The Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne released their Collaborate for Change: Social Sector Ecosystem Strategy Report today. The report is a collaborative effort between the Community Foundation, Transform Consulting Group, and more than 800 community stakeholders.
Informed by stakeholder feedback and research, the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, in partnership with other leaders in the social sector ecosystem, is embarking on a process to improve the social sector ecosystem and promote broader community impact.
This plan will produce a more connected and supported system—improved internally through workgroups and increased opportunities for cross-sector communication and externally through increased infrastructure, innovation, and awareness of community resources. By ensuring that Allen County residents can access the services and resources they need to thrive, we believe we will see powerful changes in the community.
The report highlights several key findings and identifies a new plan forward for the social sector, laying out four main goals, including increasing awareness of the social sector services, improving data and information sharing, strengthening infrastructure and collaboration and ensuring equal access for all.
“Transform Consulting Group was honored to work alongside the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne to research and build this plan,” said Amanda Lopez, the president and founder of Transform Consulting Group. “Our findings affirm the strengths of Allen County’s nonprofits and other supporting organizations in the social sector ecosystem and offer some exciting opportunities to build on these strengths and create an even more substantial impact on the community. We can’t wait to see the roadmap to community transformation this report provides put into action.”
“We are grateful for our partnership with Transform Consulting Group and everyone who contributed to the report. Thanks to the Collaborate for Change report, we have a roadmap of the work we need to do to ensure that the social sector ecosystem is deepening its impact and everyone in Allen County has the opportunity to succeed,” said Alison Gerardot, chief impact officer at the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne.
Copies of the report are available by contacting the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne and on the CFGFW website.
The Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne does three things: help people make their charitable giving more impactful, connect funding to nonprofits through effective grantmaking, and provide leadership to address community needs to improve quality of life. The organization connects people and resources daily to build a more vibrant community. As of December 31, 2022, the Community Foundation held charitable assets of approximately $194 Million and awarded more than $9 million in charitable grants and scholarships throughout the same year. Since its formation in 1922, the Community Foundation has awarded more than $184 million in charitable grants.