CEOs for Cities National Meeting

Joyce Foundation President Ellen Alberding highlighted the importance of community college training and placement programs at last week’s CEOs for Cities national meeting. CEOs for Cities, a national organization based in Washington DC, describes itself as “a civic lab of today's urban leaders catalyzing a movement to advance the next generation of great American cities,” working with network partners to “develop great cities that excel in the areas most critical to urban success: talent, connections, innovation and distinctiveness.”

Ellen was invited to participate in the Talent Dividend Panel, named for the Organization’s prize given to a city that increases the number of college degrees (AA and BA) per one thousand over a four year period. Increasing effective community college and industry partnerships will have an impact on college completion rates. Prizes are an important strategy for cities that want to increase their overall college completion rates. The open access and affordability of the nation’s 1,200 community colleges have benefited millions of Americans. The trick now is to get more of those Americans successfully through to high-wage career opportunities and further education.

The Joyce Foundation has joined foundation and corporate partners to support prizes to generate similar impact. Similar to the mission of the Talent Dividend – the Aspen Institute will award its first ever $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence – to highlight those institutions who aren’t just retaining their students but setting them on a path to future success and placement in quality jobs. Stay tuned for further updates about The Aspen Prize in the months ahead.

National Association of Manufacturers Board of Directors Meeting, October 13

The nation’s manufacturers met in Washington, DC last week, and one of the major issues they discussed was the shortage of skilled production workers. Despite persistent high unemployment, a report by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute, an affiliate of NAM, revealed that 83% of firms are reporting moderate or serious shortages of skilled production workers, and that these shortages are hampering growth. Filling this “skills gap” would help the economy, and provide middle-class jobs to many un- and under-employed adults. It was therefore encouraging to hear about the great work that the Institute is doing to help low-skilled adults acquire valuable manufacturing skills training and credentials, and also encouraging to see the enthusiastic support this work has at NAM.

With this work, the manufacturing sector is a leading example of engaging employers in addressing the skills shortage, and we are excited to support it. We further hope to learn lessons that can be applied to sectors other than manufacturing. There are significant skills gaps in several sectors, and in addressing them we can help people low-skilled adults achieve economic self-sufficiency.

The Joyce Foundation Employment Program has made a number of grants recently to address the skills gap, helping adults learn the technical skills local companies require. We believe business and industry involvement in training partnerships is crucial, and therefore work with groups such as NAM to promote those partnerships. We have also supported this work through Skills for America’s Future, and the Foundation’s Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Business Leaders United.

- Matthew Muench, Employment Program Officer

Joyce Co-Sponsors Education Panel Discussion, October 12

The Advance Illinois, the Academy for Urban School Leadership and the Joyce Foundation sponsored the “Perspectives on Education Reform in Illinois and Across the Nation” event, held last week with nearly 300 guests. Moderated by Advance Illinois Executive Director Robin Steans, the panel discussion touched on the struggles and successes in the school reform movement and centered around Steven Brill’s book Class Warfare: Inside the Fight to Fix America’s Schools. The discussion started with the book’s conclusion – that unions need to be part of the solution to fixing our education problems, as we’ve seen here in Illinois, where the state's teacher unions helped draft and support changes in tenure, layoffs, dismissal, and strikes. The lively and at times heated discussion included author Steven Brill along with Jean-Claude Brizard, CEO, Chicago Public Schools; Audrey Soglin, Executive Director, Illinois Education Association; and Dr. Donald Feinstein, Executive Director, Academy for Urban School Leadership.

Great Lakes Week, October 11-14

The stars aligned for the first Great Lakes Week in Detroit. Hundreds of key leaders working on Great Lakes issues gathered in Detroit for the entire week. So many organizations, including Great Lakes funders, chose to hold their annual meetings during Great Lakes Week. Great Lakes Week gave participants a chance to share new ideas and celebrate successes. It was impossible not to come away with a renewed sense of positive momentum.

As funders, it’s important to stay in touch with the work that our grantees and others are doing within the Great Lakes. We understand the issues, and we’re enthusiastic about finding innovative, effective ways to protect and restore the Great Lakes. Great Lakes Week brought together a critical mass of Great Lakes advocates, scientists, government representatives, and business groups who shared success stories, challenges, and new ideas for continuing the necessary work throughout the Great Lakes region. While a great deal remains to be done to full protect and restore the Great Lakes, we are on the right track and there is a lot to be proud of in the region.

- Molly Flanagan, Program Officer, Environment

Watch Great Lakes Week Sessions Here
 

Grantmakers in the Arts Conference, October 9-12

As a new arts funder in the foundation realm, it was invigorating to be surrounded by so many thoughtful grant makers who are doing strong, important work. From breakfast roundtables, lunch sessions, lively discussions and night events, the conversations were thrilling and meaningful – challenging status quo and putting organizations, artists, communities, and ideas first.

The themes for the conference centered on a variety of important topics that face cultural organizations today. From shifting demographics, explosive new technology and art that has a strong footing in social impact – the sessions were dynamic and resonated deeply as these questions drive me personally.

Artists were also part of the conference as artists are also often grant makers, organizers and creators of new thinking. Exposure to the arts throughout our conference work reminded us why we love what we do every day.

Finally, the latest report by the National Committee For Responsive Philanthropy was released at the GIA conference sparking dialogue and discussion. The findings pointed to an opportunity for arts funders to give more dollars to culturally specific organizations and to help mainstream organizations diversify their programs and audience more – two major areas Joyce funds within and have been supporting for years and years. It further deepened my commitment to the work I do, that Joyce does and helped illustrate why our funding is necessary to the communities and arts organizations we serve.

- Angelique Power, Senior Program Officer, Culture