BROOKLINE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, INC.

BCF is working to promote a better Brookline for All. In our strategic plan, our two strategic programmatic goals are to: reduce and alleviate poverty and expand opportunities for youth, particularly middle school youth.

Strategic Goal #1: Reduce and Alleviate Poverty

Objective 1: Increase distributions from the BCF Safety Net Fund, which provides critical emergency assistance, helping neighbors in crisis with rent, food, utility bills, and other acute financial needs, to key organizations by 60% to better address neighbors' short-term basic needs.

Objective 2. Publish an in-depth report "Understanding Brookline: A Report on Poverty" and host a convening to launch the research that many non-profit leaders and town officials say is critical to their own planning and fundraising.

Objective 3. Convene and support agencies serving vulnerable individuals and families, helping us to work together more strategically.

Objective 4. Review current programs and share best practices in reducing poverty.

Strategic Goal #2: Expand Opportunities for Youth

Objective 1: Conduct new research that illuminates the scope of out-of-school time
needs, particularly for youth who are at-risk or from low-income families.

Objective 2: Award targeted grants to programs poised to fill critical gaps.

By developing a strategic plan for 2014-2018, we have set a framework for our work. Overall, the strategy of the community foundation is to increase assets to provide a stream of income for programmatic and community leadership work in the years to come.

In addition, the Brookline Forward Campaign has ambitious fundraising goals tied to each objective. In early 2015 BCF hired a part-time director of development and donor services to help meet these fundraising goals. Goals and objectives as outlined in the strategic plan.

Strategic Goal #1: Reduce and Alleviate Poverty

Objective 1: Increase distributions from the BCF Safety Net Fund, which provides critical emergency assistance, helping neighbors in crisis with rent, food, utility bills, and other acute financial needs, to key organizations by 60% to better address neighbors' short-term basic needs.

Outcome 1: Grants from the BCF Safety Net Fund increased from $100,000 in 2013 to $160,000 in 2016.

Outcome 2: The BCF Rapid Response Fund was created in January 2015 to help address short-term, emergency needs in the community in the aftermath of a disaster or other unforeseen event such as fires.

Objective 2. Publish an in-depth report "Understanding Brookline: A Report on Poverty" and host a convening to launch the research that many non-profit leaders and town officials say is critical to their own planning and fundraising.

Outcome 1: More than 5,000 of the report "Understanding Brookline: A Report on Poverty" have been distributed to donors, town departments, businesses, and community members.

Objective 3. Convene and support agencies serving vulnerable individuals and families, helping us to work together more strategically.

Outcome 1: A town-wide forum, BCF Spotlight Event: Poverty, Income Inequality and Our Community, for 200 people to hear about local and national trends on poverty and about local lived experiences was hosted in 2015.

Outcome 2: Quarterly meetings for executive directors and town department directors who serve low-income and at-risk populations are convened in Brookline to share about resources and needs are being hosted.

Objective 4. Review current programs and share best practices in reducing poverty.

Outcome 1: Barry Bluestone, Professor of Political Economy at the Kitty and Michael Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University, as keynote speakers shared about national trends on poverty at the town-wide forum. Speakers are often at Executive Director Roundtable to share best practices.

Strategic Goal #2: Increase Opportunities for Youth

Objective 1: Conducted new research and published Advancing Access to Quality Out-of-School Time in Brookline, a report that illuminates the scope of out-of-school time needs, particularly for youth who are at-risk or from low-income families.

Outcome 1: Consultant that specializes in out-of-school time needs and trends is hired and The Nation Institute on Out-of-School Time published a report on both local and national trends and needs are published in 2019.

Objective 2: Award targeted grants to programs poised to fill critical gaps.

Outcome 2: Awarded $405,200 In strategic out-of-school grants for OST from 2014 to 2016 to launch new programs or expand programs of non-profits or town departments. In addition, awarded in 2017 $139,000 for a total of $544,200 from 2014 to 2017.