartered in Winston-Salem, NC, the Foundation has invested $572 million into North Carolina since 1936. To learn more about ZSR, visit www.zsr.org.