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The Blog of NSR

Tag: New Sun Rising

Sto-Rox collaborative’s strength-based strategies aim to support, maintain community growth

Posted on May 31, 2021 by Alyse Horn

Above: Community leaders take part in the Launch Sto-Rox Incubator: Remixer event

To open an NAACP chapter, one hundred signatures are needed, each accompanied by $30 for the annual membership fee.

In distressed communities that membership fee can become the reason why a chapter doesn’t open, as opposed to lack of interest. For over 80 McKees Rocks residents, the Grow Sto-Rox collaborative is covering the cost.

“This is a real way to get people involved, and the first thing we’ve put our names on as Grow Sto-Rox,” said Taris Vreck, Executive Director of McKees Rocks Community Development Corporation. 

The Grow Sto-Rox collaborative includes: Communities in Schools of Pittsburgh Allegheny County (CISPAC), Focus on Renewal (FOR), McKees Rocks Community Development Corporation (MRCDC), Sto-Rox School District (SRSD), and Zellous Hope Project (ZH).

Albeit this is their debut as one entity, the organizations that are Grow Sto-Rox started to coordinate their efforts in 2014 when SRSD Superintendent Frank Dalmas called on local leaders to support critical youth and family programming. 

“I always thought of that as the beginning of what has become Grow Sto-Rox,” Vreck said.

Today, the collaborative exists to improve the quality of life of Sto-Rox residents through programs which are trauma informed, strength-based, and create equitable economic impact. The programs are continually molded by data gathered from community surveys and in person feedback, but an initial survey taken six years ago is regarded as the eye-opener for understanding the challenges Sto-Rox residents face.

–

In 2015, MRCDC and FOR partnered with New Sun Rising (NSR) to administer a community survey by a resident-led outreach team that identified the challenges and needs of the community, as well as the public’s perceptions of FOR and its programming.

“Oh my God, did we learn a lot,” said Cindy Haines, Executive Director of FOR.

Around 200 people completed the survey. For Black residents, their top three concerns were Violence, Transportation, and Food Security. For white residents, their top three concerns were Transportation, Creative/Social Connections, and Economics/Financial.

“Even if they were neighbors, it just showed that when you walk out your door, are you going to be afraid of gun violence? [For many people], it’s the way you wake up in the morning,” Haines said. 

Community members led the Sto-Rox survey, identifying their assets, needs, and opportunities

According to 2020 US Census data, the total population of McKees Rocks is 5,919 with 55.5 percent identifying as white and 33 percent identifying as Black. In Stowe Township, the total population is 6,197 with 69 percent identifying as white and 23 identifying as Black.

Violence in a community has detrimental impacts on residents of every age. Since January of this year, there have been over 30 shootings in the area. Bridget Clement, executive director of CISPAC, said a lot of students don’t feel safe walking to school, so they don’t go.

Another piece of the puzzle is understanding how stress at home hinders a student’s ability to learn, said Sto-Rox School Board President Samantha Levitzki.

“We can’t serve our students to their full potential when their moms and dads are struggling,” she said. “If the guardian is stressed out and worrying about money, lack of healthcare… it filters into the kiddo and we want to alleviate that stress so they can grow.”

According to the Vibrancy Index, 27.5 percent of the Sto-Rox population live in poverty and median household income is $37,084 which is 62% lower than the Allegheny County average. Index scores for Sustainable Development Goal 1: No Poverty and 8: Work & Employment are worse than 90% and 81% of the County, respectively.

Through critical needs programs, Zellous Hope and FOR have been able to provide immediate assistance to families and individuals unable to meet basic needs.

Haines said that Sto-Rox is a designated food desert and about 40 percent of residents don’t own a car. In the initial survey, when asked about where they got their groceries, some responded by saying that FOR’s pantry was their primary food source. Of the some 1,500 students at SRSD, 100 percent of them qualify for free-and-reduced price lunch. Grow Sto-Rox partners collaborated on food distribution throughout the pandemic, led by FOR. They’re also working with Grounded Strategies to bring a community garden and collective healing program to fruition. 

What ZH is able to offer is emergency funds that help people cover urgently important bills, such as an automotive expense that could keep someone from getting to their job. Both ZH and FOR offer services that provide the community with diapers, feminine hygiene products, cleaning supplies, and other necessities. Located inside the Father Ryan Arts Center, FOR shares the building with the Sto-Rox Public Library and is able to offer additional support and programming like Positive Parenting and Family Foundations Early Head Start.

Denise Zellous, executive director of ZH, said it’s important to move away from the “cookie cutter” approach of assuming what residents need, and instead asking them directly through conversations, phone calls, videos, and surveys what they need to improve their lives. Her “Things to Know Show” via Facebook Live has quickly become a reliable place to learn about the opportunities being coordinated in response by core members of Grow Stow-Rox. 

“What is most important to [Grow Sto-Rox] is that people know our main goal is to bring a strength-based approach to this community and not just put a bandaid on addressing the symptoms of what we believe is wrong, but get to the root cause,” Zellous said.

The collaborative understands they face the significant challenge of unraveling generational poverty, and that their efforts need to be trauma informed. As a group, they’ve attended trainings and learned different types of interventions to use when engaging with the community that can help people through the “trauma block,” Vreck said. 

Launch Sto-Rox Showcase + Celebration in 2019.

To implement this in a meaningful way, the anchor organizations need to continue the slow process of building relationships and transferring power to residents. Vreck said he knows the community is distrustful because “they hear about millions of dollars coming in [to Sto-Rox] and they don’t see a difference.” So, the collaborative decided that one of the first steps to strengthening their relationship with Sto-Rox would be to put the decision making power for investments into the hands of community members. 

The Community Investment Fund was launched in partnership with New Sun Rising and seeded by the Wells Fargo Foundation, offering $2,500 grants to micro businesses and nonprofit organizations serving Sto-Rox with less than five employees and an annual revenue less than $100,000. The deadline to apply closed on May 7, 2021. 

“This is a small pilot program, but the idea is putting authority and control of the funds into the hands of residents and letting them start to make the choices.” Vreck said. “They can show an impact on the ground that builds trust and encourages people to get involved.”

There have also been serious discussions of building a multipurpose campus in Mckees Rocks, similar to Bidwell Training Center in Manchester or 7800 Susquehanna in Homewood. The development of a campus within walking distance for residents would provide incredible opportunities for adults and older teens in the community. 

That, tied in with plans for the Sto-Rox Junior/Senior High School to become an after hours learning hub for kids and adults, is helping individuals “get into positions where they can hold their families together,” Levitzki said.

“We want to make sure that our students and parents are comfortable, and their living to a successful standard,” she said. “We want to make sure they have all the access and resources, and that’s what we’re trying to rebuild here in our community.”

–

After completing a strategic framework and initial operational plan made possible by a grant from The Forbes Funds, the most significant challenge the collaborative currently faces is finding and funding dedicated capacity to backbone the cause. Right now, each of the five organizations is stretched to their limit.

Haines said that “Grow Sto-Rox has been training, learning, coalescing, monitoring, and cementing the five relationships,” and together they hope to raise dedicated funding that can support a shared staff member who will maintain and build upon the momentum. In May, the collaborative was approved for inclusion in New Sun Rising’s fiscal sponsorship program. 

With the right support, the ability to communicate, engage, and encourage the talents of residents at this level would be revolutionary. 

To learn more about the goals and guiding principles of Grow Sto-Rox, click here. 

Posted in Featured, ProjectsTagged grow Sto-Rox, New Sun Rising, sustainable development goals, vibrancy index

2021 One Northside Mini-Grant Deadline June 13

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Alyse Horn

Pittsburgh, PA — The next One Northside (ONS) Mini-Grant application deadline is June 13, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. Project applications submitted to New Sun Rising (NSR) by this date will receive a decision in July 2021. 

The mini-grant program awards Northsider’s up to $1,000 to support small-scale community projects that demonstrate pledged support of their neighbors, help strengthen connections, increase accessibility to resources, and/or activate significant places in their community. 

Since 2018, there have been 141 completed ONS Mini-Grant projects. To view past projects, click here.

For mini-grant applicants, the preferred method for submitting your application is to use the online form, but printed applications are accepted by postal mail. You may also submit your applications as attachments to vibrancyfunds@newsunrising.org. Postal mail submissions should be addressed to New Sun Rising, Attn. One Northside Mini-Grant, P.O. Box 58005, Pittsburgh, PA 15209 and must be received by the grant deadline. 

In regards to community support, please have three different Northside residents or business owners email vibrancyfunds@newsunrising.org with their name, the project they are supporting, their Northside address and their phone number; or have them call 412-407-9007 with the same information.

In pre-approved circumstances, project leaders may submit for additional mini-grants. Only one mini-grant per project leader may be active at one time. Please contact vibrancyfunds@newsunrising.org for additional information. 

For more information about ONS Mini-Grants, click here.

 

About New Sun Rising

New Sun Rising supports nonprofits and small businesses to build vibrant communities through culture, sustainability, and opportunity. NSR believes that people and communities hold the knowledge and power to make positive change. We envision a future where regenerative community development practices create the conditions for true social, environmental, and economic justice.

About One Northside

One  Northside is a community-driven initiative to improve the quality of life in all 18 neighborhoods of the Northside. Since early 2014, hundreds of Northside residents have engaged with local leaders and stakeholders in community-wide conversations to create a shared agenda for the revitalization of this vital component of the greater Pittsburgh region.

Posted in ProjectsTagged culture, Ignite Northside, New Sun Rising, One Northside, opportunity, sustainability, Vibrant Communities

Jamie Johnson promoted to Director of Programs at New Sun Rising

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Alyse Horn

New Sun Rising is happy to announce that Jamie Johnson has been promoted from Manager of Performance Improvement to Director of Programs for the organization.

Jamie Johnson, Director of Operations

In her new role, Jamie oversees the development, implementation, and strategic growth of capacity building programs that improve the vibrancy of disinvested communities in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

“I hope to support more diverse and equitable opportunities for communities, not exclusive to geographically, to demonstrate their self-discovered abilities. Communities dictate what they need and how they should go about addressing their needs. I believe we serve at the pleasure of communities,” Johnson said.

New Sun Rising Executive Director Scott Wolovich said he is “extremely grateful to have someone as trusted, talented, and genuinely committed as Jamie to direct our capacity building programs into the future.”

“During her time with NSR, Jamie has demonstrated strengths in designing and managing complex programs with multiple partners, such as leading a program with My Place at Action Housing centered around providing employment stability, entrepreneurship, and personal leadership training for chronically homeless young adults,” Wolovich said. “When the opportunity came up to design and direct the Nonprofit Resilience Program, we had no hesitation that her prior experience in social work and knowledge around personal development would be a great fit.”

Jamie said she is eager to continue working on the Nonprofit Resilience Program, which allows her to apply her counseling education and training to support business leaders.

“There are many personal factors that contribute to a leader’s ability to advance an organization and team towards their mission,” Jamie said. “Knowing that their efforts contribute to the lives of those they serve, why not provide a way for them to take time to evaluate how they can better care for themselves?”

Posted in General InformationTagged New Sun Rising

Second round of AER grantees receive $590,000, next application deadline March 18, 2021

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Alyse Horn

Last month, six organizations were chosen to receive funding from the Collective Action for Re-Imagining grant program. The initiative, managed by New Sun Rising (NSR), has distributed over $700,000 to eight collaboratives since September 2020.

This funding opportunity is for innovative projects in the arts sector that address structural challenges instigated or exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis, and other needs that cultivate a stronger, healthier, and more equitable arts sector.

The upcoming deadlines for funding are Thursday, March 18 and Thursday, May 6.

The nonprofits that received funding last month include:

  • Lead Org: Hill Dance Academy Theater
    Project: Space and Place
    Funded Amount: $100,000
    Description:This project develops a Black-led and owned cultural arts facility located in the Hill community to provide space and place for Black dance, Africana visual creative arts, and the art of Photography and Media Production.
  • Lead Org: Silver Eye Center for Photography
    Project: SPACE
    Funded Amount: $100,000
    Description: The Small Pittsburgh Arts Coalition for Equity (SPACE), will work to make Pittsburgh’s small visual arts organizations more equitable, by creating the SPACE Fellowship, a leadership development program focused on supporting marginalized people who have not been historically welcomed into the field with mentorship, network building, and leadership training.
  • Lead Org: The Tull Family Theater
    Project: Arthouse + STEM
    Funded Amount: $100,000
    Description: This arts-led effort will connect BIPOC/underrepresented artists and arts organizations with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematical fields, seeking to boost a hurting sector with fields differently impacted by COVID.
  • Lead Org: The Genesis Collective
    Project: The Genesis Collective
    Funded Amount: $100,000
    Description: The Genesis Collective (TGC) exists to create a thriving and supportive arts ecosystem in Beaver County. TGC connects regional artists to one another, to the community, and to those resources required for making art an indispensable feature of Beaver County’s identity.
  • Lead Org: Shana Simmons Dance
    Project: Virtual Dance Exchange
    Funded Amount: $100,000
    Description:The Virtual Dance Exchange Project will generate discussion about race and age diversity in dance through creating choreographic works filmed in 360 degree formats, researching the future of dance and the cross section of virtual reality, and creating more accessible programming that addresses diversity in dance specific to Pittsburgh communities.

  • Lead Org: Drinking Partners
    Project: FreshFest
    Funded Amount: $90,000
    Description: The project will provide a Covid-friendly environment for Black artists to thrive creatively and economically through digital media and the craft beer industry.

Made possible through the Arts | Equity | Reimagined Fund, proposed projects must include partnerships or networks composed of two or more 501(c)3 arts organizations, artist-driven projects, and/or unincorporated arts collectives. This program has an upper budget limit of $100,000 for activities that can be completed within 12 months. . 

For more information on the grant funding guidelines and application process, visit https://www.newsunrising.org/arts-equity-reimagined-fund/. 

Posted in ProgramsTagged Arts Equity Reimagined, Collective Action for Re-Imagining, covid-19, New Sun Rising

Community Small Business Workshops helped participants adapt to Covid-19, meet needs of their market

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Alyse Horn

Over the summer, New Sun Rising hosted three virtual Community Small Business Workshops to help entrepreneurs access vital resources and navigate the changing Covid-19 landscape.

Catering to Wilkinsburg, Homewood, and the Hilltop, NSR partnered with local organizations in each neighborhood to create workshops that met the specific needs of those communities’ businesses. Jamie Johnson, director of programs at NSR, said a lot of the work with participants was around marketing and creating an online presence.

“Most of them had direct face-to-face contact as part of their business before Covid, and we were trying to help them find ways to still meet the needs of their customers while maintaining relevance,” Johnson said.

The two hour workshops gave participants the opportunity to connect with and receive financial support from Honeycomb Credit before being paired off with mentors, who Johnson had matched with mentees prior to the workshops. Participants were also asked to complete a Pivot Action Plan Lean Canvas before the workshop, which was given to their mentors “so they could maximize their time together and prepare for a pitch competition,” Johnson said.

Digital Bridges Executive Director Connie Capiotis was a mentor for all three workshops, and said after mentees completed the financial part of the workshop, they paired off their mentors to prepare for the live pitch competition with three judges from each community. 

Capiotis said having the Lean Canvas before the workshop was an advantage, because “it helps entrepreneurs, especially new entrepreneurs, fine tune their thought process.”

“As entrepreneurs, we like to be big, creative thinkers and a tool like the lean canvas helps to take these big ideas and flesh them out so you can set smart goals and action plans,” Capiotis said.

The workshops were an adaptation of the Ignite program that NSR has hosted in the past and it was the first time they had been held online to adhere to Covid-19 restrictions on large gatherings.

“NSR pivoting to a virtual platform to deliver the workshops was nothing short of a testament to the resources and skill sets within their staff. Covid presented a global learning curve impacting everyone,” said Ebony McQueen-Harris, relationship manager and strategist with Omicelo Cares and mentor for all three of the workshops.

Johnson said there was a “great turnout,” regarding the number of participants. There were over 30 registered, with 87% of participants being people of color and 47% were women.

According to NSR’s Vibrancy Index for Sustainable Development Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, Wilkinsburg ranks worse than 62.1 percent of the census tracts in Allegheny County; the Hilltop ranks worse than 45.5 percent, and Homewood ranks worse than 52.8 percent. Community Small Business Workshops like the ones held last summer also help the region make progress on Gender Equality (SDG 5) and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10), create Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11), and decrease Poverty (SDG 1).

Each participant received a $150 stipend plus $1,500 of additional financial awards that were given out at each workshop, and ongoing entrepreneurial support.

“Following the workshop, they were connected to [Forward Cities] Resource Navigators Vernard Alexander and Samantha Black to help them get connected to additional resources and whatever they needed as they worked on their capacity,” Johnson said. 

Programs like these are dependent on funding; if organizations are interested in sponsoring one or several Community Small Business Workshops, please reach out to info@newsunrising.org. Funding for this program was provided by the BNY Mellon Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Posted in ProgramsTagged Homewood, Ignite Workshops, New Sun Rising, vibrancy index, Wilkinsburg

Ashley Johnson hired as Office Administrator at New Sun Rising

Posted on March 2, 2021 by Scott Wolovich

New Sun Rising is happy to announce that Ashley Johnson has been hired as Office Administrator for the organization.

As Office Administrator, Ashley is involved in the areas of operations, finance, administration, and capacity building, and is able to implement new methods and processes to help facilitate the back-end office practices more efficiently. 

Ashley said the best part of her job is “connecting with amazing program leaders who are dedicated to bringing about much needed local change.”

“I look forward to providing exceptional, timely support to the programs and leaders connected to NSR. I am excited to hone my organization, coordination and leadership skill sets in the nonprofit sector,” Ashley said. “My hope is to be directly connected to the growth and elevation of the purpose and mission of NSR.

Executive Director Scott Wolovich said Ashley’s cross sector experience brings new perspectives and skillsets which are critical to the adaptive approach that a core value at NSR. 

“Having worked in administrative roles with small creative entrepreneurs, an academic institution, and a large multinational corporation allows Ashley to bring fresh insights as we strive to deliver operational and relationship management excellence,” Wolovich said.

When speaking to Ashley’s references, Wolovich said it was “obvious that she is dedicated to her craft and makes those around her better employees and people,” and is a sentiment that Ashley echoed herself.

“I care about people and I take pride in the fact that the nature of my job positively impacts the lives of others,” Ashley said.

Posted in ResourcesTagged New Sun Rising

New Sun Rising launches Power in Numbers initiative

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Alyse Horn

Pittsburgh, PA — To increase transparency between organizations and communities, and help them access the information and technology needed to reach their shared goals, New Sun Rising has launched the Power in Numbers initiative.

This initiative allows leaders to track and compare their progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through the Vibrancy Portal, a central technology data management system created by New Sun Rising. Participants will also benefit from technical assistance to improve data collection and communications.

“I see this as a way of really bringing the community in to understanding the importance of numbers and why organizations may ask them specific questions,” said Jamie Johnson, Director of Programs at New Sun Rising. “Then there is the opportunity to have that anecdotal and qualitative storytelling happening so it personifies those numbers and connects the community at the same time.”

By assisting organizations in collecting and managing their information, this initiative gives leaders the ability to generate insights across multiple data sets to improve their outcomes, produce better reports, and engage stakeholders through storytelling.  The information also contributes to a shared data resource, which serves to promote collective impact and advocacy.

“Power in Numbers allows me to do the capacity building work that I need to do without hiring an employee or spending funds that my organization doesn’t have,” said Muffy Mendoza, Executive Director of Brown Mamas. “This year, I was able to do some foundational work that I’d been putting off for years through the Power in Numbers initiative. It helped me apply for more funding and develop a strategic plan to guide Brown Mamas in the next 2-5 years.”

The Power in Numbers initiative is currently serving those that have participated in New Sun Rising’s capacity building or intermediary funding programs. 

New Sun Rising will host a workshop from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, February 23 for interested nonprofit and social enterprise leaders to learn more about bringing the power of data and collaboration to their work.

Power in Numbers was developed and launched through the grant support of The Pittsburgh Foundation and Google (Tides Foundation). 

 

Contact

Partnership or media inquiries about the initiative can be emailed to info@newsunrising.org.

 

About New Sun Rising

New Sun Rising supports nonprofits and small businesses to build vibrant communities through culture, sustainability, and opportunity. NSR believes that people and communities hold the knowledge and power to make positive change. We envision a future where regenerative community development practices create the conditions for true social, environmental, and economic justice.

Posted in ProgramsTagged New Sun Rising, Power in Numbers, sustainable development goals, vibrancy index, Vibrant Communities

Initiative launches to strengthen data culture, promote more effective collaboration between organizations, community

Posted on January 29, 2021 by Alyse Horn

Above: Community leaders gather for the EcoDistricts Incubator at the Millvale Food + Energy Hub in 2019.

There are handfuls of reasons as to why individuals choose careers in the nonprofit sector, but at the basis of them all is the desire to help others.

Whatever sector that may be, to make the greatest impact in the lives of the people they work with, a nonprofit is constantly learning information about the needs of the community and using it to secure resources that improve their conditions.

Essentially, data collection turns a person into a number. But if a nonprofit has the tools to take that data, flip it, and reverse it, they can successfully turn that number back into a person.

To increase transparency between organizations and communities, and help them access the information and technology needed to reach their shared goals, New Sun Rising launched the Power in Numbers initiative.

This initiative allows leaders to track and compare their progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through a central technology data management system: the Vibrancy Portal.

“I see this as a way of really bringing the community in to understanding the importance of numbers and why organizations may ask them specific questions,” said Jamie Johnson, Director of Programs at New Sun Rising. “Then there is the opportunity to have that anecdotal and qualitative storytelling happening so it personifies those numbers and connects the community at the same time.”

By assisting organizations in collecting and managing their information, this initiative gives leaders the ability to generate insights across multiple data sets to improve their outcomes, produce better reports, and engage stakeholders through storytelling.  The information also contributes to a shared data resource, which serves to promote collective impact and advocacy.

Brown Mamas Executive Director Muffy Mendoza said utilizing this initiative has been monumental for her small organization.

“Power in Numbers allows me to do the capacity building work that I need to do without hiring an employee or spending funds that my organization doesn’t have,” Mendoza said. “This year, I was able to do some foundational work that I’d been putting off for years through the Power in Numbers initiative. It helped me apply for more funding and develop a strategic plan to guide Brown Mamas in the next 2-5 years.”

Johnson said that a strengthened data culture can allow nonprofit and social enterprise leaders to see the areas where they excel and where they can improve, and then share that information back to the people they serve to ask what can be done differently as well as celebrate the areas where they are doing well.

“My biggest thing is getting away from people being boiled down to a number, but knowing that number represents a life in a community and how do we bring life back to these numbers? I think this is a way we can do that, but it’s going to take community understanding and buy in for that to really happen,” said Johnson.

The Power in Numbers initiative builds upon years of investment by New Sun Rising designed to strengthen the region’s capacity for data collection, collective impact, and the Sustainable Development Goals.  At launch, the initiative will serve nonprofits and social enterprises that have participated in New Sun Rising’s capacity building or intermediary funding programs. 

To learn more about how to bring the power of data and collective impact to your work, register for the upcoming Power in Numbers Workshop on Tuesday, February 23 from 12-1 p.m. Partnership or media inquiries about the initiative can be emailed to info@newsunrising.org. 

Power in Numbers was developed and launched through the grant support of The Pittsburgh Foundation and Google (Tides Foundation). 

Posted in Programs, ResourcesTagged New Sun Rising, Power in Numbers, vibrancy index, vibrancy portal

Mini-grantees adapt projects to meet Northside residents needs

Posted on November 14, 2020 by Alyse Horn

Above: a student working at the Believe & Achieve Learning Hub in Spring Hill.

Sometimes, a little bit of funding can go a long way.

For those who live or work on the Northside, $1,000 is available to create projects that empower their communities and increase their quality of life.

Many of the programs this year had to rework their original projects to adhere to Covid-19 restrictions, but were able to overcome the challenges and meet the needs of both adult and youth residents. We talked to three current mini-grantees about how they adapted their projects and the importance of community during uncertain times.

Have an idea to better your community? The next deadline to apply for a mini-grant is November 20, 2020.

 

Photo courtesy of Ebony Lunsford-Evans

Growing with Farmer Girl Eb – Ebony Lundsford-Evans
Instagram @FarmerGirlEb

Gardening started as something to do with her children, and after successfully growing 30 varieties of produce and teaching other youth in the neighborhood to grow their own food, Ebony Lundsford-Evans developed the nonprofit 1sound for the continuation of providing thriving skills to communities.

This year she applied for a One Northside Mini-Grant to host youth and adult programming around how to successfully grow vegetables, fruits, and herbs, but had to change direction due to Covid-19. 

“I was stuck on what to do and then one of the senior citizens I had been working with in this program reached out to me during the pandemic,” Lundsford-Evans said. 

The individual was unable to access fresh food without putting themselves at risk by getting on a bus to go to the grocery store, so Lundsford-Evans decided to use her mini-grant to buy the supplies needed to build a raised garden bed outside of the Northside seniors home. After that, someone else asks Lundsford-Evans for help building raised beds outside of her church, which led to another community member walking up to Lunsford-Evans and asking how to garden.

“And that’s how it grew into 10 families,” Lunsford-Evans. “I had to put a cap on it.”

She said the ONS Mini-Grant has been “really great” in giving her the opportunity to educate first time gardeners and for others to learn about her nonprofit; she is currently looking for funding to expand the program and help people in other communities learn how to grow their food.

Her advice to gardeners?

“First and foremost, share anything that you learn with other growers,” Lunsford-Evans said. “Also, if you make a mistake don’t let that be so discouraging. You can sometimes throw seeds in the ground and grow a whole lot of something, but sometimes you put a lot of work into something and get nothing. Don’t let that defeat you; use it as a tool to keep going because eventually if you keep going, you’ll keep growing.”

 

Image courtesy of Theodora Cotten

PREP – Theodora Cotten

Being a certified reading specialist with a doctorates degree, Theodora Cotten is highly aware of the impact Covid-19 is having on children, especially those in kindergarten and first grade.

“My experience with [this age group] is when they miss out at the beginning, they have a hard time catching up later on,” Cotten said. “I like to see them get a firm foundation right at the beginning so they do well as they go through school.”

To ensure young students are getting enough interactive reading material, Cotten applied for a One Northside Mini-Grant to purchase a one year subscription of Highlights High Five Magazine for 25 children ages 5 and 6 years old. She said her project, PREP, “encourages and empowers parents to help their children with literacy.”

The colorful magazine includes stories, puzzles, cartoons and hidden pictures that aim to get children excited about reading, and because Cotten is purchasing so many subscriptions with the grant, Highlights is able to give her a discount allowing her to reach more students. 

During her career, Cotten has made a point to give books to preschoolers and newborn babies, once passing books out at Allegheny General and McGee-Womens Hospital in the maternity ward. She strongly advises parents to begin reading to their children at birth, because regardless of the baby not being able to understand what the parent is saying, “the baby learns speech from [the parent] and the baby will learn to like reading if [the parents] do.”

“This time I’m giving out books because [children] aren’t getting the firm foundation they normally get when they go to school and I don’t want any child to fall behind if I can help it,” Cotten said.

 

Photo courtesy of Stephen Weiss

Believe & Achieve Learning Hub – Stephen Weiss

Stephen Weiss, executive director at His Place, is no stranger to One Northside Mini-Grants. His organization has been able to utilize the opportunity for a handful of projects over the years like the implementation of their Peace Room, which is a dedicated space for students to decompress and learn different strategies of social emotional regulation. Or the Comic Book Shop, an after school reading program to enhance student literacy.

“It’s a fairly small investment in terms of grants, but it’s still able to have a really profound impact,” Weiss said.

This year, Weiss applied for a mini-grant to create the Believe & Achieve Learning Hub in Spring Hill where 10 elementary and middle school students are able to safely and virtually attend class during the weekdays with Weiss and His Place Data Analyst Melanie Sandoval standing by for support. When the kids get breaks between their class assignments, Weiss and Sandoval hold “multiplication ninja’s” and test the kids for fact fluency. Once they’ve mastered a different fact family they get a ninja belt, which is “surprisingly motivating,” Weiss said. 

The learning hub builds off of the organization’s after school and summer programs, which some of the students have been attending for almost nine years. 

“We wanted to be able to support them as much as possible with their school work, but also with the educational priorities we have set for kids,” Weiss said. “We have 12 different key outcomes for the kids in that program based on the data for what kind of academic, social, and emotional metrics coordinate with students succeeding later in life, especially students who are underserved.”

Alternations needed to be done to the space before allowing children in the hub, like purchasing individual desks and adding ventilation, but the mini-grant was used to help cover supplies for the students like headphones and the addition of a second interest line and boosters to keep all the kids online. Weiss said the learning hub has a capacity of 25 students, which they hope to reach once they have sufficient and stable internet connections. 

“From the administrative side, it’s relief to know we have a little cash to help cover the expected and unexpected expenses,” Weiss said.

 

New Sun Rising’s One Northside Mini-Grant Program is made possible through support by The Buhl Foundation.

Posted in ProjectsTagged covid-19, Ignite Northside, New Sun Rising, One Northside

Sport for Good: Open Field promotes collective impact to achieve Sustainable Development Goals

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Alyse Horn

Above: A group of girls who participated in Open Field’s 2020 summer program.

Last September during New Sun Rising’s Ignite Vibrancy: Collective Impact, over 30 community leaders representing 10 collective impact projects were given the opportunity to pitch for $30,000 in total grants during the one-day workshop supported by the Henry L. Hillman Foundation.

The three pitch winners were: Coraopolis Community C.A.F.E (Coraopolis Alliance for Excellence), SURGE Braddock, and C.H.A.M.P.S Northview Heights + Crafton (Change Agents Mentoring Peers in Sport). In addition to funding, each received ongoing technical support from New Sun Rising’s GIT-COL initiative (Growing Impact Through Data + Collaboration).

We were able to catch up with Justin Forzano, Founder & CEO of Open Field, and part of the C.H.A.M.P.S partnership that also includes JFCS Pittsburgh, Somali Bantu Community Association of Pittsburgh, ARYSE, Youth Places, and the Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh.

Forzano’s partnership received $5,000 to help support their programming, which utilizes the global game of soccer to promote social cohesion, increase life skills education, and improve the health and well-being of young people in Northview Heights and Crafton Heights.

Boys playing soccer during Open Field’s 2020 summer program.

“Attending the workshop with NSR and our communication with [former Director of Opportunity] Leigh [Solomon Pugliano] was helpful because it forced us to get out of the day-to-day and think about the bigger picture,” Forzano said. “It was nice to do not only for the sake of our organization, but do it in consideration and collaboration with other organizations to see where our future goals align.”

With C.H.A.M.P.S working in two different neighborhoods, Foranzo said they had always held separate meetings with a couple community organizations in each area to take care of planning for that neighborhood, and the Ignite Vibrancy: Collective Impact workshop was the first time representatives from each neighborhood came together around a table to identify common issues.

“That was an unexpected surprise, because I hadn’t really thought about doing that before,” Forzano said.

In particular, Open Field’s work with youth in Northview Heights promotes physical activity, life skills, and leadership in a deeply disinvested community. Residents earn a median income that is only 30 percent of the Pittsburgh average and 90 percent identify as Black, a population that is reflective of those hit hardest by the COVID-19 crisis. According to NSR’s Vibrancy Index, the community ranks worse than 96 percent of census tracts in Allegheny County on Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities, due to racial segregation and income distribution. Through collaborations like C.H.A.M.P.S, Open Field and their partners are helping residents to lead and benefit from initiatives, which improve Health (SDG 3), Education (SDG 4), and Employment (SDG 8).  

“We are a pretty unique organization in how our intervention is sport based, specifically soccer… so one of the things we noticed is that all of these other organizations are providing a lot of wraparound services, and our interventions help address a lot of things they’re working on. So a consensus of us all talking together is ‘look at all these things we identify as issues that are common in both communities; look at all these things and all the ways an intentional sport for social impact program can address them; let’s work together to address these issues.”

Pittsburgh and a Global community will celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Open Field, during “A Taste of Africa at Home” on October 24, 2020. Although the virtual event is sold out, you can still show your support through their online auction or by making a donation.

Posted in ProgramsTagged ignite, Ignite Vibrancy: Collective Impact, New Sun Rising

Nonprofit Resilience Program focuses on leaders wellbeing to create trust, connectivity and build capacity

Posted on September 18, 2020 by Alyse Horn

Pittsburgh, PA — Eleven nonprofit executives have been selected as the first cohort to participate in a three month resiliency program to address personal and organizational pressures that have been exacerbated by COVID-19.

The program began on September 1, 2020 and will conclude on November 23, 2020.

Hosted by New Sun Rising in partnership with Neighborhood Allies, The Partnership Network, The Forbes Funds, and made possible with support from The Staunton Farm Foundation, the Nonprofit Resilience Program creates a resource that assesses individual leaders and provides them tools for personal healthy mental habits. It also addresses the overall health of the organization and provides capacity building tactics and tools to better understand the symbiotic relationship between the two. 

“Seeing the impact of COVID-19 and the ever present history of our country’s issues around racism, it is time to find a way for our nonprofit leaders to identify the tools and skills that fill them back up so they can continue to pour out,” said Jamie Johnson, Manager of Performance Improvement at New Sun Rising.

The Partnership Network, a group of intermediary funders and capacity building organizations mobilizing the community and economic development sectors to solve complex community challenges, have identified four goals for this program: Develop Healthy Leaders, Create Trust and Connectivity, Build Organizational Capacity, and Strengthen the Talent Pipeline. These goals have been broken down into phases and will be addressed over the program’s timeline.

  • Phase 1: Healthy Leaders: Acknowledge and support the needs of people as individuals. Research shows that higher emotional intelligence facilitates stress resilience. An online Emotional Intelligence Assessment will be administered and Development Sessions are created based on the results.
  • Phase 2: Stronger Connectivity: People need to heal from past trauma in order to actualize their own potential and ability to support others. Collective experiences will be promoted based on empathy and honesty. Participants will develop trust and strengthen peer relationships in new ways to help them better manage adversity in the future.
  • Phase 3: Building Capacity: A leader’s health, mental and physical, and the health of their organization are interrelated. Gaining a greater understanding of operational strengths and weaknesses helps professional service contractors address and organization’s most urgent needs

“As public servants and dedicated leaders, we can often be so driven by our passions that the personal health of a non-profit director is often secondary to the work. Over time, this can lead to burnout, exhaustion, and institutional knowledge loss in the system,” said Stephanie Chernay, Chief Operation Officer at Neighborhood Allies. “This program is designed to center the leader and their needs to accomplish both their personal and organizational goals.”

Program participants include: Andrea Matthews – Brashear Association; Jason Flowers – Omicelo Cares; McKees Rocks CDC; Emily Mitchell – Urban Redevelopment Authority; Joanna Deming – Perry Hilltop Citizens Council; Jordan Coughlen – Alpha House; Amber Epps – Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation; Ariam Ford – Grounded Strategies; Denele Hughson – Grow Pittsburgh; Jona Reyes – Neighbors Helping Neighbors North Braddock; Alyssa Lyons – Green Building Alliance.

Co-developer of this initiative, Terry Doloughty of Boss Consulting, will also be one of the technical assistance providers working with non-profit leaders to help them establish strong personal and organizational health habits.

Developing resilience is a transformational process that occurs over time through a multifaceted approach. By strengthening individual leaders and their relationships with peers, this initiative will ultimately improve organizational sustainability and help to achieve greater impact. This program recognizes the health of the organization and the mental health of nonprofit leaders are intrinsically intertwined. 

—

CONTACTS:

Jamie Johnson, Manager of Performance Improvement, New Sun Rising
jamie@newsunrising.org

Stephanie Chernay, Chief Operating Officer, Neighborhood Allies
stephanie@neighborhoodallies.org

 

About New Sun Rising
New Sun Rising supports nonprofits and small businesses to build vibrant communities through culture, sustainability, and opportunity. NSR believes that all people and communities hold the knowledge and power to make positive change. We envision a future where regenerative community development practices create the conditions for true social, environmental, and economic justice. 

About Neighborhood Allies
Neighborhood Allies’ mission is to support the people, organizations and partnerships committed to creating and maintaining healthy neighborhoods. They strive to support this mission by creating community partnerships, connecting distressed and transitioning communities with valued/vetted resources, and communicating and celebrating progress and success.

About The Partnership Network
The Partnership Network (TPN) is a group of intermediary funders and/or capacity building organizations working to mobilize the community and economic development sectors in the Pittsburgh region. TPN creates the conditions for change by collaborating to solve complex community challenges at the macro, meso, and micro levels of our communities. Collectively, TPN is focused on capacity building for the Community Development System to reach the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). TPN members are committed to being people-centered while implementing the following practices: Aligning Resources, Creating Transparency, and Articulating Shared Outcomes. Partner organizations include Allegheny Conference, The Forbes Funds, Grounded Strategies, Neighborhood Allies, NeighborWorks Western Pennsylvania, and New Sun Rising.

About The Forbes Funds
The Forbes Funds advances the well-being of our region by helping human service and community-based nonprofits build their management capacity and increase the impact of their mission work. They support these nonprofits both as individual organizations and as a unified coalition of leaders, funders, and advocates working collaboratively throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.

Posted in ProgramsTagged neighborhood allies, New Sun Rising, Nonprofit Resilience Program, the partnership network

One Northside 2019-2020 Mini-Grant Showcase, upcoming mini-grant deadlines

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Alyse Horn

Pittsburgh, PA — At 12 p.m. on Monday, August 24, New Sun Rising (NSR) and One Northside (ONS) will host a showcase of resident-driven mini-grant projects that have been completed in 2019 through August 2020.

The event will be virtual and hosted via Facebook Live. Attendees should visit this link and RSVP to receive reminder notifications from Facebook. 

The upcoming application deadlines for the rest of the 2020 ONS Mini-Grants are:

  • Friday, August 21 at 11:59 p.m.
  • Friday, October 16 at 11:59 p.m.
  • November 20  at 11:59 p.m. (pending fund availability)

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and reviewed bi-monthly. 

The mini-grant program awards Northsider’s up to $1,000 to support small scale community projects that demonstrate pledged support of their neighbors, help strengthen connections, increase accessibility to resources, and/or activate significant places in their community. 

In lieu of the 15 required signatures for applications, grantees must have three references email vibrancyfunds@newsunrising.org or call NSR at (412) 407-9007 to give their full name, Northside home or business address, and the name of the project they are supporting. References cannot be from the same Northside home or business address.

If you are working towards COVID relief projects, please reach out to vibrancyfunds@newsunrising.org for an application noting what your project will help.

 

Contact

NSR encourages prospective applicants to email vibrancyfunds@newsunrising.org with any questions or concerns about the mini-grant process in advance of preparing their application.

For mini-grant applicants, the preferred method for submitting your application is to use the online form accessible at: www.newsunrising.org/project/ignite-northside/

Printed applications are accepted by postal mail. You may also submit your applications as attachments to vibrancyfunds@newsunrising.org. Postal mail submissions should be addressed to New Sun Rising, Attn. One Northside Mini-Grant, P.O. Box 58005, Pittsburgh, PA 15209 and must be received by the grant deadline. All projects must be completed by August 31, 2020.

In pre-approved circumstances, project leaders may submit for additional mini-grants. Only one mini-grant per project leader may be active at one time. Please contact vibrancyfunds@newsunrising.org for additional information. 

 

About New Sun Rising

New Sun Rising supports nonprofits and small businesses to build vibrant communities through culture, sustainability, and opportunity. NSR believes that people and communities hold the knowledge and power to make positive change. We envision a future where regenerative community development practices create the conditions for true social, environmental, and economic justice. 

About One Northside

One  Northside is a community-driven initiative to improve the quality of life in all 18 neighborhoods of the Northside. Since early 2014, hundreds of Northside residents have engaged with local leaders and stakeholders in community-wide conversations to create a shared agenda for the revitalization of this vital component of the greater Pittsburgh region.

Posted in Events, ProgramsTagged New Sun Rising, One Northside

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