Podcast Archive
Funding Lasting Change in Communities (Part 2)
Part 2 of this 2 part podcast series examines the Calgary Foundation as a case study of an organization working to effect long-term community change
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Vibrant Communities believes that creating lasting community change requires a long-term, sustained effort, and a place-based approach from both the people creating the change and from the funders.
In the Fall of 2007, participants in the Vibrant Communities Funders Network came together to learn about the concept of embedded funders.
This podcast, the 2nd of a two part series, examines the Calgary Foundation as a case study of an organization working to effect long-term community change.
On this page, you'll find:
Cesar Cala - Cesar Cala is the Civic Engagement Associate for the Calgary Foundation. He has extensive experience in community development in Canada and abroad, and was involved with social movements in the Philippines for almost 20 years before immigrating to Canada in 1996.
Cesar was a founding member of the Ethno Cultural Council of Calgary, the Asian Heritage Foundation and the Children’s Legal and Educational Resource Centre. He served on the board of Oxfam Canada and the Arusha Centre. Cesar volunteers his time working with a number of Calgary’s refugee and immigrant communities.
The Calgary Foundation facilitates collaborative philanthropy by making powerful connections between donors and community organizations for the long-term benefit of Calgary and surrounding area.
Recently, they have started to reframe their work to look at the role they play in Calgary's communities and to talk about the ways they have made a difference. The Foundation has also started to consider ways in which they can enhance and support grassrots initiatives with long-term partnerships. Their goal is to ensure Calgary has a strong and vibrant community sector.
Producing Calgary's Vital Signs is a crucial step in the Foundation's direction towards going deeper and playing a more supporting role.
Cesar describes the impact they wish to achieve in Calgary as creating a "weaving effect" to create a fabric of support to effect change in a community.
An example of this weaving effect began from a simple grant that acted as a stepping stone to important change. It allowed a group of women in the community to come together and build a bond from which other things could happen. E.g. the development of a volunteer group and dialogue about environmental issues.
Cesar and the Calgary Foundation are examining their presence in the community to determine their present role. They believe in taking risks to create meaningful change. Some of the challenges that faces them are internal capacity, finding strategic relationships with others doing positive work, and figuring out how to support citizens who are not part of a formal, charitable organization.
The Calgary Foundation is examining how to develop a more coherent, long-term strategy now that they have the necessary tools to convene. They are faced with the challenge of figuring out how these tools can work together.
The Calgary Foundation - The Calgary Foundation facilitates collaborative philanthropy by making powerful connections between donors and community organizations for the long-term benefit of Calgary and surrounding area.
Calgary's Vital Signs - One facet of Calgary’s Vital Signs is a report card Calgarians grade our city on our quality of life and provide a clear snapshot of its wellness and livability in each of the 12 vital issues. There are 65 indicators that can be looked at individually, but the Vital Signs Report Card is meant to be looked at when woven together.
©2011 Tamarack — An Institute for Community Engagement