Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties

Catalyst Learning Labs are your office hours to get things done. 💪 In these hands-on workshops, you can bring your own materials to translate learning into practical action and put equitable grantmaking into practice at your organization: https://lnkd.in/geaiijS3 Day 1: Rightsizing the Grantmaking Process 🔷 Identify burdensome application and reporting practices that drain nonprofit capacity 🔷 Streamline requirements across the grant lifecycle 🔷 Create actionable plans to overcome barriers and simplify your process Day 2: Participatory Grantmaking 🔷 Build authentic community boards that reflect the communities you serve 🔷 Share power effectively through the right level of support and training 🔷 Design a participatory process that fosters genuine engagement and delivers equitable outcomes. SHOULD YOU PARTICIPATE? Whether you’re just beginning your journey towards equitable grantmaking or you’re a seasoned funder eager to share insights and lessons learned, we welcome everyone who wants to deepen their practice. Participants will get the most out of this series by joining us for *both days* but participation in a single day is available if needed. This program is designed for members of Catalyst. If you are interested in Catalyst membership, please contact us. #professionaldevelopment #equitablegrantmaking #sandiegoevents #philanthropy PEAK Grantmaking

Family Foundations Community of Practice: In-person session coming up October 21st (https://lnkd.in/gnmXP3Uv) ✨ Listening is leadership—and a powerful way for family foundations to deepen impact. By centering the voices of those most affected by the issues you care about, your giving can become more trusted, responsive, and effective. In this session with the Fund for Shared Insight, you’ll explore practical tools—including the Funder Listening Action Menu and the new Listening Assessment—that make it easier for foundations to listen with intention, respond with integrity, and share power in ways that strengthen relationships. Designed with family foundations in mind, this interactive conversation will offer strategies you can bring back to your foundation immediately—helping you connect more authentically with communities and drive greater change. #familyphilanthropy #familyfoundations Katy Love

How will recent policy changes impact FEMA’s response to future disasters in California? Is it safe for non-citizens to receive help at evacuation centers? Who should philanthropy work with during major disasters? ➡️ Our new funder resource (bit.ly/PhilCAprimer) answers these questions and more — breaking down critical changes to the federal disaster management landscape and providing real-time context for philanthropy to best support our communities during disasters. 🔵 Developed with and vetted by policy experts, federal and state disaster management leaders, and frontline organizations, this Philanthropy California primer will help you support communities in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters toward long-term resilience. 🔵 The primer includes disaster response FAQs for funders and is designed as a living resource. New information and guidance will be added and updated as developments emerge. 🔵 Want to schedule time with the Philanthropy California team to discuss how federal changes may influence your grantmaking and the communities you serve? Reach out to Megan Thomas at megan@catalystsd.org A Primer: How Federal Changes are Shifting Disaster Resilience in California is available on the Philanthropy California website at bit.ly/PhilCAprimer. #disasterphilanthropy #FEMA #PhilanthropyCA

Funders: Shine a light on the impacts of federal actions targeting philanthropy and local communities ➡️ United Philanthropy Forum has created a storybank to collect stories about the impact of philanthropy and how an increase in the foundation excise tax would hurt communities. How have the disruptions of federal funding impacted your community? How would the current provisions in the tax package impact your foundation's work? Raise your voice and add your story here: https://lnkd.in/gxnsjMc2

From Catalyst's newest Navigating Policy Shifts briefing 👉 It's Day 13 of the federal government shutdown and local food banks are preparing for an uptick in demand from military families as paychecks stop. While active-duty service members are required to continue working during the shutdown, they will miss their first paycheck on October 15th. In all, 147,000 military members or civilian employees will work without receiving paychecks in the San Diego region. 📌 For critical context and local implications around the federal government shutdown, check your inbox for Catalyst's newest briefing, which dropped Friday. 📌 Not on the email list yet? Get updates delivered directly to you by signing up for our newsletter at https://lnkd.in/gUMs4y3N 📌 Visit https://lnkd.in/g-r92GhE for previous installments of our policy briefing. #philanthropy #sandiego #governmentshutdown #militaryfamilies

News to know 🚨 Catalyst member the Prebys Foundation has announced a $500,000 grant in support of San Diego County’s Immigrant Legal Defense Program. The new funding will help offset County costs of operating the program, a nationally-recognized initiative that ensures immigrants in detention have legal representation in their court proceedings. “Access to legal representation is a cornerstone of American justice and a reflection of our shared humanity,” said Prebys CEO Grant Oliphant in the announcement. “We are honored to stand with the County of San Diego in supporting this nationally recognized program, which helps ensure fairness, dignity, and compassion remain at the heart of how our community treats immigrants and their families.” https://lnkd.in/gwNPZZ8M #sandiego #philanthropy #crosssectorpartnerships Terra Lawson-Remer

Our members are hiring ✅ Catalyst member organization Amplified Impact Partners is on the lookout for their next Director of Operations — a pivotal role at the heart of a growing organization. With more than 30 capacity-building projects launched in the past year alone, Amplified Impact Partners delivers transformative pro bono consulting to strengthen San Diego nonprofits and deepen their impact. Learn more about this position and other career opportunities with Catalyst members on our Job Board: https://lnkd.in/gDdeJS5n #socialimpactjobs #sandiegojobs #nonprofitjobs

San Diego/Imperial County nonprofits and funders 📣 Join Catalyst at the 2025 CalNonprofits Policy Conference in LA on November 5th 🗓️ Our Southern Border Delegation will connect in advance, attend the conference, and then debrief on what we learned and how to activate collectively. In a year as tumultuous as 2025 has been, it’s more urgent than ever for us to gather in this pivotal moment – to reflect, strategize, and build power. Our collective voice matters. Let’s use it to defend our communities and shape what comes next. Let us know if you want to join us by contacting Aline Racic at aline@catalystsd.org. (You must register directly with CalNonprofits for the conference: https://lnkd.in/guNumuDY)

What We're Reading 📚 Learn and just do it! Non-Native philanthropy can incorporate Indigenous values and practices into its own work, and this Nonprofit Quarterly article gives an exciting and humbling peek into how. It summarizes a recent joint report from Native Americans in Philanthropy and The Bridgespan Group that delves deep into how to authentically engage Native peoples and the impact this kind of investment has. https://lnkd.in/e5AKTKJ5

We are pleased to announce that nominations are now open for The Nancy Jamison Fund for Social Justice, which recognizes leaders advancing racial equity and social justice in San Diego County. Nancy Jamison believed in the power of individuals in our region to make a difference. True to the passion of the fund’s namesake, the NJFSJ celebrates the people behind the work. The NJFSJ seeks to support under-celebrated individuals working towards racial equity and social justice – in any capacity – throughout San Diego County. Honorees receive $50,000 in unrestricted funding to advance their work. The 2026 cycle is now open through December 31, 2025. Learn more and submit a nomination at: https://lnkd.in/dPiirqH #fundingopportunity #grantopportunity #sandiegoleaders #sandiegononprofit #socialjustice #racialequity