Representative Collaboration Grants
Capacity-Building Grants | Merger Grants | Grants Overview
Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the developing world producing agricultural, textile and handicraft goods in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner have had difficulty attaining the financing necessary to bring their products to market despite a growing global demand. The Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade (FAST) was formed by a group of sustainable trade lenders to improve the delivery of finance and financial management tools to these SMEs. Through the development of joint projects, advocacy, interorganizational cooperation, and increased transparency, FAST works around the world to broaden producer access to credit and related financial risk management tools. FAST members include financial institutions committed to sustainable production as well as producers. Because the input from producer members is so important to the success of the alliance, FAST decided to waive membership fees for the smallest SMEs in the first year. Lodestar provided general operating funds to support membership development of the alliance in its first year. ($75,000)
http://www.fastinternational.org/Infant Toddler Mental Health Coalition Support
The Infant Toddler Mental Health Coalition (ITMHC), a professional organization comprised of individuals working in the youth mental health profession, recognized there were no reliable standards for infant and family service providers in Arizona. ITMHC developed an endorsement program, adapted from a Michigan competency-based system, which will serve as verification that a mental health professional has attained a specified level of functioning and understanding. The ultimate goal of the endorsement program is to elevate the quality of practitioners in the state. Lodestar's funds enabled the organization to purchase the initial license and to fund participants in the first year of the program who will then become endorsers themselves. The endorsement program has already generated a coalition among all participating states as well as partnerships with other child-serving agencies.
http://itmhca.org/Arts-Promotion Collaboration
Many arts organizations in the Phoenix area lack sufficient marketing funds. A new nonprofit, Alliance for Audience, was formed to provide marketing services to a collaboration of arts groups. A Lodestar grant helped meet a community challenge grant to provide operating support to Alliance for Audience to build capacity in the organization so that it could be self-sustaining. Lodestar’s grant supported Alliance for Audience’s efforts to enhance its website, ShowUp.com; and design and implement a marketing plan. ($50,000)
http://www.showup.comCollaboration of NGOs Supporting Third-World Independent News Media Agencies
Although there are approximately 400 nongovernmental organizations working to support independent print, broadcast and internet media in the third world, there had never been a substantive opportunity to share information and resources, either informally or through a cooperative association. Lodestar provided an initial seed grant of $50,000 for an international planning session to convene a global forum of these NGOs to collaborate on projects, coordinate policies, share best practices and strengthen the sector overall. That planning session sparked the desire to cause systemic change in the sector, from endeavoring to eliminate wasteful competition and duplication, to developing meaningful collaboration. Following the success of the planning session, Lodestar provided the initial seed implementation grant of $100,000 (which led to approximately $1,500,000 more in grants from other foundations) for the first collaborative conference of independent media support NGOs from around the world, the First Global Forum for Media Development. The conference, which was held in Amman, Jordan in October of 2005, brought together approximately 500 participants representing 180 media support organizations from 104 countries. As a follow-up, the participants formed six regional collaboratives around the world; the first meeting of leaders from the collaboratives happened in the summer of 2006 in Washington, D.C. and Lodestar provided the initial funding for that effort as well. ($200,000)
http://70.87.64.34/~intint/gfmd_info/Collaboration of Nonprofits Serving the Homeless
Homeless individuals in the Phoenix metro area were required to travel in different directions using public transportation to receive the various services necessary to help them re-enter mainstream society. As a result, many either never sought the services or only received partial and insufficient care. Lodestar provided the lead private sector grant for the new Human Services Campus, the product of a major $26,000,000 public/private collaboration to co-locate Maricopa County’s major homeless-serving agencies onto one campus. The heart of the campus is a jointly-administered assessment facility, the Lodestar Day Resource Center, where clients have access to a dozen agencies providing critical services such as health and dental care, employment, substance abuse treatment, food, shelter, clothes, and even court proceedings. The campus has exceeded all expectations, in terms of usage by the homeless, effectiveness in the delivery of services and cost-savings. The Campus has become a national model for other communities throughout the nation. ($3,000,000)
http://www.hscampus.orgCollaboration of Adoption and Foster Care Agencies
Although at least a dozen adoption and foster care agencies in the metropolitan Phoenix area handle special needs children, there was no central place where adoptive and foster parents could find post-adoption support, information and services. One of the agencies, Aid to Adoption of Special Kids (“AASK”), proposed the creation of an agency-independent resource center and public/private collaboration dedicated to connecting adoptive, foster care, kinship and guardianship families to resources, support, education and each other. This led to the creation of The Lodestar Family Connections Center, which is housed at AASK but governed by a board comprised of representatives from many adoption and post-adoption agencies. The Center houses numerous private, government and educational resources for adoptive parents, saving them countless hours and providing critical information for their families. The Center, which is located in central Phoenix, has proven to be so successful that two satellite centers are planned for the east and west portions of the metropolitan area. ($1,000,000)
http://www.familyconnectionscenter.orgCollaboration of Nonprofits Serving Off-Reservation Native Americans
Native Americans living in the Phoenix metropolitan area historically have been served by separate independent nonprofits; little progress was being made in addressing critical health and social issues facing that population. A group of five agencies serving off-reservation Native Americans in the metropolitan Phoenix area formed a new nonprofit corporation, United Native Development Corporation (“UNDC”), to focus on three specific issue areas: senior housing, student housing, and workforce development. Lodestar’s capacity building grant of $100,000, which provided seed money for the project, led to the receipt of additional operating funds for UNDC which, in turn, enabled UNDC to plan a senior housing project that received $4.4 million for development. More importantly, the original collaboration served as a catalyst for ongoing collaboration among the agencies on a variety of issues of mutual importance. Three of the agencies later formed a limited liability company to jointly purchase an 85,000 square foot office building for more than $7 million (totally financed by no-interest loans and grants). The facility is considered the “geographic center” for the area’s Native Americans, operating as a business, cultural and service center for that population. Not only are a variety of Native American businesses and nonprofits co-locating in the building, several of the nonprofits have formed a management services organization to combine administrative functions, creating yet another level of collaboration. In 2006, the project received a Community Revitalization Award, sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco. ($100,000)
http://www.nativeconnections.org
Article about project: Three Oldest Native American Nonprofits in the Valley Create Partnership to Purchase 85,000 SF Building- Management Services Collaboration Among
Youth-Serving Nonprofits
Several small youth-serving nonprofits were concerned that high operating costs made it difficult to provide adequate services to their clients. In 2003, with technical and financial support from Lodestar, they formed Partnership for Adolescent Resources through Training, Networking, Education, Referrals and Support (PARTNERS), an innovative management services organization. Each constituent agency leased a portion of PARTNERS, and PARTNERS became the management and administration through which the combined agencies leased and shared office space and certain administrative functions. Since then, the number of member agencies has more than doubled. Lodestar’s grant subsidized rent charges for the joint-usage space. ($60,000)
Data Collection Collaboration Among Agencies Serving the Homeless
In order to comply with a federal mandate to collect certain data about homeless individuals, a Homeless Management Information System (“HMIS”) was initiated in Maricopa County. For three years, Lodestar provided the lead private sector grant to secure more than $1,000,000 of federal funding for the project. Although the original purpose of HMIS was to relay unduplicated data to the federal government, the participating agencies are using the nationally-honored system to more effectively deliver services by sharing information and tracking clients. ($146,000)
http://www.cir.org/hmisCollaboration of Nonprofits to Address Healthcare Issues in South Phoenix
Two chronic medical problems, diabetes and heart disease, impact a high percentage of south Phoenix residents. A dozen agencies working in the area joined together to form the South Central Phoenix Health Coalition to coordinate and integrate efforts to address these problems. A multi-year grant from Lodestar supported the salary of the Coalition coordinator. In addition to increasing effectiveness through the Coalition, the participating agencies developed collaborations in other service areas as a result of membership in the Coalition.($40,000)Camp Collaboration for Special Needs Children
Every summer, many Arizona nonprofits dealing with special needs children have had to compete to reserve week-long sessions at mountain camps to provide a camp experience for their clients; very rarely were the camps able to adequately accommodate the often complex physical, medical and developmental challenges of these campers. A number of these nonprofits collaborated to form a new nonprofit to acquire Whispering Hope Ranch, a facility that has been designed to accommodate a diverse population of children with special needs. Lodestar made a matching grant to generate funds to furnish the camp facilities. ($50,000)
http://www.whisperinghoperanch.orgCapacity-Building of Nonprofit Associations
Nonprofits working in the same area often are inefficient because they duplicate efforts and lack sufficient individual resources to make a significant community impact. Even when they come together in an informal or formal association to tackle issues jointly, their efforts may not be effective because agency budgetary and time constraints work against strengthening the collaborative effort. Lodestar has provided funds to a number of nonprofit associations and collaborations for collaboration coordinators, for consultants to help develop strategic plans for collaborations, and for various collaboration projects. For example, Lodestar provided funds to the Coalition Against Domestic Violence to develop standardized software for the participating nonprofits ($29,000); over a period of four years, Lodestar funds helped build a collaboration among numerous nonprofits, government agencies and individuals dealing with osteoporosis prevention, education and treatment. ($44,500) http://www.fitbones.org; three planning grants from Lodestar enabled a coalition of breast cancer groups decide to develop a common community website. ($11,500)Establishment of Convening Fund for State Strategic Plan
As a young, growing state, Arizona has the opportunity and challenge to create a statewide vision and strategic plan which both the public and private sectors can use as a guide for the allocation of resources and infrastructure development. A nonprofit organization, The Center for the Future of Arizona, was formed to shepherd the strategic planning process for the state. Lodestar provided funds specifically reserved for convening citizen groups from around the state to discuss various elements of the state’s strategic plan. ($50,000)
http://www.arizonafuture.org
Domestic Violence Merger
Brewster Center Domestic Violence Services and Tucson Centers for Women and Children were two of the largest organizations in Tucson serving abused women and children. The organizations had similar missions and provided some of the same services, but neither organization had the full program of services their clients needed, so clients of one organization often had to utilize the other organization's services as well. In 2008, the organizations merged and became Emerge! Center Against Domestic Violence. Now victims of domestic violence in Tucson will only have to travel to one location and fill out one set of paperwork, thus eliminating duplication of services and wasteful spending, and increasing direct services to program participants. Lodestar provided funds to support the integration of the newly formed organization. ($10,000)
http://www.tucsoncenters.com/Merger of Two Regional Planned Parenthood Organizations
Vast population growth and increasing cultural diversity led to operational and programmatic inefficiencies for Planned Parenthood of Central and Northern Arizona (PPCNA) and Planned Parenthood of Southern Arizona (PPSA), both providers of medical services and educational programs. They faced challenges from outdated information systems, coupled with geographic sprawl throughout Arizona. After examining their internal structures, the two organizations decided to merge, forming one single organizational entity, Planned Parenthood Arizona (PPAZ), with localized service centers. Lodestar’s grant for systems integration allowed PPAZ to share databases internally and have one joint website to serve patients more efficiently regardless of the health center they use. ($50,000)
http://www.ppaz.org
Article about merger: AZ's Planned Parenthood agencies merge
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Dissolution of Volunteer Center
The Volunteer Center of Maricopa County, which had supported volunteerism in the Valley since 1962, became unsure of its role in the community with the emergence of organizations with similar missions. A Lodestar a grant enabled the Center’s board of Directors to use a consultant to examine the Center’s most efficient course of action for the future. At the end of the study, the board concluded that promotion of volunteerism and coordination of volunteer services within the community could be accomplished effectively by other community organizations, and the Center dissolved. Lodestar is providing additional financial support for the relocation of volunteer-based services to other nonprofits. ($3,500)
Article: Volunteer Center shuts doors after 45 years Merger of Child-Serving Agency and Family Community Center
Golden Gate, a long-standing community center in west Phoenix with a full complement of services to families (ranging from a Head-Start program to after-school activities and sports to senior citizen meals and programs) was suffering from decreasing funding and at risk of closing. Arizona’s Children Association, which had been seeking to expand its ability to impact children by focusing on the whole family structure, was able to accomplish its goal while, at the same time, preserving Golden Gate’s programs by merging with Golden Gate. Lodestar underwrote the costs of merging Golden Gate into Arizona’s Children Association. ($35,000)
http://www.arizonaschildren.orgAcquisition of Female Ex-convict Support Agency Program by Women’s Job Training Agency
Women Living Free, a newly-formed agency providing women leaving the Arizona prison system with tools and support to break the recidivism cycle, was having difficulty developing the infrastructure to survive as an independent agency. Arizona Women’s Education and Employment, Inc., a well-established women’s job-training organization that had been providing program support to Women Living Free, absorbed the Women Living Free program, with Lodestar underwriting the acquisition costs and the subsequent dissolution of Women Living Free. ($13,000)
http://www.awee.orgMerger of Infant Brain Development Agency and Child-Serving Nonprofit
New Directions Institute for Infant Brain Development (“NDI”) was founded in 1998 in response to neuroscientific research demonstrating that the birth to 3 year period is critically important for preparing children for later learning and school success. Based upon the success of its education and training initiatives, the demand for NDI services far exceeded its ability to provide them and the NDI board determined that a merger with a large, strong, stable agency with a complementary mission was the solution. Arizona’s Children Association, which provides a full complement of children’s services, had a strategic plan goal of increasing focus on prevention and a merger with NDI would strongly support this goal. Lodestar funded the costs of the merger. ($30,000)
http://www.arizonaschildren.org
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