Stanford Social Innovation Review

The American story is incomplete. Case in point: There are more than 96,000 properties on the National Register of Historic Places, but less than 1% of them are associated with Latinx histories. That’s just one example of how government-led heritage conservation has “historically left communities of color vulnerable to disinvestment and their historical contributions forgotten.” To address that shortcoming, a group of heritage practitioners, advocates, and scholars working in Latinx communities launched Latinos in Heritage Conservation (LHC) in 2014. LHC’s cofounder and board member, Laura Dominguez, PhD, describes the organization’s impetus: “What would it be like if we, from the ground up, reimagine [historic preservation] with Latino history, culture, and values at the center?” Diversifying the field of historic preservation and protecting Latinx cultural heritage was difficult even before the Trump administration’s attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. The assault has made LHC’s work even more urgent, noted its executive director, Sehila Mota Casper (Sehila M.). “It’s about defending historical accuracy, honoring our ancestors’ contributions,” she said, “and ensuring future generations inherit the complete, diverse story of America.” Read the article now: https://lnkd.in/ed9F7yXj  Reported for SSIR by Marianne Dhenin

The Trump administration’s gutting of USAID has posed a grave threat to the advancement of reproductive health initiatives worldwide. If the funding freeze remains, it will lead to 4.2 million unintended pregnancies and more than 8,000 maternal deaths worldwide over three months, write Dwaipayan Roy, Amir Karimi, and Sydney Block in the latest issue of SSIR. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eR_6ZFnb Countering this attack on access to contraceptives in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) won’t be easy, but the authors’ recent research points to a way forward: appointing women as health minister leads. According to their study, female leadership leads to an average 66% increase in the volume of contraceptives procured by LMICs. And the “effect becomes even stronger with an increase in the proportion of female parliamentarians.” For more details on how female representation can benefit reproductive health in LMICs and how national governments and NGOs can help with the gender-driven strategy, read the full article: https://lnkd.in/eR_6ZFnb

“We are naturally drawn to technologies that relieve us from burdensome effort. But as we outsource our perceptions and mediate our interactions using algorithms, we risk eroding the relational undercurrent on which true innovation builds.” Scholars Lauri Pietinalho, Jukka Luoma, and Matt Statler present a counterargument to an AI-powered economy that outsources innovation to algorithms and urge readers to carefully consider the role we are granting to AI: “The problem is not simply the changes that AI might bring, but that already in anticipation we limit our own understanding of the world and humanity to fit with what AI can do.” Read the authors’ cautionary perspective: https://lnkd.in/ekyEJjFV

As Russia’s assault on Ukraine continues, the preservation and future of the besieged nation is dependent on not just familiar weapons of war, but also on the vacuum driers, microscopes, thermal cameras, and chemical cleaning agents found inside a mobile gray shipping container. Called the Ark I, the “Czech-designed unit’s purpose is first to rescue, then protect and conserve thousands of precious Ukrainian books—from libraries, institutes, churches, and museums—that the Russian assault on Ukraine has threatened,” writes Paul Hockenos. So far, the Ark for Ukraine project has restored 150 manuscripts and trained dozens of librarians in the country on cutting-edge cultural-restoration technology. More is at stake than the fate of some stories and artwork, noted Lubos Vesely, director of the Karel Komárek Family Foundation, a Czech philanthropy that cofunds the project. “If the culture survives, the nation survives,” he said, quoting Jan Viktor Mládek, a Cold War-era Czech-American diplomat and patron of Central European art. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/e3WGAvpN

Calls to end subsidies for the US oil and gas industry are growing louder, but the politics are stuck. For more than 100 years, the federal government has provided massive subsidies to oil and gas, including increased subsidies in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (by some estimates, as much as $15-30 billion per year). But the costs to many Americans is steep. Advocates argue for partnering with people on all sides, at all levels of government who share a common-sense position that the industry should have to compete on a level playing field and not be able to rig the system. Jessica Maher, Virginia Palacios, and Tyson Slocum explore how advocates can hold the fossil fuel industry accountable and ways funders can support their cause: https://lnkd.in/gHR5iJt4   💡Read more articles in this in-depth series sponsored by the Funder Collaborative on Oil and Gas, including examples of ground-up work to fight oil and gas expansion and community-led solutions prioritizing health over corporate gain: https://lnkd.in/gy4ZYhM5

Nonprofit problem: Donors who give only once. Solution: AI? To address the problem of first-time donor retention rates hovering around 20 to 30% and other challenges nonprofits face when building relationships with supporters, Angela Aristidou, Andrew Dunckelman, and Sam Fankuchen argue that AI can provide personalized interactions that will engage and motivate givers. In the latest issue of SSIR, the authors explore ways AI can revolutionize donor engagement and fundraising, and offer readers four principles for ensuring AI aligns with their values. Read the full article now: https://lnkd.in/epzrqxqr Have you or will you use AI to improve giving? Share your story in the comments.

When the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) began reinventing itself to better respond to escalating environmental crises, it learned that effectively implementing change across its global network of 9,000 staff would require treating innovation as a way of working, not a separate workstream. Easier said than done, write Lisa Canova and Katherine Tatarinov in their case study for SSIR’s latest issue. As WWF tried to embed innovation into its core functions, it faced barriers that may be familiar to many organizations trying to reinvent themselves: * Workflows designed for stability, accountability, and compliance, not agility * Slow approval chains * Unclear mandates * Siloed responsibilities, teams, and functions A big part of WWF’s effort to overcome these challenges was the formation of its Global Innovation Team, which was tasked with driving transformation throughout WWF’s global offices. It eventually established three strategic pillars to ensure innovation imbues the organization’s work: learn, apply, and spread. 💡Read the full article now to explore examples of these conceptual pillars in action: https://lnkd.in/daP6qtzw

Quick facts on the scale of the biodiversity crisis: 🌍 Extinction rates are estimated to be 100–1,000 times the natural background rate, threatening 1 million species 🐆 Vertebrate wildlife populations have fallen by 73% since 1970  💲 The economic consequences are profound: Over half of the world’s GDP—over $44 trillion—is moderately or highly dependent on nature (source: World Economic Forum) These global challenges need a global solution, not the kind of localism that leaves the most important conservation projects underfunded. In a new article for SSIR, Ben Valentine, fundraising director of WWF Thailand, writes that “Everyone distributing funds needs to ask a simple question: Where will my funding have the biggest impact?” Ben shows donors and advisors how to shift toward a more globally minded conservation philanthropy to help save the planet: https://lnkd.in/eueYg737

🚜 🌾 Pesticides, herbicides, and genetically modified crop systems have damaged much of the soil of American farms, making it harder than ever for farmers to grow the plants that support healthy eating. To counter the widespread degradation of soil health and bolster people’s well-being, some farmers have turned to regenerative practices, such as minimizing tillage, using cover crops, composting, and rotating livestock grazing. It’s not an easy transition. The associated costs and risks can prevent adoption, a problem that the Healing Soils Foundation (HSF) is taking on through grants that help farmers establish regenerative infrastructure. The foundation is also providing a lifeline to farmers experiencing cuts and delays to funding for USDA conservation programs this year. “This is a very tumultuous time for farmers, since they put themselves out there economically, taking risks for the benefit of the environment,” says Sarah Franz, HSF’s executive director. “Funding the [Regenerative Farmer Assurance Fund] program is now our top priority.” Read more about the Healing Soils Foundation: https://lnkd.in/ea2HQcEr Reported for SSIR by Kathy O. Brozek

The climate crisis is a health crisis. 🌎 🩺 As the largest source of human-caused environmental toxins on the planet, the fossil fuel industry is heating the Earth and poisoning its inhabitants. Funders and advocates must rally around creative and robust community-led solutions that prioritize health protection over corporate gain. Matthew Tejada of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Jennifer Hadayia, MPA of Air Alliance Houston spotlight local solutions in action in Houston, Texas, and show what’s possible when communities take action: https://lnkd.in/effKRs75 Read more about the impact of the oil and gas industry on American life in an in-depth series of essays by experts and innovators working to fight back against fossil fuel expansion, sponsored by the Funder Collaborative on Oil and Gas: https://lnkd.in/gy4ZYhM5