Latest news with #CollectiveImpact
San Francisco Chronicle
5 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F. nonprofit embroiled in Dream Keeper scandal warns of ‘complete shutdown'
San Francisco's efforts to cut off a nonprofit from city funding for allegedly bribing a former city official is threatening the future of the organization's programs for needy kids and their families in the Western Addition. Attorneys for Collective Impact, the nonprofit embroiled in a scandal over its close ties to former San Francisco Human Rights Commission Executive Director Sheryl Davis, said in a legal filing Monday that the organization 'anticipates a complete shutdown of its programs by October.' The attorneys were arguing against an attempt by City Attorney David Chiu to prohibit Collective Impact from receiving city funding for five years. Chiu is seeking to debar Collective Impact after a joint investigation by his office and the controller found that the nonprofit had spent thousands on college tuition for Davis' son, paid for Davis to upgrade her flights to first class and covered costs related to her personal ventures — all while receiving millions from her department. If Chiu succeeds in debarring Collective Impact, the nonprofit would have to end its summer and afterschool programs and close the doors of its three-decade-old Ella Hill Hutch Community Center, its attorneys Lauren Kramer Sujeeth and Si Eun Amber Lee wrote. The nonprofit would no longer be able to provide families with healthy food or help paying their bills. 'The disproportionate effect of poverty will once again come to Western Addition,' the attorneys argued. 'Put plainly, without Collective Impact, the community will suffer in ways that the city is simply not prepared to handle.' Davis, who was close friends with former Mayor London Breed, resigned last September amid intense scrutiny over her management of the Dream Keeper Initiative, Breed's mission to reinvest $60 million a year in San Francisco's dwindling and underserved Black community. Among the revelations was that Davis shared a home with James Spingola, executive director of Collective Impact. She also previously led the nonprofit. Neither Davis nor Spingola have been charged with crimes. Collective Impact was a major recipient of city funding. The organization has received more than $27 million in city grants since 2021, according to the city attorney's office. Under Davis, the human rights commission awarded Collective Impact more than $6 million between December 2019 and May 2024, the office said. The organization reported revenue of $8.3 million in the fiscal year ending in June 2024, according to its Form 990 filing, shortly before the Dream Keeper scandal broke. The nonprofit had almost $6.3 million in net assets. But the city froze Dream Keeper funding amid budget constraints and intense public scrutiny last September, and the city attorney halted all funding to Collective Impact in March as a result of its joint investigation with the controller. Attorneys for Collective Impact said the organization has since spent roughly $2 million in private funding to 'keep alive previously grant-supported programs, preventing the roughly 125 summer program students from suddenly having nowhere to go.' Attorneys for both Collective Impact and the City Attorney's Office made arguments in legal filings Monday ahead of a hearing next week on the proposed debarment. In its filing, the city attorney argued that some of the payments by Collective Impact constituted bribes and demonstrated 'corrupt intent.' 'Whether Collective Impact's payments benefitting Davis are characterized as illegal gifts, kickbacks, or bribes, Spingola knew that he was living with Davis, never disclosed their relationship and continued to direct City funds for Davis' benefit,' the office wrote. "What are they going to do without us?" he said. Asked about the allegations, Spingola said, 'I haven't bribed anyone.' 'How do you bribe somebody?' he said. 'I don't know what bribing is.' The debarment hearing is scheduled to begin Monday.
Fashion Value Chain
26-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion Value Chain
New Report Reveals How India and Indonesia Are Quietly Powering a Regional Shift in Philanthropic Collaboration
A new report launched today by Sattva Consulting, with support from WINGS' #LiftUpPhilanthropy Fund, uncovers the emerging architecture of collaboration for development across South and Southeast Asia. titled Strengthening Collective Impact in South and Southeast Asia, the study offers a first-of-its-kind mapping of how philanthropy support ecosystems (PSEs) are enabling or stalling cross-sector partnerships in seven countries: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. Drawing on 147 multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSPs) across 13 broad sectors, from climate and food security to education and health, the report highlights both progress and persistent gaps in how philanthropic ecosystems are organised, resourced, and connected. 'We're in a moment of profound global uncertainty, marked by conflict, climate extremes, and shrinking aid, where the role of regional philanthropy is more critical than ever. Our research across seven countries reports heartening movements in collective action across topics and stakeholders. Yet, only 13% of multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSPs) include Philanthropy Support Organisations (PSOs) in a backbone role, which is crucial to establishing and scaling collective action, limiting its transformative potential. To respond to today's urgent challenges with the speed, scale, and solidarity they demand, we must invest in building PSO capabilities. Engaging with governments and the private sector is an essential part of establishing sustainable collective action. At Sattva Consulting, we see a clear opportunity to strengthen this ecosystem and unlock the full power of diverse, well-supported MSPs,' Aarti Mohan, Co-founder, Sattva Consulting. Some early signals from the report: India demonstrates the most developed philanthropy support ecosystem in the region, which enables both a significant number of multi-stakeholder partnerships and substantial philanthropic capital flows. In FY 2023-24 alone, approximately USD 280 million in philanthropic capital was directed through MSPs in the country. Indonesia's MSP ecosystem has promising models in climate and food security, backed by growing domestic philanthropy and evolving private-public collaborations. Regional PSOs have a strong focus on influencing government policies as a means to drive collective action. Most MSPs are flying without support , only 13% across the region have a philanthropic support organisation (PSO) playing a backbone coordination role, revealing a critical whitespace for ecosystem actors. Public-Private-Philanthropy Partnerships (PPPPs) are among the most effective approaches for aligning government, private sector, and philanthropic efforts to drive systemic change by influencing policy, fostering innovation, and scaling impactful interventions. Innovative finance is gaining traction, from Indias REVIVE Alliance helping workers and microentrepreneurs to Indonesia's nutrition-focused platforms drawing in private sector investments. But the report isn't just about metrics; it zooms in on how regional collaboration is evolving. It traces the evolution from loosely connected knowledge-sharing networks to more grounded, implementation-focused programmes that inform practice, alongside the emergence of outcomes-based financing models. This is unfolding in parallel with the gradual development of data ecosystems – all against the backdrop of a persistent gap: the absence of dedicated PSO databases in any country. Together, these shifts reflect a developing ecosystem, gaining momentum toward more coordinated and impactful collective action. 'The new report from Sattva highlights just how vital strong philanthropy support ecosystems are to unlocking the full potential of multiâ'stakeholder partnerships across South and Southeast Asia. It shines a light on where collaboration is working-and where greater support is needed-to drive systemic change across sectors and borders. This is precisely the focus of the #LiftUpPhilanthropy (LUP) Fund, launched by WINGS and generously coâ'funded by the European Union, which aims to foster deeper connections, stronger ecosystems, and a more enabling environment for philanthropy to catalyse meaningful and lasting impact,'Jodel Dacara, Regional Coordinator for Asia and the Pacific. The study also highlights the role of regional conveners like Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), Philanthropy Asia Alliance (PAA), and Asia Philanthropy Circle (APC) in strengthening collaboration across borders. The full report includes country-specific analyses, best practices for enabling MSPs, and actionable recommendations for ecosystem actors working to drive more effective and collaborative development outcomes across the region. About Sattva Consulting Sattva Consulting is an Indian-origin global impact consulting firm. Our work spans 25 countries and 5 continents as we engage with communities, businesses and governments to deliver societal impact at scale since 2009. We believe that civil society, business, and government all have a critical role to play in building an equitable and sustainable world, and we actively partner with all stakeholders to enable impact through our research & advisory services, knowledge platforms and collaborative initiatives. About WINGS WINGS is a network of over 230 members, consisting of philanthropy associations, networks, academic institutions, support organisations, and funders, across 58 countries, whose purpose is to strengthen, promote and provide leadership on the development of philanthropy and social investment to promote and develop philanthropy and contribute to a more effective and diverse civil society.
CBS News
05-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
The Radiant Table arrives in San Francisco for immersive dinner experience
At One Market Plaza, just across from the Ferry Building, The Radiant Table just opened for a six-week run, offering a new kind of dining experience. "When a guest comes in, they're sort of transported into this alternate realm where they're meeting their favorite chefs, but they're also experiencing their food in a way that they've never been able to do before," said Minkoff. Sam Minkoff is founder of SE Productions. He and his wife went to work quickly, building tables, setting up projectors, and transforming a co-working space cafe on the first floor, in just one week, into a colorful, immersive culinary experience. "The visuals on the table are meant to really complement the chef's meal, and the chefs design their meals around the visuals and vice versa. So, there's a major storytelling component there that allows those guests to kind of dive even deeper into the story of why that dish was created by that particular chef," said Minkoff. Michael Seiler, the founder of Collective Impact, a strategy firm, isn't leasing prime commercial real estate to just any business. He's looking for visionaries, artists, and entrepreneurs who can offer a different kind of product. "In downtown, you still see a lot of empty retail and so if you can empower those arts, culture and community leaders to activate the empty retail space, you immediately give them what they need to flourish, to grow, to get more people together, to grow opportunities for community and commerce, and that's what building owners want," said Seiler. In exchange for prime retail space that would normally cost tens of thousands a month, Minkoff and his team are showing how empty spaces can be used to attract permanent tenants. Once treasured pieces of downtown property worth hundreds of millions have sold for a fraction of what they were worth pre pandemic. "What they want is community in their space and vibrancy. They want their buildings to be alive. They want people to be enjoying it. They want people to be purchasing and buying. They want people to enjoy being back in person," said Seiler. It's experiences like this, art galleries with wine and clay making classes, and expos during SF Climate Week for example, that Seiler sees as a way to create a hub for community and commerce. "The narrative isn't out yet that San Francisco is back. It's vibrant. There are communities churning out their next version of what San Francisco will be," said Seiler. It's bringing people to the table, connecting them with the community, and hoping others will want to come back to a thriving downtown. Each dinner at The Radiant Table features a new chef including some Michelin Star winners. After its debut in San Francisco ends in June, the Radiant Table will head to Bellevue Washington next.
