THE FORBES FUNDS

CAPACITY BUILDING: PROVIDING NONPROFITS WITH RESOURCES, THROUGH GRANTMAKING AND COHORTS, AND LEARNING FORUMS TO ENABLE THEM TO MANAGE A DISRUPTIVE EVENT, REFRAME THEIR THINKING ABOUT A SPECIFIC ISSUE THAT IMPACTS OPERATIONS, AND PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE. PRIORITY IS GIVEN TO HUMAN SERVICES AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS IN ALLEGHENY COUNTY.

THE FUND SITS AT THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN PHILANTHROPY AND THE NONPROFIT COMMUNITY. BUILDING UPON OUR 40 PLUS YEAR HISTORY OF SUPPORTING OUR REGION, THE FUND HAS SHIFTED TOWARDS A SYSTEMIC, ECOSYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT APPROACH TO DRIVE TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE. THE MISSION OF THE FUND FOCUSES ON IMPROVING AND EMPOWERINGTHE MANAGEMENT CAPACITY AND IMPACT OF HUMAN SERVICES AND COMMUNITY-BASED NONPROFITS BOTH AS INDIVIDUAL ORGANIZATIONS AND AS A UNIFIED COALITION OF LEADERS, FUNDERS AND ADVOCATES WORKING COLLABORATIVELY THROUGHOUT SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.SEE CONTINUATION ON SCHEDULE O. OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS THE FUND HAS ALIGNED ITS TRADITIONAL PROGRAMMING TO INCREASE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FUND'S REGIONAL PARTNERS AND TO IDENTIFY WHERE GAPS AND OVERLAPS OF SERVICES AND INVESTMENTS EXIST. TODAY, THE FUND HAS CONVENED THOUGHT LEADERS WITHIN THE NONPROFIT SECTOR THROUGH THE GREATER PITTSBURGH NONPROFIT PARTNERSHIP ("GPNP"), LEARNING AND EDUCATION , EXECUTIVE-IN-RESIDENCE ("EIR"), MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE GRANTS ("MAGS"), CATALYTIC COMMUNITY COHORTS ("C3"), THE COMMONS, AND LARGE AND SMALL AGENCY COHORTS, THE FUND WORKS WITH NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN ALLEGHENY COUNTY AND SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND IS BUILDING A GROWING NETWORK OF PARTNERSHIPS ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, THE NATION, AND THE GLOBE. IN 2020, THE FUND'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS (THE "BOARD") APPROVED A RACIAL JUSTICE EQUITY FRAMEWORK THAT INFORMS THE FUND'S PROGRAMMING TODAY AND IN THE FUTURE. THIS FRAMEWORK INCLUDES INVESTING IN DIVERSE LEADERSHIP, INCREASING THE CAPACITY OF MINORITY-LED ORGANIZATIONS, DEVELOPING SCENARIO PLANNING AND INCREASING COLLABORATIVE CAPACITY OF REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS. THIS HAS LED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTERNATIONAL ANTI-RACISM INSTITUTIONAL COHORT ("ARC") AND THE TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP COHORT. FINALLY, AS A RESULT OF COVID-19, THE FUND HAS BEEN WORKING WITH THE REGIONAL NONPROFIT SECTOR TO NOT ONLY HELP ORGANIZATIONS SURVIVE THE PANDEMIC BUT TO PREPARE FOR THE CHANGES THAT WILL LIKELY OCCUR INCLUDING CHANGES TO FUNDING CYCLES, PHILANTHROPIC PRIORITIES, AND AN INCREASE EMPHASIS ON COLLABORATION. THIS HAS LED TO THE LAUNCH OF VARIOUS LEARNING COHORTS WITH NONPROFITS ON TOPICS SUCH ASARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, HUMAN RESOURCES, EQUITABLE ENTREPRENEURISM, FUNDRAISING AND ADVOCACY, REVENUE DIVERSIFICATION, SUCCESSION PLANNING, OPERATIONAL RESERVES, AND SCENARIO PLANNING. THE FUND HAS WORKED WITH A GROUP OF SKILLS PRACTITIONERS, EDUCATORS, DOCTORS, SCIENTISTS, AND PHILANTHROPISTS TO ADDRESS THE IMPACT ON THE PANDEMIC ON RESILIENT BLACK, BROWN, AND LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITIES AROUND THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA. THIS WORK WAS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE PA SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND IS FOCUSED ON ADDRESSING CURRENT HEALTH AND HEALTHCARE INEQUITIES, EQUIPPING FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS WITH RESOURCES LIKE CONTACT TRACERS, AND SUPPORTING WORKFORCE AND SOCIAL SECTOR INVESTMENTS FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS WHO ARE MORE LIKELY TO CONTRACT THE DISEASE.THE FUND HAS ALSO PARTNERED WITH TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES TO SUPPORT NONPROFIT ADOPTION TO EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES LIKE ASSISTED INTELLIGENCE. THE FUND NOW ALIGNS ALL SERVICES WITH THE SOCIAL DETERMINATES OF HEALTH ("SDOH") AND UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS ("UNSDG") TO SHOW THE LOCAL AND GLOBAL IMPACTS OF THE REGION. THIS NEW APPROACH TO ECOSYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT REQUIRES LEVERAGING PARTNERSHIPS AND TOOLS TO ESTABLISH SHARED GOALS. THE GOAL IS TO NOT ONLY IMPROVE ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY OF NONPROFITS BUT TO ENSURE THAT THE POPULATIONS SERVED BY ORGANIZATIONS THE FUND SUPPORTS WILL BENEFIT AS WELL. THE PREMISE IS THAT INDIVIDUALS SERVED BY THE ORGANIZATIONS THE FUND SUPPORTS ARE OFTENTIMES DEALING WITH MORE THAN ONE ISSUE, AND A HOLISTIC, COLLABORATIVE APPROACH INVOLVING THE INPUT OF MULTIPLE ORGANIZATIONS IS NECESSARY. THE FUND'S WORK IS CENTERED AROUND MORE THAN TRANSACTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND APPROACHES; THE AIM IS TO FOSTER TRANSFORMATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS AND TO OPTIMIZE HOW THE NONPROFIT ECOSYSTEM INTERACTS WITH FUNDERS, GOVERNMENT, PRIVATE SECTOR AND OTHERS IN THE PITTSBURGH REGION. CURRENTLY, THE FUND IS EXPLORING CO-DESIGNED APPROACHES THAT ARE ITERATIVE AND AGILE, ESPECIALLY AS THE NONPROFIT SECTOR ADDRESSES THE REALITIES OF ECONOMIC STRESSES AND SHOCKS TO THE REGION. RECOGNIZING THAT THESE STRESSES AND SHOCKS WILL PUT UNTOLD STRAIN ON SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA, THE FUND'S INTENTION WILL BE MOVING FROM SYSTEMS CHANGE TO ECOSYSTEMS COCREATION--WHERE DIVERSE NETWORKS AND CROSS-SECTORAL PARTNERSHIPS CAN HAVE VIBRANT EXCHANGES OF IDEAS AND WHERE LEADERS CAN DRIVE SHARED SOLUTIONS.