Rotary District 3450’s Post

Last week, The Center at Sierra Health Foundation's Community Economic Mobilization Initiative (CEMI) facilitated a timely session at Rise Economy’s Action and Advocacy Conference in Los Angeles. The discussion was moderated by Kendra Lewis, Managing Director of Community Economic Development at The Center at Sierra Health Foundation, and brought together CEMI's partners and expert panelists who shared insights on driving positive change in underserved communities: 📢 Vanessa Carter Fahnestock – Project Manager, USC’s Equity Research Institute 📢 Teresa Gonzalez – Managing Director, LIVE FREE USA 📢 Benjamin Torres – President & CEO, Community Development Technologies (CDTech) Together, they highlighted how CEMI’s support has helped them build economic and climate resilience through funding, technical assistance, and power-building initiatives. With $160B in available funding in #California alone, CEMI is prioritizing inclusive economic development—transitioning from relief to opportunity. CEMI is proud to partner with grassroots organizations and assist in their capacity for accessing funding opportunities that they have been historically excluded from. We're working to drive lasting, equitable change. Learn more about CEMI on The Center's website: https://lnkd.in/dmSDxV4Q #CEMI #CommunityEmpowerment #EquitableDevelopment #EconomicJustice #ClimateResilience #InclusiveGrowth #PublicFundsForChange #SupportCBOs #GrassrootsLeadership #ActNow

🎉 Day 5 of our Texas Impact Enterprise Awards honoree announcements! We persist in our celebration by highlighting another exceptional group of Commendees. Please join us in extending congratulations to today's honorees! Their dedication and relentless efforts are fostering positive changes and making substantial contributions to our communities. On The Road Companies: On the Road Companies is a family of social enterprises seeking to build prosperity through an investment mindset, in economic terms, broadening scale by recycling capital. Enabling people to rev up their own economic engine creates a more valuable society. Bringing down borrowing costs, building credit, enabling higher earnings, reducing the impact of car repairs, increasing health, gaining time, and minimizing emissions – all of these are measurable financial, social, and environmental outcomes of our work. Plant It Forward : By linking immigrants and refugees who have the skills and motivation to farm with access to land, knowledge networks, and markets, Plant It Forward offers unique, locally-driven solutions to many complex challenges surrounding environmental resiliency, refugee economic opportunity, and community health. PIF's unique model combines the best of the entrepreneurship and collectivism to create opportunities for social integration, cross-cultural learning, economic empowerment for particularly vulnerable populations. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul North Texas: The St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy serves those in need, providing access to medications free of charge to those who face barriers to health care, giving them hope for a better quality of life. #TexasImpactAwards #CommunityImpact #Changemakers

I founded Indigenise LLC with a vision to support communities in building sustainable and self-determined futures. Too often, I witnessed valuable community initiatives stall when grant funding came to an end, leaving projects reliant on external decision-makers. While grant funding plays a crucial role, I believe in empowering communities to take ownership of their resources and drive their economic development. Healthy nation-building begins with empowering individuals and communities to create sustainable systems that prioritize community well-being and prosperity. When individuals thrive, so do communities, leading to sustainable profits that can be reinvested to support further growth and development. At Indigenise, we are dedicated to facilitating generational change by working alongside communities to build self-sustaining economies and foster long-term resilience. Together, we can pave the way for sustainable generational prosperity and lasting impact. #CommunityEmpowerment #EconomicSelfDetermination #SustainableDevelopment #IndigeniseLLC www.indigenisellc.com .

🌍👩🤝👩 Women Empower Women Worldwide: Creating Future Opportunities Together! 💪📚 💼 Dear Female Networkers,  we all know what women can achieve through education, strong networks, and mutual support. Yet, not every woman in the world has access to these resources. In many parts of the world, women face daily challenges that go beyond professional advancement and are far more fundamental. Without access to education, often without adequate nutrition, and in environments with violence or child marriage, many women are denied the chance to shape their own future. This is where The Hunger Project Switzerland comes in: for over 40 years, we have been working globally to empower women and break the cycle of chronic hunger. Women are a key lever for changing the systems that contribute to this hunger. As board members of The Hunger Project Switzerland, we - Katja Fechteler, PhD, MBA and Kristina Lasotta – deeply value the privileges we have gained through education and career opportunities. Networks like WOMEN FOR THE BOARD and the Boardroom support us on our journeys, and the solidarity among women continues to empower and inspire us. 🤝 Help us make The Hunger Project more visible and support women worldwide! ➡️ Follow us on LinkedIn and visit our Website at https://lnkd.in/eaVmdqh3 to learn more about our organization and projects. ➡️ Help us spread the word about The Hunger Project within your networks. ➡️ Support us with a donation at https://lnkd.in/dt-EBwX, or contact our CEO, Alexandra Koch, to explore volunteer opportunities.  Your engagement – by volunteering or donating – can transform lives. Let’s help women worldwide gain education, build self-determined futures, and uplift their communities to end chronic hunger. Together, we are strong! 💪 #HungerProjektSchweiz #WomenEmpowerment #WomenSupportingWomen #EducationForAll #Equality #ShapingTheFuture

This study on Indigenous #philanthropy is a very valuable contribution by Archipel Research & Consulting. In a world where social media often pushes us to retell the same narratives, and where substantive studies on Indigenous Peoples are scarce, this research is heartening to see. However, I hoped the study would address the impact of Unilateral Coercive Measures (UCMs)—illegal and illegitimate sanctions that have severely affected over 30 countries worldwide, violating the human rights of #IndigenousPeoples in these regions. Unfortunately, there is no section dedicated to this critical issue. Unilateral coercive measures often result in the closure of international bank accounts for the entire population of sanctioned countries. Without access to international banking, receiving funds from global organizations becomes impossible. For instance, since 2015, following the imposition of additional unilateral sanctions against Iran under Trump, no funds have been allocated to Indigenous Peoples in Iran—not even through programs like SGP and GEF. It is crucial for studies like this to include such considerations, as they play a significant role in the systemic funding inequalities that constrain direct financing to Indigenous Peoples.  #directaccesstofund #grants

Our Commitment in the St. Louis Community: The Carousel Foundation of Greater Saint Louis is committed to supporting all individuals in transition without homes. Our mission goes beyond providing temporary aid; we strive to promote dignity, empowerment, and stability. Our primary initiatives include: 1. Unhoused Advocacy: Elevating the voices of those facing homelessness, we push for systemic reform and empathetic policies. 2. Period Poverty Awareness: We assert that access to menstrual hygiene products is a fundamental right. Through educational efforts and partnerships, we tackle barriers and combat period poverty. 3. Food Justice: Fighting hunger is our priority. We ensure fair access to nutritious food for everyone, in collaboration with local communities and organizations. 4. STEM Exploration in Underserved Areas: We are dedicated to introducing careers in STEM to underserved communities, sparking curiosity and opportunity. https://lnkd.in/gCStEA6X

We at Fair Funding Solutions are also proud to work with Adeso. And we are grateful to also receive a grant from the H&S Davidson Trust for our work to push forward fair cost recovery, passporting of due diligence and harmonised donor reporting. The solutions needed to #ShiftThePower in funding relationships are already available. It’s time for donors and INGOs to implement them. #funding #transformation

Less than 3 weeks remain to make 2X the impact with our Spring Match! If our community can raise $170,000 by June 2, then generous friends of #durhamhabitat have agreed to match that - funding 2 new houses! That means 2 more Durham families can access all the health, wealth, and educational benefits that come with #affordablehomeownership #durhamnc https://lnkd.in/gEG_C4m4

Insight and solutions that shift the dial 🌟 Last month we got together with new elected members and our partners in the House of Commons to launch the first report of our "Commission into Breaking Down Barriers to Employment" with The Purpose Coalition. We heard from our front line about experiences in vulnerable households and what's working to tackle poverty, especially child poverty, through better employability provision. In the UK, employability is such a critical piece of the puzzle, yet current strategies often fall into the same patterns as before. While it’s great to see this issue on the political agenda, we need to focus on what actually works to address the root causes, not just the symptoms. At the Wise Group, we’ve always championed a more holistic approach, one that doesn’t just stop at financial aid but looks at the full spectrum of support that individuals and families need to move out of poverty. From what we’ve seen on the ground, initiatives like Relational Mentoring can lead to real, measurable outcomes. The key is making sure that resources are used smarter, not just increased, and that we cut through the red tape to focus on real impact. A huge thank you to Rt Hon. Justine Greening, Lord Walney, all the elected representatives and partners who joined us and contributed to this vital conversation. The way forward isn’t about spending more - it’s about using what we have in ways that really make a difference. Lots more to do! Sean Duffy Jacqueline Gourlay Alex Warren Suzanne McWilliams Hamish Robertson Elaine Ravenhall Sean D. Yotta Karanicolas Richard Campbell John Maddison Christina Brown #childpoverty #socialimpact #employability https://lnkd.in/eZtkyfF9

A wealth of information on rural development, innovation, and prosperity is available.