Education Leaders of Color is a membership organization that ensures young people of color have the support they need to thrive, capitalize on opportunities, and build generational wealth. Its Boulder Fund is a multi-million dollar grant program created to support initiatives developed by leaders of color, which are focused on improving life outcomes for children of color across the country.
Highlights
Plan for future
EdLoC seeks investment not only in educational innovation but in the fight for racial equity and economic justice. It needed a plan to achieve the Boulder Fund’s campaign goals for its future financial sustainability.
Sustainable Goals
EdLoC’s goal is to establish a $10 million endowment for its Boulder Fund to augment the capital available for grants and ensure the fund’s viability over the long-term.
Expert Support
S&W brought a seasoned group of campaign experts with deep knowledge of the current philanthropic landscape for nonprofits in the education and social justice sectors to advise and make actionable recommendations.
The Challenge
EdLoC, works to support its members and expand its reach in multiple ways. Its flagship philanthropic initiative is the Boulder Fund, which provides grants to fuel social change innovation. EdLoC recognized the need to establish an endowment for the Boulder Fund, which would provide stability and guarantee the strength of this important program well into the future. Without creating a permanent funding source, it will be impossible to ensure that there will be critical funding for ongoing and consistent investment in its grantees—the kind of consistency its mission deserves and demands. The ultimate goal is for the endowment to be self-sustaining, funding grants through investment income while the principal is preserved.
The Solution
The S&W team conducted a fundraising program assessment and created a strategic development plan for EdLoC with specific recommendations for increasing funding at many different levels, engaging board members and volunteers in fundraising, coordinating its messaging across platforms, expanding its development staff, and growing its national visibility. S&W also produced a compelling case for support for its Boulder Fund Endowment Campaign. Ongoing counsel also was provided during the engagement. These combined efforts were designed to make EdLoC’s fundraising more efficient and well positioned for success in the future while it seeks important funding annually and ensures financial sustainability for innovation in education through the Boulder Fund’s endowment goal of $10 million. The S&W team also recommended that the Boulder Fund’s Endowment Campaign be a permanent part of its fundraising program so it could continue to grow beyond the current goal.
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