Power Station

Jon Pratt builds community, influence and power every day. He leads the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, a trade association for nonprofit organizations that provide services in the arts, education, affordable housing, health and the environment. Just as chambers of commerce represent the interests of the business community, MCN amplifies the voices of the nonprofit community. It is where members learn about legislation affecting their mission and tax status, new research from the field, and resources for building advocacy capacities. And their considerable collective power is making an impact. MCN members meet regularly with elected officials, identify unmet needs and recommend policy solutions to solve them. Now they are upping their game with Grant Adviser. This new initiative will resonate with anyone who has ever applied for a grant or reported to a funder on grant outcomes. Think of Grant Adviser as Yelp for philanthropy. Nonprofits provide anonymous feedback about foundations, from the application process to their communications with applicants. And foundations are (mostly) taking the feedback seriously. There's more to come from MCN and Grant Advisor. That is always the case when change makers are at the helm.

Diane Yentel leads the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, the nation's most influential champion for ending housing poverty and homelessness in America. It is a respected presence on Capitol Hill and in state houses where legislators know that their reports and testimony are evidence-based and accurate. In recent years, NLIHC has stopped every effort rolled out by the Trump Administration and US Department of Housing and Urban Development's Secretary Carson to weaken housing policies and demonize low income renters. Given this context, Diane is alarmed but not entirely surprised by the president's appointment of Robert Marbut to head the US Interagency Council on Homelessness. It coincides with the administration's proposal to use empty barracks in Los Angeles to warehouse a growing homeless population, an opportunity to demean a democratic mayor and hurt people with no options other than to live on the streets. This new challenge does not overwhelm the National Low-Income Housing Coalition. They will mobilize, create new partnerships and stand up for the real solution to solving homelessness: access by low income people to safe and affordable homes. Diane tells the story here.

This nation values higher education but make it hard to access, particularly for low-income and people of color. Students may not have counselors to guide their search and the cost of applications can be prohibitive. It takes motivated adults to connect young people to opportunities and Sean Lanier is deeply dedicated and driven in this mission. Although he has retired from the military, he continues to serve his country. When his alma mater, Virginia Military Institute, reached out and asked him to help recruit African American students to the school, he embraced the challenge. But he discovered that his vision for how to create a pipeline of underserved students went further. He now helps not only VMI but also other schools to recruit talented young people and founded a nonprofit to advance this mission. He travels to cities across the country, meets with students, their parents and community-based partners to demonstrate what is possible, from education in STEM and technology, as well as military careers. In doing so, he is building community among those who need the assistance and those who are motivated to help. Maybe you want to participate too.

When Eddy Morales first moved back to Gresham, Oregon from Washington, DC, he did not plan to run for elected office. He expected to continue his business as a political campaign adviser and reconnect with family and community. Years in DC working with Voto Latino and Democracy Alliance had sharpened his considerable talents as a national policy advocate, and he wanted to engage civically at the local level. But when he watched the 2016 election returns with his nieces and nephews, intending to celebrate the election of the nation's first women president, his heart sank. The election of Donald trump and its implications for family members who were not citizens, motivated him to act. He advocated that the Gresham City Council assume Sanctuary City status and challenged the intrusion of ICE into community life. When responses ranged from indifference to hostility, he took stock of the political landscape and determined that transforming the status quo meant getting involved at more structural level. He formed East County Rising and a new era of political activism and community engagement was born.

When Eddy Morales first moved back to Gresham, Oregon from Washington, DC, he did not plan to run for elected office. He expected to continue his business as a political campaign adviser and reconnect with family and community. Years in DC working with Voto Latino and Democracy Alliance had sharpened his considerable talents as a national policy advocate, and he wanted to engage civically at the local level. But when he watched the 2016 election returns with his nieces and nephews, intending to celebrate the election of the nation’s first women president, his heart sank. The election of Donald trump as president and the implications for his immigrant family members and their partners, some of whom were not citizens, motivated him to act. He advocated to the City Council for Gresham to assume Sanctuary City status and challenged the intrusion of ICE into community life. When responses ranged from indifference to hostility, he took stock of the political landscape and determined that transforming the status quo meant getting involved at more structural level. People of color and the LGBTQ community felt invisible in Gresham and as their numbers and contributions grew, Eddy knew that it was time to step into the policy making arena. He formed East County Rising and mobilized the community to get involved. The story of the door-knocking, trust building and winning campaigns to follow are a revelation. And hopefully, a playbook for the next city to step up.

Gun violence continues to devastate families and communities. When 20 first graders and six adults were murdered by a gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, the nation's shock and grief were palpable. President Obama spoke passionately about the urgency of passing background checks and stronger gun control laws. But pushback by the NRA and members of Congress prevailed. When parents of murdered children at Sandy Hook came together after the assault, their first instinct was to advocate for background checks. When that effort failed, they embraced a new strategy and focus. They formed Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit organization whose emphasis is on school safety, violence reduction and mental health. As Nicole Hockley, co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise who lost her son Dylan explains to Power Station, these efforts are resonating in school districts across America. There is training for children on the power of kindness and inclusion of their classmates. And for those in middle and high school, there is training and on how to identify and report signs of depression and violence. Sandy Hook Promise is making transformational change possible.

Gun violence continues to devastate our families and communities. When 20 first graders and six adults were murdered by a gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, the nation’s shock and horror were palpable. President Obama spoke passionately  about the urgency of passing background checks and stronger gun control laws. But pushback by the NRA and members of Congress prevailed.

When parents of murdered children at Sandy Hook came together after the assault, their first instinct was to advocate for background checks. When that effort failed, they embraced a new strategy and focus. They formed Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit organization whose emphasis is on school safety, violence reduction and mental health. As Nicole Hockley, co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise who lost her son Dylan explains to Power Station, these efforts are resonating in school districts across America.There is training for young children on the power of kindness and inclusion of their classmates. And for those in middle and high school, there is training and on how to identify and report signs of depression and violence. And they continue to press for legislative action. Sandy Hook Promise is making transformational change possible.

We all want to be heard and understood, a fair expectation. But being heard takes more than engaging an attentive listener. It requires purpose, knowing what we want to say and how to express ourselves. We must know how to adapt communication styles, from a private conversation to a conference room to social media. It can be humbling, frustrating and even costly when we fail. Tia Blount brings her passion for communication to nonprofits where the mission is vital and the stakes for persuasion are high. A mission statement alone will not persuade women in Tanzania to participate in health trials whose benefits will accrue to the generation after their own. An affordable housing group in Washington, DC, cannot inspire the communities they serve by using real estate jargon. Tia's work addresses the gap between organizational intention and what it takes to make an impact. It turns out that Tia's childhood passion for writing was the beginning of a lifelong journey to bring the power of communication to us all.

We all want to be heard and understood, a fair expectation. But being heard takes more than engaging an attentive listener. It requires purpose, knowing what we want to say and how to express ourselves. And we need to know how to adapt our communication style to a dizzying array of venues, from a private conversation to a conference room to social media. It can be humbling, frustrating and even costly when we fail to communicate well. Tia Blount brings her passion for communication to nonprofits where the mission is vital and the stakes for communicating well are high. A mission statement alone will not persuade women in Tanzania to participate in health trials whose benefits will accrue to the generation after their own. An affordable housing group in Washington, DC, cannot inspire the communities they serve by using real estate jargon. Tia's work addresses the gap between organizational intention and impact and that is what makes her a true change maker. It turns out that her childhood passion for writing was the beginning of a lifelong journey to bring the power of communication to us all. 

Since 1991, Latino Economic Development Center, a DC based nonprofit, has worked side by side with Latino families to make their American Dreams possible. These families, both citizens and undocumented immigrants, have aspirations of safe and affordable rental housing, home ownership and the launching and expansion of small businesses. But they are under-resourced in the federal budget and underserved by banks that view them as too risky to invest in. This is why LEDC became a Community Development Financial Institution, a lender certified by the US Department of Treasury, to make the investments that others will not. As executive director Marla Bilonick explains, an ethos of service, expertise in asset building and commitment to progressive policy advocacy has enabled LEDC to thrive in a very divisive political climate. LEDC has opened new offices in Baltimore, Wheaton, Maryland, Arlington, Virginia and recently, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. A local organization is now a national change maker.