ASU Lodestar Center receives $140,000 grant to assist nonprofits
For the past five years, the ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Innovation has partnered with Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold to build the capacity of nonprofit organizations in selected communities. Through a series of trainings and offerings, this partnership has allowed nonprofit organizations additional access and assistance to help them become more sustainable.
Recently, the ASU Lodestar Center was awarded a $140,000 grant from Freeport-McMoRan Foundation to continue such important capacity building efforts. Specifically, the grant will fund a dedicated program coordinator at the ASU Lodestar Center to execute a robust agenda of capacity building activities, including fostering project development, to address the sustainability issues of targeted mining communities.
“We understand the importance of investing in the capacity of the nonprofit sector,” says Tracy Bame, president of the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation. “Partnerships with community organizations help fulfill our commitment to build capacity that grows, diversifies and sustains communities beyond the life of our operations. This grant is the next step in our overall effort to connect nonprofits in these communities with the resources they need to strengthen their impact, and as a result, our dollars have a multiplier effect.”
Now more than ever, nonprofit organizations are called upon to serve great community needs with extremely limited resources. This challenge is great for all nonprofit organizations, but even more so in rural communities. In order for nonprofits to be successful, it is critical that they are not only managed efficiently and effectively, but also that they operate with a focus on sustainability. Equally important to nonprofit organizations’ understanding of sustainability is the emphasis of local leadership on supporting sustainable programs and building collaboration that increases longer-term sustainability. Furthermore, it is increasingly necessary for organizations to work together along a collective impact continuum that requires coordination and collaboration around issues of systemic change and joint funding strategies.
“Our partnership with the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation is the sort of venture that is grounded in the best thinking and practice to advance overall community well-being,” says Robert F. Ashcraft, executive director of the ASU Lodestar Center and professor of nonprofit studies in ASU’s School of Community Resources and Development. “The nonprofit sector is well positioned in rural communities to lead positive community development, and we are delighted that this partnership uses the lever of capacity building to realize our shared goals.”
The new program coordinator will work with key community stakeholder groups to plan and implement a range of capacity building efforts that elevate the nonprofit capacity building work in targeted Freeport-McMoRan locations and incorporate the center’s resources as the knowledge and tools leader for nonprofit effectiveness.
Contact: Nicole Almond Anderson, 602-496-0185 or nicole.almondanderson@asu.edu