Power Station

In our first Power Station episode of 2020, we welcome celebrated advocate Marco Davis, eight months into his role as President & CEO of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Marco shares his vision for deepening the impacts of CHCI’s programs, known for the powerful pipeline of talented Latino leaders they generate. He explains how it all began in 1976, when the first 5 members of Congress of Hispanic descent, came together to support each other and to grow their numbers. Now, 44 years later, the Caucus is comprised of 38 members and is growing. Its nonprofit arm, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, operates Fellowships and Internships that engage participants in the public policy process. As Marco explains, that knowledge is carried into their careers in public service, nonprofits and corporate America. We talk about what is at stake at a time when Latinos have been demonized and under siege. And Marco identifies a more benign form of bias, a profound lack of appreciation for who

Join me for an entirely different kind of Power Station episode. This is a look back, with the very talented audio engineer and producer Rob Ford, at why I created Power Station, how personal experience shaped my vision for nonprofit advocacy, the under-reported role of nonprofits in crafting policy solutions to seemingly intractable societal problems and how our guests are thriving in unimaginably challenging times. We talk through the defining characteristics shared by Power Station guests, including their lived experience with the communities they serve and ability to pivot when political circumstances require it. And we credit their influence on democratic candidates whose policy positions on issues ranging from climate change to housing are based in research, data and analysis generated by local and national nonprofits. I express my gratitude to friends and colleagues, including Luis Granados and John Holdsclaw, who have been advisors and supporters since I first thought of creating Power Station as a pl

So much is at stake in America in the year ahead. The 2020 presidential election and decennial census will be markers in history, a time for communities to stand up and be counted or a perilous step backward. For low-income, immigrant and communities of color, in particular, the stakes are tremendously high and civic engagement is an imperative. Latinos have suffered because of the President’s hateful rhetoric and policies, and the violence, including the massacre in El Paso, his leadership has inspired. It will require nonprofit organizations with deep ties to these communities, to mobilize them into action. This is the work that UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, and UnidosUS Action Fund, its sister nonprofit, which focuses on political action, are leading. Orson Aguilar, the new executive director of the Action Fund, is energized for the challenge. He and UnidosUS President & CEO Janice Murguia have formulated a plan based on extensive polling data. Contrary t

Jon Pratt builds community, influence and power every day. He leads the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, a trade association for organizations that provide services in the arts, education, affordable housing, health and the environment. Just as chambers of commerce represent the interests of the business community, MCN amplifies the voices of the nonprofit community. It is where members learn about legislation affecting their mission and tax status, new research from the field, and resources for building advocacy capacities. And their considerable collective power is making an impact. MCN members meet regularly with elected officials, identify unmet needs and recommend policy solutions to solve them. Now they are upping their game with Grant Adviser. This new initiative will resonate with anyone who has ever applied for a grant or reported to a funder on grant outcomes. Think of Grant Adviser as Yelp for philanthropy. Nonprofits provide anonymous feedback about foundations, from the application process to the

Diane Yentel leads the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, the nation’s most influential champion for ending housing poverty and homelessness in America. It is a respected presence on Capitol Hill and in state houses where legislators know that their reports and testimony are evidence-based and accurate. In recent years, NLIHC has stopped every effort rolled out by the Trump Administration and US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Secretary Carson to weaken housing policies and demonize low income renters. Given this context, Diane is alarmed but not entirely surprised by the president’s appointment of Robert Marbut to head the US Interagency Council on Homelessness. It coincides with the administration’s proposal to use empty barracks in Los Angeles to warehouse a growing homeless population. It creates both an opportunity to demean a democratic mayor and governor and to hurt people with no options other than to live on the streets. This new challenge does not overwhelm the National Low-Income

We value higher education but make it hard to access, particularly for low-income and people of color. Students may not have counselors to guide their search for colleges and scholarships. The cost of applications can be prohibitive. It takes a dedicated network of motivated adults to connect young people to opportunities and Sean Lanier is one of those dedicated people. Although he has retired from the military, he continues to serve his country. When his alma mater, Virginia Military Institute, reached out and asked him to help recruit African American students to the school, he embraced the challenge. But he discovered that his vision for how to create a pipeline of underserved students was broader. He now helps not only VMI but also other schools to recruit talented young people and founded a nonprofit to advance this mission. He travels to cities across the country, meets with students, their parents and community-based partners to demonstrate what is possible, from education in STEM and technology, as w

When Eddy Morales first moved back to Gresham, Oregon from Washington, DC, he did not plan to run for elected office. He expected to continue his business as a political campaign adviser and reconnect with family and community. Years in DC working with Voto Latino and Democracy Alliance had sharpened his considerable talents as a national policy advocate, and he wanted to engage civically at the local level. But when he watched the 2016 election returns with his nieces and nephews, intending to celebrate the election of the nation’s first women president, his heart sank. The election of Donald trump as president and the implications for his immigrant family members and their partners, some of whom were not citizens, motivated him to act. He advocated to the City Council for Gresham to assume Sanctuary City status and challenged the intrusion of ICE into community life. When responses ranged from indifference to hostility, he took stock of the political landscape and determined that transforming the status quo

Gun violence continues to devastate our families and communities. When 20 first graders and six adults were murdered by a gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, the nation’s shock and horror were palpable. President Obama spoke passionately  about the urgency of passing background checks and stronger gun control laws. But pushback by the NRA and members of Congress prevailed. When parents of murdered children at Sandy Hook came together after the assault, their first instinct was to advocate for background checks. When that effort failed, they embraced a new strategy and focus. They formed Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit organization whose emphasis is on school safety, violence reduction and mental health. As Nicole Hockley, co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise who lost her son Dylan explains to Power Station, these efforts are resonating in school districts across America.There is training for young children on the power of kindness and inclusion of their classmates. And for those in middle

We all want to be heard and understood, a fair expectation. But being heard takes more than engaging an attentive listener. It requires purpose, knowing what we want to say and how to express ourselves. And we need to know how to adapt our communication style to a dizzying array of venues, from a private conversation to a conference room to social media. It can be humbling, frustrating and even costly when we fail to communicate well. Tia Blount brings her passion for communication to nonprofits where the mission is vital and the stakes for communicating well are high. A mission statement alone will not persuade women in Tanzania to participate in health trials whose benefits will accrue to the generation after their own. An affordable housing group in Washington, DC, cannot inspire the communities they serve by using real estate jargon. Tia's work addresses the gap between organizational intention and impact and that is what makes her a true change maker. It turns out that her childhood passion for writing w

Since 1991, Latino Economic Development Center, a DC based nonprofit, has worked side by side with Latino families to make their American Dreams possible. These families, both citizens and undocumented immigrants, have aspirations of safe and affordable rental housing, home ownership and the launching and expansion of small businesses. But they are under-resourced in the federal budget and underserved by banks that view them as too risky to lend to and invest in. This is why LEDC became a Community Development Financial Institution, a lender certified by the US Department of Treasury, to make the investments that others will not. As executive director Marla Bilonick explains, an ethos of service, expertise in asset building and commitment to progressive policy advocacy has enabled LEDC to thrive and expand in a very divisive political climate. LEDC has opened new offices in Baltimore, Wheaton, Maryland, Arlington, Virginia and recently, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. A local organization is now a national change make

America has a conflicted relationship to science. Historically, presidents and Congress have questioned and derided scientific research that is at odds with their beliefs, political and economic interests. At the same time, public confidence in science is growing and evidence of the impacts of climate change on rising sea levels, displacement and migration in coastal communities is now widely accepted. As Jacob Carter, biologist and research scientist from the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Center for Science and Democracy explains, the pushback on science has serious implications for decision-making on issues including climate, energy, transportation and food. If scientific evidence is rejected, how can sound policies be enacted? Jacob points out the unprecedented suppression of science by the Trump Administration, including research and reports issued by federal agencies ranging from the US Environmental Protection Agency to the US Fish and Wildlife Services. Scientists within the federal system are being d

It’s hard to describe how energy shifts when Patrick Gaspard is in the room. He is positive, ready to engage, and most importantly, completely present. As president of the Open Society Foundations, whose philanthropy supports democratic practice, human rights and equal access to justice in 120 countries, Patrick is a powerful presence in many rooms. His ability to listen to and act on what communities are saying in those rooms is grounded in his personal experience as an organizer. He knows that listening yields critical information and validates those who are not heard enough.  Steeped in the convictions of founder George Soros, Open Society Foundations advocates for persecuted communities across the globe, from the Rohingya forced into statelessness by Myanmar to the LGBTQ community in Kenya. In the United States, Open Society Foundations invests in nonprofits with the will and capacity to build local organizations that can mobilize nationally to create meaningful policy change.  Even in this political and

How do we know, beyond our instincts, that the nonprofit programs we believe in are effective? We may perceive them to be but without evaluating them against pre-determined measures, we cannot make a case for their efficacy, replication or scaling. First, we take a step back and agree that a process is needed to design programs, ensure that stakeholder voices are represented, measurable goals are identified and the vision for success is shared. And, for these measures to be meaningful, they must be shaped through a racial equity lens. Whether the goal is reductions in teen pregnancy, increases in child literacy or access to capital, we need to start with enough humility to know that evidence-based data empowers us to test and learn from our theories. And this is where Dr. Bahby Banks comes into the conversation. As a doctoral student, she fell in love with logic models and metrics that form the basis of program design and evaluation. Now she is a much sought-after facilitator for organizations that pursue soc

Ilda Martinez was 3 years old when she arrived at a migrant Head Start center in Plant City, Florida. Her first language was Mixtec, an indigenous dialogue of Oaxaca, Mexico. She learned Spanish and then English in Head Start programs that serve the children of farmworkers. These migrant and seasonal programs are critical resources for families like Ilda’s that move several times a year to harvest crops, from blueberries in North Carolina to strawberries in Florida and asparagus in Michigan. The work is arduous, the weather can be brutal, and housing situations are often meager. Less noted is that farm work requires significant skill and commitment. And these are jobs which American workers have roundly rejected. As National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association executive director Cleo Rodriguez explains, without migrant farmworkers, the US agricultural sector would collapse. Ilda's childhood in Head Start led her to the NMSHSA Internship Program, which brings young women and men to Washington for eight

Head Start is known nationally, and internationally, for making early childhood development and education a reality for all families. Developed as part of the 1960’s War on Poverty, Head Start is an example of public policy enacted to increase opportunity and create a more equitable environment for underserved communities. The Head Start model was organized to provide resources and services around the school calendar, an approach that works for most but not all of our nation’s families. There was a gap in meeting the unique needs of migrant families, who travel from state to state to harvest our nation’s crops. The National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association was created specifically for farmworker families, the men and women whose expertise and labor are responsible for the produce in our stores and the bounty on our tables.  Like all parents, farmworkers need and want their children to have access to earl childhood resources and their ability to earn a living depends on it. They are served by dedic

Have you been to the 14th street corridor of Washington DC lately? It is a destination spot for upscale restaurants, furniture stores, galleries and newly constructed apartment buildings. If you venture to a leafy side street you will find a courtyard that leads to N Street Village, a local nonprofit whose programs and advocacy serve 2000 homeless and low- income women in 5 locations each year. Many of these women grew up in the shadows of an earlier incarnation of 14th Street, devastated by rioting after the assassination of Martin Luther King and in the clutches of poverty and the crack epidemic for decades. As N Street Village CEO Schroeder Stribling, explains, when these women arrive, they are looking for what we all need: a supportive community, safe and affordable housing, and attention to mental and physical health challenges. It is Schroeder’s mission to provide a “radically welcoming” environment.  The N Street Village model is to provide women in need with community-based housing and wrap-around ser

In 1980, James Abourezk, US Senator from South Dakota and the first Arab-American elected to Congress, founded the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. It is now the nation’s largest grassroots nonprofit advocating for the civil and human rights of Arab Americans. As National President Samer Khalaf reminds us, ADC supports the rights of all people and opposes discrimination of any kind. With a small staff of lawyers, and community-based supporters in 50 states, ADC represents Arab Americans in cases involving hate crimes, discrimination and deportation and advocates for policy change through regulatory and legislative advocacy. And it educates the public and policy makers about who Arab Americans are, from their rich cultural backgrounds to their experience in America. Arab-Americans face specific challenges as immigrants, including the reality of being stateless and having no country to claim as their own. Those who are able to remain in the US exist in a sort of legal limbo. They are on parole, unab

When you think about the technology sector, what is your image of the workforce? An innovative nonprofit is requiring us to rethink our assumptions. Byte Back, a DC based organization led by the dynamic Elizabeth Lindsey, is shaking up the workforce and technology sectors by training those who have struggled with unemployment to become successful workers in the digital economy. In many cases, these students have never used a computer or even had broadband access. So it follows that Byte Back's training program meets students where they are, a model that makes it distinctive from other digitally focused trainers. While the process may take longer, classes are rigorous and require discipline to complete. Trainers are selected not only for their technical knowledge and teaching abilities. Byte Back cultivates teachers who are committed to their students’ success. And it works. Students are graduating with certificates that make them attractive employees by companies that pay living wages and benefits. Byte Back

When Ali Noorani visited Honduras, he met migrants desperate to escape poverty and violence for the presumed safety and opportunity of the United States. They started this journey with their dignity intact but were robbed of it through their experiences at the United States-Mexican border. As Ali sees it, this administration's hateful rhetoric and treatment of immigrants is robbing the entire nation of its dignity. The Forum was launched in 1982 to coalesce civil rights organizations in advocating for a more just immigration and workforce system. Its strategic approach sharpened when Ali Noorani joined as executive director in 2008. After President Obama was elected there was growing optimism about the potential for a path to citizenship and other meaningful immigration reform. When momentum for change built and then came crashing down in 2010, Ali had a realization that defined the next generation of the National Immigration Forum’s vision and strategy. He noted that while political parties talked about immi

  Do you envision think tanks to be old-school institutions far-removed from real life community experiences? If so, check out Solomon Greene, Senior Fellow at The Urban Institute, on this episode of Power Station and reconsider those assumptions. The Urban Institute was founded in 1968 by President Johnson to generate evidence-based strategies for ending urban poverty. It has evolved into an organization that is sought after by a diverse set of stakeholders, from local, state and federal government leaders to nonprofit advocates and philanthropy, who are tackling some of our nation’s most intractable problems. As Solomon explains, growing local economies that work for all residents, requires us to take stock of the policies of racial segregation that brought us to this moment. And because of federal retrenchment in funding for disinvested communities, including public and subsidized housing programs, local activism is producing new and forward-looking policies for creating equity and inclusion. Urban Institu