imagine - elva salinas

8/1/2019 Imagine - Elva Salinas

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wm makig i i Mai ....................... ..................

wm giv back: he ew ce phlhp

w a MCF:

A Portrait of Marin .............................................

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Mag Fas: sep he ...................................

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Sall Masisi: m he kche w ..........

conten

Editor/WriterFred Silverman

Art Director/Designer

Suzuki Cady

Photographer

Eric Slomanson

Contributing Writer

Barbara Tannenbaum

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5 Hml Lg, Se. 200

nv, Ca 94949 | 415.464.2500

www.marinc.org

13

W a dvig ms f is iss

f Imagine to the tremendous spirit,

resourceulness, and creativity o

women in Marin.

In our work here, were lucky to

interact with women at many dier-

ent stages o their lives and in many

dierent roles.

Among our donors we are grate-

ul to work with people like Margot

Fraser, who built a edgling business

into a national icon and who contin-

ues to inspire other women. MCF

both through our discretionary

grants and with grants recommend-

ed by individual donorsis proud to

support the work o leaders like Sally

Matsuishi, whose passion or equity

and excellence changes lives every

day.

Youll also read about the trium-

phant successes o women who, with

their own determination and with

support rom local nonproft organi-

zations, have overcome challenges in

their lives to truly thrive.

And youll read how women

including one o MCFs longtime

donors, Susie Tompkins Buellare

changing the ace o philanthropy.

Finally, youll have a chance to

learn about creative ways in which

individuals and oundations are us-

ing their fnancial assets to provide

products and services to low-income

people around the worldincluding

a special opportunity we oer our

donors to make an impact here in

Marin.

I these stories inspire you as

much as they inspired me, I know

youre in or a good read.

Dr. Tom PetersPese CEo, M

Cmm F

19

3


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3 Imagine: Marin Philanthropist Magazine | spring 12 spring 12 | Imagine: Marin Philanthropist

How fve women are meeting the cha

by Barbar


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5 Imagine: Marin Philanthropist Magazine | spring 12


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LaDa B: g hekes ec

LaDonna Bonner, a single mother o three romMarin City, shakes her head rueully when she thinksback on her job as a medical technician at Kaiser. Iearned more during that period than Ive ever made

in my lie, she says. But I didnt know how to save. Itwas never enough. Bonner, 41, retains an upbeat, e-ervescent manner despite a recent struggle with heartdisease and a re that orced her amily to leave theirNovato home and move in with her mother in MarinCity.

My mother always stressed the value o hard workand education, she says, remembering the yearsshe attended private school in Mill Valley. Bonnerdreamed o attending Spelman College in Atlanta, buther grades werent good enough. I struggled with ad-diction and substance abuse, she says. Bonner wasaccepted at another Atlanta college but, as she puts it,let ater one semester, came home, and started hav-ing babies.

With counseling rom Families First, a Marin non-prot, Bonner turned her lie around, eventually return-ing to school to earn a bachelors degree in 2002 anda Master o Science in Education degree in 2004, bothrom Dominican University o Caliornia.

In 2007, her oldest daughter, Jessica, entered herlast year as a highly motivated and successul studentat Saint Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco.With her grades, I knew she would get into any col-lege she wanted, says Bonner. And she deserved it,too. But I had to worry about the expenses. I reused tosay, You cant go.

In researching scholarships and aid packages,Bonner heard about EARN, a nonprot whose missionis to break the cycle o poverty by helping low-incomeworkers create assets or college-related expenses,

launching a business, or buying a rst home. Partici-pants receive nancial coaching as t hey make monthlysavings contributions that are matched t wo-to-one.

In 2009, when Jessica began applying to college,Bonner was ready. My girl got into six schools, includ-ing Spelman, she says with pride. She had to go.Tuition, however, was $34,000, with only $1,000 innancial aid.

Bonner tapped her EARN account to marst payment and purchase a laptop and boodaughter, and she relied on aith to gure ousteps. By the next deadline, she learned abotal loan program, and her daughter qualiedditional grants and scholarships. Her daughpart-time to contribute.

Last summer, Bonners daughter won a h

petitive internship to work on the Google caMountain View, and the emphasis on savingner learned through EARN was embraced bJessica. To commute rom Marin City to MoView, the college student did not buy a car. down to the Manzanita Park & Ride stop acrway 101 at 7 a.m. every morning. She did thecommute all summer by shuttle, says Bonn

As a result, Bonners daughter was able t$14,000 rom her summer job and pay or hyear o college. Bonner has opened EARN aor her other childrenJasmine, 20, who attCordon Bleu culinary school in San Francisphen, 17, a senior at Redwood High School.

Education is the key to the best that Amoer, Bonner says. Thats where Ive ocus

made my sacrices.

Cassada Ksig: svvg

In 1989, Sausalito resident Cassandra Kersta successul art gallery close to her home ancondent about opening a second in Oaklanburgeoning art district. Then a series o ditook their toll. Divorce was soon ollowed byPrieta earthquake and the recession o the eEven the need or street repairs kept touristSausalito. Kersting decided to close her 15-ygallery on Bridgeway and see i she could ke

Oakland site going. Instead, she remembeclobbered nancially.

Ever resourceul, Kersting parlayed her einto a new career as an independent sales rethe garment industry. Eventually she soughretail stores and was at San Raaels Yardbirthe Great Recession struck. She was laid o along with 7,000 others, when the parent co

LaDonna Bonner with her daughter Jasmine at their home in Marin City

spring 12 | Imagine: Marin Philanthropist

on pp. 3-4: Cassandra Kersting at her gallery


5/12


closed the entire chain.It was a hard time, she remembers. But I met the

CFO o Womens Initiative or Sel Employment at mygym. He said they help women get back on their eet,and that inspired me.

Founded in 1988, Womens Initiative provides train-ing and unding or low-income women to help themlaunch businesses and become successul entrepre-

neurs. Executive director Jane Winter describes manyo her Marin-based clients as older women sueringrom either generational or situational poverty. In theormer, women lack education, language skills, or so-cial skills to nd jobs in todays dicult economy. Inthe latter, women who have lost their job, home, sav-ings, or car nd themselves unmoored rom the middleclass lie they previously experienced. Starting theirown business is oten their only option to cl imb out opoverty.

Kersting enrolled in February 2010. She l earnednew computer skills and social media marketing anddeveloped both a vision or going orward and a de-tailed business plan. Andrea was a great acilitator,she says o her workshop leader. She helps you dene

your goals and keeps you on track.Kersting decided she was ready to return to the

world o art andwith a $10,000, ve-year loan romthe Womens Initiativeopened the new CassandraKersting Gallery in Sausalito in early January. The gal-lery eatures paintings, jewelry, pottery, sculpture, andother artwork designed or the home, yard, or oce.Located near popular shops and restaurants, the gal-

lery is requented by locals as well as tourists.Womens Initiative helped me recapture my en-thusiasm or art and sales, she says. It made sense toreturn to what Im good at. At my age, this is like my lastchance. I cant give up. Im determined to make it work!

elva Salias: llce whsccess

For many years, Novato resident Elva Salinas had awell-paying job with health benets and the fexibleschedule she needed to raise her two children, nowages 22 and 8. She managed a Shell gas station conve-

nience store until she was let go in 2003. Thats when aseries o challenges began.

Salinas divorced her husband in 2006, three yearsater beginning a new career as a house cleaner. Workwas not steady. You never know i your clients will benasty or nice, she says. Or i youll get a raise, even iyou work hard. Such problems became moot when therecession hit and Salinas clients either cancelled her

services or cut back her hours.Seeking to improve her employment opportunitiesand skills, Salinas explored the certicate program atthe College o Marin but rst needed to improve herEnglish skills. A riend told her o Canal Alliancescontinuum o bilingual, amily-oriented services. InJanuary 2011, Salinas enrolled in two courses, one inEnglish, the other in computer basics. The only thingI knew about technology back then was how to turn t hecomputer on, she laughs.

Friendly and outgoing, Salinas oered child careservices or other amilies attending Canal Allianceclasses held at San Raaels Pickleweed Park Communi-ty Center. It was there she learned about the nonprotseconomic development program.

Working closely with Noah Harris, Canal Alliances

Business Services Coordinator, Salinas received coach-ing in budgeting and saving when she opened an In-dividual Development Account (a ederally-sponsoredsavings program similar to the one run by EARN)that matched $2 or every $1 she saved, or a total o$2,000 over a two-and-a-hal year period.

With inormation rom ellow workshop attendees,Salinas researched an investment in a ja nitorial ran-chise with Vanguard Cleaning Systems, a San Mateo-based company. She perormed due diligence, speak-ing with past and current ranchisees; wrote a busi-ness plan; listed specic, measurable objectives; andreceived eedback on her plan by Canal Alliance sta.Noah even met the local owner-operator o Vanguardto make sure they were legitimate, she says.

Salinas made the investment. As a result, her roster

o janitorial clients now includes the Richardson BayAudubon Center in Tiburon and Navitas Naturals, aood store in Bel Marin Keys. I dont have to knock ondoors anymore, she says with relie. They provide asmany clients as I have time or.

Mad Gilbs: ew pge

To describe the support that several Marin noered 26-year-old Mandy Gilberston as ano societys saety net is to miss the point. agencies were more like the compassionate,ing hand we expect rom our amily. In Gilbcase, the emergency housing provided by HBound o Marin, the ood provided by St. ViPaul Society, and the counseling provided bAbused Womens Services (housed at the CDomestic Peace) were among the many servgave a rightened, pregnant, and homeless tpathway to her uture.

The ormer Santa Rosa resident moved wamily to Marin at age 12. But the rebellioussent to live in a group home in San Anselmobled teens until age 18. Overcoming the trauemotionally abusive parent and, later, an abriend, Gilberston ound a network o suppoMarins nonprot network that enabled her together enough parenting skills and low-in

ing to prepare hersel or adulthood.Ater winning custody o her one-year-olArianna, Gilbertson decided to leave her jobministrative assistant in a Mill Valley nancrm to return to school ull -time. She ound 10,000 Degrees scholarship program by seline, completed the application orm, and mThat scholarship, plus a grant or child care organization, enabled her to resume her edu

Based in San Raael, 10,000 Degrees waslished to provide every Marin student, regarrace, ethnicity, or socioeconomic backgrounchance and the skills to pursue a higher edu

I elt motivated to become someone mywould be proud o, says Gilbertson. Rememher childhood passion or reading and litera

enrolled in the College o Marin, taking gention requirements, creative writing, and Engture. In all 2012, she will transer to UC Berplans to major in English and minor in ScanStudies. The resilient student was able to acwhile also successully ghting a bout o sk

Elva Salinas at Richardson Bay Audubon Center, her newest client


6/12


Gilbertson plans to continue until she earns a Ph.D.My thirst or knowledge and love o literature is toogreat, she says. I want to be surrounded by knowl-edge or the rest o my lie. She also wants to pass onher hard-won knowledge and volunteers once a weekas a tutor at Bayside Elementary Schools ReadingPartners program. I cant imagine what would havehappened to me i Id lived in another county. Im sograteul or all the resources here in Marin.

Mil Saaa: ew le ew c

Recently, when Meilyn Santana arrived at San RaaelsKaiser Hospital to help an older couple with transla-tion as they underwent medical care, she was not sur-prised to learn that the couple, Brazilian natives like

hersel, had earned masters degrees back home, immi-grated to Marin, and got stuck in jobs cleaning houses.

That could have happened to me i I hadnt oundout about Upwardly Global in 2007, says the 29-year-old, who, with the nonprots coaching, ound a job asa program manager or Operation Access, a nonprotthat coordinates donated health care services to thosewho are uninsured and underserved.

There is a large Brazilian community here, andmost o the women nd work as nannies, and the mendeliver pizzas, she says. When Santana immigratedto Marin as a 20-year-old college student in 2003, herown rst jobs were working by day as a nanny and bynight at a movie theater in Sausalito.

I had been studying international relations at theUniversity o Curitiba [in Brazil] when my parents gotdivorced, Santana remembers. Even with my grand-mothers help, my mother couldnt support my youngerbrother and pay or my education. So I decided to

Mandy Gilbertson with her daughter Arianna on the College of Marin campus

come here, work, and improve my English.In three years, Santana was able to save enough to

return home to complete her degree. She returned toMarin in 2006, determined to nd proessional em-ployment with health benets and a career path.

As a nanny, your time is not your own, she says.The job never ends at 6 p.m. like they promise. Andmy parents were disappointed. They said, You earned

a degreewhy are you changing diapers?A ellow Brazilian who had been granted politicalasylum to live in the U.S. told Santana about UpwardlyGlobal. I knew about craigslist. But cover letters? Inever heard o them, she laughs. The nonprot helpedher revise her rsum,coached her throughmock interviews, andpaired her with two men-tors who introduced herto others within their pro-essional networks.

When youre an im-migrant, its like you donthave a past, she explains.Nobody knows your

school, your reputation.But they prepared me.They gave me hope andmotivation when I waslosing it.

Today, Santana hassucceeded in her dreams.Now married, the TerraLinda resident works ull-time in the nonprot sec-tor. She also volunteerswith Upwardly Globalas its Marin County out-reach coordinator, andshes working on a Mastero Public Administration

degree at the Universityo San Francisco.

She also reached an-other milestone. In 2008,the long-time holder o agreen card became a U.S.citizen, taking the oathwith ve thousand other

people in San Francisco. I cried so hard, shbers. It was a very special day or sure.

Meilyn Santana on the U


7/12


Women

arechanging

thefaceof

philanthropy

Cpard t , giv r,i difrt ays, r difrt rass,ad t difrt issus. Overall, theirclout as philanthropists is growing.Hr is a suary th hs,hats, ad hys.

it started with sewing

circlesand thewomens movement

The womens movement led to a surge incharitable giving by women to support womenand girls.

Starting with the Ms. Foundation in1972, women have started more than 160oundations in the U.S. and abroad.

They pioneered giving circlesa collabora-tive, democratic way o making a dierenceinspired by the tradition o sewing circles.

Wme e llwg

kg ce he w.

alx deb, MCFs Vice President for

Philanthropic Services

more money+more education=more giving

60% o college students are women, andwomen earn the majority o masters

degrees and Ph.D.s

Women are either the sole decider oran equal decision-maker in households90% o the time when it comes to chari-table giving.

Women will control more than 3/4 othe estimated $41 trillion that will betranserred over the coming decades.

Women control more than hal o allpersonal wealth in the U.S.

The number o wealthy women in theU.S. is growing twice as ast as thenumber o wealthy men.

Wme e pblem-slves, chge ges,

lees whse vce ms be he wh eql

epese, whehe bsess, hme,

cmmes, gveme.

Sse tmpks Bell (a longtime MCF donor who

promotes leadership d evelopment, civic participation ,

and activism among women and girls)

The Venus Efect:women are diferent when it comes to giving

Theyre driven by passion or the issues that interest them. They combine rigor with intuition. They want to enrich their amilies and connect their kids to

a larger world.

Women want to mentor other women to be smart philanthropists.

women support issues near and dear to them

the cmm he s cecv.

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Womens Philanthropic Initiative

Wme hve scs h e pl

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scs mke bee wl.

Bb Mesl (an MCF donor who started a

playground in Israel to bring Palestinian and Israeli

kids together)

international issues basic needs womens health economic security

domestic violence education health care youth and amily issues


8/12


Br ppl talkd abut

scially rspsibl busi-

sss, values-based com-

panies, collaborative work environ-

ments, and breaking the glass ceil-

ing, one woman in Marin County

lived those concepts rom the in-

side out.

So its primarily in retrospect

that Margot Fraser, who started

Birkenstock USA, the U.S. distribu-

tor o the popular sandals, sees how

these issues played out over our

decades o growing a start-up (an-

other term not in vogue at the time)

into an icon o an era and a product

still associated with healthy living.

While Frasera donor at MCF

since 1999has counseled many

women about starting their own

businesses and speaks regularly on

the topic, she says she didnt spend

much time guring out how to be

successul with her male counter-

parts or thinking about the assets

that women bring to the workplace.

I oten tell women, Just ignore

that stu and that buzz. Just go on.

I didnt have time to think about

how men might view me. And, Fra-

ser adds with a smile, men can be

very helpul. Im not anti-men at all.

Many women think they have to be

more like men. I dont think thats

necessary.

In looking back at her own suc-

cess, Fraser does eel that her abili-

ties to be a good listener and to

be exibleskills she thinks that

many women havewere critically

important. You always have to

have your antennas out to eel what

works and what doesnt. A small

crack that doesnt look like much

can be where the business can re-

ally grow.

Her avorite example is the

emergence o hippies. I never im-

aged them coming along, but they

were the ones who made Birken-

stock take o.

And while Fraser, who lives in

San Raael, has co-written a book,

Dealing with the Tough Stu:

Practical Wisdom or Running a

Values-Driven Business, the val-

ues piece o that is also something

that seems to come more rom

hindsight.

While I was doing it, I wasnt

really thinking about that, she

says. It was a natural thing to do.

I didnt think, Oh, lets do a values-

based business. I was just going

along doing business.

For example, she was driven by

a strong belie in the benets o

the products themselves, since she

said that the sandals made her eet

eel good or the rst time. And that

led to insisting on a distribution

process that enabled her to get to

know the storeownersand even

customerswell.

Within the company, she liked

an environment where people

knew each other and what each

person was doing. To this day, her

ormer employees get together or

an annual summer picnic.

There are other values that

drove Fraser, like not holding on

too tightly to a business plan, or

even the business itsel. The per-

son has to have the eeling that i

the worst thing happens, so what?

You can go on to do something

else. It isnt the end o the world.

You have to be able to live with am-

biguity and controversy.

But even this values-based

businesswoman stresses that the

single most important element o

a successul business is good man-

agement o cash ow. You have to

pay that payroll every Friday, she

says.

Frasers route to success was

not a straight line. As a child grow-

ing up in war-torn Germany, she

looked up to the merchants in Bre-

men, who inspired her to want to be

an international merchant.

She also wanted people to know

that not all Germans were bad

one reason she eels her business

success has had a healing quality

to it.

However, she was steered into

dressmaking and design, since her

ather told her that shed only be

writing someone elses letters i she

worked at a large company.

That ended up to be her ticket

margot fraserone step AheAd

Margot Fraser in her garden in


9/12


to Canada to work or a tailor. Later,

ater moving to San Francisco, she

went on a trip to Germany to seek

out health-related products and

ran across her rst pair o Birken-

stockswhich proved to help her

own oot problems. A leap o aith

rom the president o Birkenstock

enabled her, in 1966, to distribute

the sandals and then, somewhat

later, to launch Birkenstock USA,

which has always been based in

Marin.

Fraser continues to talk to

budding entrepreneursespecially

women, since, she says, Many

dont eel they have the power to

move ahead. And she likes the

spirit that many minority women

bring to these endeavors. Theyre

already amiliar with the idea o

risk, and they bring a resh view o

things.

She has been involved with both

Womens Initiative or Sel Employ-

ment and the Renaissance Entre-

preneurship Center.

Frasers inuence on budding

entrepreneurs reaches women who

come in contact with her even ca-

sually. She recently spoke at a con-

erence on business in society at

the University o Virginia where a

woman spoke up about one such

encounter.

As a teen, she had attended a

summer camp in Caliornia, Camp

Start-Up, where she learned the

basics o entrepreneurship, invest-

ing, and other business practices.

A highlight o her summer? A eld

trip to Birkenstock in Marin, where

she met Fraser, who made a lie-

long impression on her.

Frasers strong belie in the

underpinning o her successthe

products themselvesis another

lasting legacy. On Birkenstock

USAs website, it reads: We have

passion or our products, an ap-

preciation o their heritage, and a

genuine belie in their benets.

And, she still wears them.

a P MEarlier this year, the Marin CommunityFoundation published a report,A Portraitof Marin, which we commissioned romthe American Human DevelopmentProject. The report is a compellinganalysis o several key indicators o thewell-being o people living in Marin, usinga methodology that the United Nationshas applied around the world or several

decades. By ocusing on the intersectiono health, education, and income, thereport provides both an in-depth look atdisparities in Marin as well as strategiesthat can create a more equitable county.You can read and download a copy oAPortrait of Marin at www.maicf.g/pai, or call 415.464.2500 to request

a copy o the printed report.

Deciding betweenmaking a dierenceand making some

money is no longer aneither-or choice or todaysinvestors.

In act, investors have been

able to do both at the same time or

many years. Socially responsible

investment poolsMCF oers one

as an option or its donorsinvest

in companies based on a variety o

social screens, including ones that

look at environmental practices,

human rights policies, and

companies connections to alcohol,

tobacco, or weapons. The general

notion is do no harm.

But a new growth industry

oers another kind o investingthat looks at the ipside o do no

harm, and thats do good.

Its called impact investing,

a strategy used by individuals

and institutions to invest in

enterprisesboth or-

prot and nonprot

that oer products

and services designed

to improve peoples

lives while providing

a return on the

investment. These

kinds o investments

support eorts around

the world addressing

everything rom

poverty and education

to health and climate

change.

Its a strategy,

according to

experts, that has

great potential. One

estimate, in a report

published by J.P.

Morgan, suggests that

impact investing could

attract between $400

billion and $1 trillion

by 2020.

Two phrases are oten used

to describe the concept o impact

investing: the intersection

o money and meaning and

pursuing prot with purpose.

As such, its seen as a way to

vastly increase the resou

directed to improving th

people around the world

what comes rom traditi

philanthropy and governprogramsgenerally con

insufcient by themselv

solutions to scale.

Increasingly, people

looking or ways to not i

capital on one side and g

away on another, says J

associate in the impact i

and program-related inv

division o the Rockeell

Foundation, a leader in p

this approach to meetin

community needs. The

or ways to align their in

with their values.

How these eorts pr

capital to do good, and h

are structured, varies co

Given the growth o

investing, many nancia

oer a variety o options

individuals and instituti

or alternatives to traditi

investments in nancial

And a growing number

specialize in impact inv

some with names that su

their origins, like Good C

Mindul Investors.

Some impact investm

both loans and equity in

mentsaddress a broad

social issues, while othe

ly ocused. For example,

unds the provision o in

to low-income people ar

world, and another inve

Maureen Sedonaen at the Civic Cent

Impact rom do no harInvesting to do good

Increasingly, people

are looking or ways

to not invest their

capital on one side

and give it away

on another. Theyre

looking or ways to

align their investments

with their values.

i 12 | I i M i Phil th i t17

i 12 | I i M i Phil th i t


10/12

spring 12 | Imagine: Marin Philanthropist17

timber industry in ways that protect

wildlie habitat and water quality.

The nonprot world has

also spawned several models,

some based on using charitable

contributions as capital and others

that rely on the investment o

assets in oundation endowments

and donor-advised unds.

One that seeks both charitable

contributions and investments isRoot Capital, which provides loans

to grassroots businesses in rural

areas o developing countries. An

area o ocus is helping armers

who provide air trade products to

companies like Whole Foods and

Starbucks get the capital needed to

meet the growing demand or these

products.

Some name-brand domestic

and international nonprots have

gotten on board. For example,

Oxam Internationals Small

Enterprise Impact Investment Fund

invests in small and medium-sizeenterprises in Arica and Asia, with

a ocus on ood and agriculture.

And at the small-scale end o

options is Kiva, a nonprot that

enables individuals to make loans

as small as $25 via its website to

und microenterprises around the

world. The loans are paid back with

interest.

Foundations and holders o

donor-advised unds have also

turned to impact investing as a way

to make a dierence on the issues

they want to ocus on.

For example, the KelloggFoundation makes what it calls

mission-driven investments

rom its endowment in or-

prot enterprises that improve

the conditions o vulnerable

childrena key ocus o its

grantmaking activities as well.

Other oundations invest in

everything rom companies that

produce solar lamps or people

living in areas without electricity

to community development

corporations that are building

aordable housing.

Foundations have alsoestablished dedicated, revolving

loan unds to build on their

grantmaking activities. This is an

approach that several community

oundations are taking, including

the Marin Community Foundation.

Many o these eorts, including

MCFs, oer technical assistance

and nancial training to the

nonprots that receive loans, so

that they receive, as Marc Rand,

MCFs loan director, puts it, the

added benet o becoming more

savvy about nances, including

cash ow, the use o debt, andbudgeting.

Some o these same community

oundationsagain, including

MCFoer their donors the

opportunity to invest a portion o

the assets in their donor-advised

unds into these impact investment

opportunities, with the principal

and interest made available or

grantmaking at the end o the

investment term. (See acing page

or more details on MCFs approach

to impact investing.)

Donor-advised unds are

an interesting pool o capital,says Lai, at the Rockeeller

Foundation, since donors are

already philanthropically minded

and are interested in a spectrum

o products where they can deploy

their resources.

And, adds Lai, Even during the

uncertainty o the g lobal economy,

investors report that their impact

investments were a stabilizing

piece o their portolios. They

might not have produced the rate

o returns you see in a bull market,

but they were stabilizing in a down

market.

To learn more: www.thegiin.org

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impactinvestingat MCFThrough its Loan Fund, the Marin

Community Foundation has been a

leader in impact investing or over 20years by making below-market loans

to local nonprot organizations.

To cite just a ew examples

among hundreds, a loan enabled EAH

to retrot its aordable housing units

in Marin to be more energy-efcient

resulting in lower costs or renters

and lower carbon emissions. Center

or Domestic Peace (home o Marin

Abused Womens Services) now has

its own building, providing greater

stability and visibility as it se rves

more amilies aected by domestic

violence. And a new acility or Marin

City CDC is providing a much-neededspace to oer job training in a variety

o industries.

MCF has made nearly $25

million in loans over the past 10

years that help borrowers not served

by commercial banks due to the

perceived risk o the nonprot sector.

These loans oten und capital

projects and revenue-producing

ventures, with the added benet

o encouraging the economic

independence and stability o

borrowers.

The Loan Fund has supported

eorts that address aordable

housing, environmental protection,

education, and many other issues.

MCFs underwriting process has

resulted in a 0% deault rate.

While the Foundations Loan

Fund has assets o $17 million, the

need in the community or loans is

ar greater. To increase th

reach o these eorts, don

can invest a portion o the

their donor-advised unds

Loan Fund to make an imp

the issues they care about

investments earn interest

paid back, along with the

to the donor-advised und

o the investment termo

may choose to reinvest ththe Loan Fund.

Interest rates vary rom

2.50%, depending on the te

loan.

Marc Rand, MCFs loa

says that the Foundations

Fund addresses concerns

hold some investors back

participating in impact inv

the difculty o measuring

impact, perceived greater

the challenge o nding p

projects to und.

Because weve worke

with many nonprots heror 25 years, MCF knows a

our borrowers and the imp

loans, he says, and our g

rates o return are typicall

than whats oered in the

market.

One MCF donor who

advantage o this opportu

Wilson. We didnt want a

sitting in our und withou

anything, he says. Doing

need. Its hard or small no

pay or buildings and get

And we like doubling the

buck.To learn more about t

investment option, contac

415.464.2522 or mrand@m

learn more on MCFs web

aric.rg/ipactiv

spring 12 | Imagine: Marin Philanthropist




11/12

19 Imagine: Marin Philanthropist Magazine | spring 12 spring 12 | Imagine: Marin Philanthropist19 Imagine: Marin Philanthropist Magazine | spring 12

Just before students arrive

for an aer-school session

at Next Generaon Scholars

downtown San Rafael center,

Sally Matsuishi, execuve

director of the college-prepprogram, is helping volunteers

unload large shopping bags

overowing with new winter

jackets.

We bought these at huge

discounts! she shouts out.

Now our kids who are going to college Back East can

stay warm. Theyve never had winter clothes before!

And while this years college acceptance leers

havent yet arrived, Matsuishi knows these jackets

will be put to good use, since NGS sends 100% of its

graduateslow-income students from throughout the

countyto four-year colleges year aer year.

Matsuishis calling to help low-income studentsthrive goes back to her own familys experience, when

her grandparents, who were migrant workers with

limited educaon, felt that if their kids could get into

college, that could change things and break a long-

standing cycle of poverty, as she puts it. Her parents

did go to collegethe rst generaon in their families

to do soand Matsuishi followed them, taking o from

Marin to aend Vassar College.

At Vassar, she was inspired by its head of admissions

to help low-income students go beyond doing well

academically by nding ways they could give back to

their own families and communies. They knew they

were cherry-picking the smartest kids in low-income

areas, but they didnt feel they were doing anythingto actually change those neighborhoods, Matsuishi

explains.

Another inuence at the me was a vising teacher,

Bey Shabazz (the widow of Malcolm X), who told

Matsuishi, You can go anywhere, but if you take your

fancy Vassar degree and go into the gheos, then

you can change the world.

Matsuishis response was,

Thats what I want to do.

One day later, she had

a business plan in place that

contained the basic principlesand goals she sll embraces.

She was 19 at the me.

Aer a snt in Los

Angeles in graduate school,

Matsuishi returned to Marin

and was sad to see how large

the educaonal equity gap had goen and how grave

the situaon was.

Next Generaon Scholars soon started with a small

group of kids sing around her dining room table. Now,

nine years later, it serves some 130 families at any given

me.

NGS, she says, engages its students by immersing

them in studies and acvies that connect to theirdaily lives and experiences. They read the works of

authors like Cornell West and Alice Walker, study social

jusce issues, andimportantlytake things in their

own families and communies that suck (the word

Matsuishi uses when asking them to think about the

challenges in their lives) and turn them into community

upli acvies.

These acvies work because they pull the students

in with their own stories and histories and validate

their own experiences, she says. They enable them

to excel, to have a sense of agency, and to feel theyre

capable of doing this kind of work and going to college.

They set them up for success.

In addion, the scholars and other family membersreceive a range of social services and academic support

to create a culture of going to college, says Matsuishi.

Many of our students are the only English-speaking

members of their families, theyre working part-me

to help out, or theyre taking care of younger siblings.

There are a lot of issues we need to pay aenon to.

From the kitchen

table outward

SALLyMAtSuIShI

Sally Matsuishi at her kitchen table in S



12/12


She adds that what she and others at NGS see in the

kids they serveprimarily, their incredible strength

is hidden from people who see these same kids every

day. Theyre the kids pushing the shopping carts in

parking lots, taking your cket at the movie theater, or

bagging groceries.

And these are the kids who come in

here and are so intellectually curious,

engaged, and dedicated to the processof learning to the boom of their shoes.

Before they get here, she adds, many of

these kids werent doing well in school. If

you dont think youre going anywhere,

you dont try very hard.

A turning point for many of NGS

students is idenfying and leading a

community upli projectan acvity

Matsuishi describes as taking what

they are most ashamed of as a child

and transferring that into their greatest

strength.

Studentswith support from their

fellow scholarshave helped apartment-dwellers in the Canal start small

gardens on their balconies to help feed

their families; opened a thri store

EcoBabyin that neighborhood where

residents can get free donated clothes;

and organized Marins rst oat in San

Franciscos annual Gay Pride Parade,

where several newly out students felt

the support of hundreds of thousands of

spectators.

These kids are learning how others

overcame similar challenges and

organized people to make a dierence.

When you see kids do that, theres noway theyre not going to college. They get to the point

of knowing they want to get more educated. And the

community begins to own these kids and have pride in

them. College becomes an inevitability.

These kids already have an Ivy League educaon

in poverty, Matsuishi adds. If you put that together

with a real Ivy League educaon, you can really change

things.

She cites another acvity that has a big impact on

NGS parcipantstheir college admissions essay.

These children are invisible. Theyre not supposed to

have voices, she says. These essays give them the

ability to have a voice and to be heard

on a large scale.

Matsuishi describes the essays asstories of triumph, not sob stories. Its

scary for them to tell them, since they

oen focus on things theyve never

talked about beforelike domesc

violence, substance abuse, or extreme

poverty. They are, instead, stories of

the tough choices these kids have

made to get to this place in their lives.

Their success connues in college,

Matsuishi says. And she knows, because

she keeps in touch with every NGS

graduate on a regular basis. They have

leadership posions at college and are

volunteering in local communies.These are the people I want to vote for.

These are the good people weve been

waing for.

Reecng on one of her original

inspiraonsto nd ways that young

people can return to their own

communies to make a dierence

Matsuishi says theres evidence thats

happening. She cites NGS graduates

who are now working at NGS, another

at 10,000 Degrees, one who is starng

a nonprot in Marin based on his own

community upli project, and others

who are teaching and working in low-income communies around the U.S.

Given rising high-school drop-out rates among

low-income students and students of color, what does

Matsuishi feel can help larger numbers of students than

NGS can reach?

It comes down, she says, to resolve. The people

Their success

continues in

college. They

have leadership

positions and

are volunteering

in local

communities.

These are

the people I

want to vote or.

These are the

good people

weve been

waiting or.

of Marin will rise to the occasion and help other

educaonal equity organizaons working on the

front lines. She also cites partnerships between

organizaons and people with resources of dierent

kindsspace, money, and, perhaps most importantly,

the willingness to be part of the soluon.

When I think of what happens at NG

Dorothy, Matsuishi says. She always ha

slippers. She just needed to be told to click

mes. Thats what were really doing h

teaching kids how to click their heels.

MCFsGiving

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imagine - elva salinas

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