Shift Toward Collaboration Among Nonprofits Helps Meet Community Need

York County Community Foundation has advocated for collaboration among nonprofits for years, and the trend is picking up momentum across the country. Collaboration helps break down barriers that hinder real solutions to everyday community needs. The Community Foundation recently awarded collaborative grants totaling $76,000 to several local nonprofits, but the surprise behind the grants is that the recipients had not initially considered collaborating.

The three collaborative grants awarded as part of the Embracing Aging initiative, which is funded through the Community Foundation’s Hahn Home Fund, were originally individual proposals. After vetting the proposals, the grant committee realized several of them had a similar focus. Rather than provide individual grants, staff contacted the nonprofits and suggested collaboration. Each nonprofit agreed to explore a collaborative grant proposal.

“When we saw several competitive grant proposals that focused on similar issues, we knew we had to take advantage of the opportunity to maximize impact,” said Cathy Bollinger, managing director of Embracing Aging. “Recent research by the Bridgespan Group and the Lodestar Foundation⁽¹⁾ tells us that collaboration is happening more than expected and is viewed very positively. We knew that we could really be changing the mindset of local nonprofits by helping them think outside the box, develop long-lasting relationships, and find ways to better serve their clients while receiving grant support for important programs.”

“It was indeed a great privilege to work with RSVP of the Capital Region and Jewish Family Services on the development of a collaborative grant,” said Angela Dohrman, vice president of Senior Living at SpiriTrust Lutheran, one of the collaborative grant recipients. “Our three agencies came together with a shared vision of positively impacting the lives of older adults through volunteer experience. The work we do together in Encore Engagement (E2) will create opportunities that are purposeful for older adults while advancing the Community Foundation’s Embracing Aging focus on engaging older adults in the community. We are excited to get E2 underway and are very thankful for the Hahn Home Fund grant monies to support our efforts!”

Collaborative Grants:

SpiriTrust Lutheran, Jewish Family Services, and RSVP of Capital Region, Inc. received a total of $59,262 for a 2-year period to address volunteering and isolation. This program, titled Engagement Encore (E2), will strengthen volunteer recruitment, offer high-quality education to senior volunteers, and help lessen the isolation older adults often feel.
York Jewish Community Center, September House, and Crispus Attucks received a total of $11,710 for a 1-year period to work together to enhance nutrition and physical activity in older adults. The program, titled Take Charge: Creating a Healthier You, showcases health programs, creates healthier eating habits, and helps older adults manage pain with physical activity and posture alignment.
ForSight Vision and Guthrie Memorial Library received a total of $5,045 for a 1-year period to address low vision (visual impairment) needs of older adults. The nonprofits will host a low vision expo and provide information and education about low vision services and technology.

About Embracing Aging

The vision of Embracing Aging is to make York County a great place to age by expanding age-inclusive thinking and removing barriers to aging well. The Hahn Home Fund of York County Community Foundation supports the Embracing Aging initiative.

About the Hahn Home Fund

The Hahn Home Fund began with the vision of one woman, Anna Gardner, who died in 1913 but left her estate to help care for older women in the community. Her legacy became the Han Home; in 2007, the Hahn Home chose to create a permanent endowment at the Community Foundation. This fund continues to care for the needs of two women who lived at the Hahn Home. Beginning in 2014, the income from this investment covers the operating budget and grantmaking for the work of Embracing Aging.

To learn more about grants through the Hahn Home Fund of York County Community Foundation, contact Cathy Bollinger, managing director of Embracing Aging at cbollinger@yccf.org.

¹The Bridgespan Group and Lodestar Foundation report: Making Sense of Nonprofit Collaborations: http://www.bridgespan.org/getmedia/8c567d25-4e3a-41ba-9071-7b5667bc26a1/MakingSenseOfNonprofitCollaborations.pdf.aspx