SV2’s Pathways to Opportunity year is well underway, with our fall learning season having wrapped up, and our Grant Round about to kick off. This fall, Partners heard from nine expert panelists, sharing from the perspectives of funders, researchers, and practitioners. We distilled their insights, along with sector research and Partner feedback, into a systems-level, strategic framework for the Grant Round, which you can view here. All the panels were recorded, and you can check out audio and video here.
A research team, made up of Grant Round Partner Leader Linda Lazor and Partners Criss De Guzman, Sayuri Sharper, and JoAnne Tillemans, with staff support from Jody Chang, took a deeper dive in November into specific focus areas. These focus areas were identified by our speakers as having proven impact in helping people move out of poverty and into economic sustainability, and include mental health and family engagement (both in education) and sector-based job training and social entrepreneurship (both in workforce development). The research team identified 10-18 organizations in each focus area, and Partners then nominated 4-6 organizations in each area to be invited to submit Letters of Interest for the Grant Round.
Next steps in the Round will include phone interviews with Executive Directors, review of full grant applications, a live “Pitch Event” where Partners will hear directly from four semi-finalists, site visits, and a grant decision. The Grant Round will run from January – May 2018, with meetings at lunchtime (the time preferred by a majority of Partners in our survey). SV2’s Classic Grant Rounds provide a comprehensive, hands-on grantmaking experience with lots of opportunities for Partner learning and engagement. We hope you’ll join us! Next meetings are on Thursday, January 18 (RSVP here) and Tuesday, February 13 (RSVP here).