In the organizing world, a key tenet of power is that “power is the product of relationship,” meaning people in strong relationships with one another produce power. At EdTrust-West, we embrace this principle of power-building through one of our signature programs, the Communities Organizing for Racial Equity in Education (CORE) Collective. We know that learning alongside and collaborating with fellow advocates boosts our collective ability to drive systemic change and achieve equitable outcomes for students, families, and communities in California.
EdTrust-West is now in its eighth year of being an intermediary funder, a role we take seriously and continue to reflect on. As highlighted in the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s recent report, Bridging the Gap: Grantee Perspectives on Intermediary Funders, grantees can have very different experiences with intermediary organizations — some beneficial, some less so. For us, being an intermediary isn’t about simply passing along funding. Instead, we see our role as multifaceted, building upon monetary support with additional benefits and resources that help our partners grow, build capacity, and be increasingly influential in policymaking decisions at the state and local level. Below, we share some key ways we do that, prioritizing strong relationships to build collective power toward achieving shared goals.
Grounding in Diverse Community Perspectives
The current iteration of our community grantee program, the above-mentioned CORE Collective, is a two-year subgrant program comprised of a cohort of eight community-based organizations committed to equity and inclusion in California schools, colleges, and universities. The program helps to ground our statewide advocacy in community perspectives and lived experiences, and support CORE members to strengthen their own local and statewide advocacy.
In just the first year of the most recent cohort, these partnerships helped boost the effectiveness of advocacy efforts to support the state’s students of color, low-income students, and multilingual learners, including work on finalizing the California Math Framework, increasing attention and action on Educator Diversity Recruitment and Retention, boosting efforts around College Access and Success, implementing the Cradle-to-Career Data System, supporting Multilingual Learners and Parenting Students, and building awareness on issues around school funding, early education, and family engagement.
Identifying Shared Goals Across the Network
In addition, by connecting CORE organizations to one another and reflecting often on shared challenges and opportunities, grantees and EdTrust-West can respond to developments in the education equity landscape in a timely way. In the past school year, as communities across the country struggled to navigate the rushed adoption of the Department of Education’s Better FAFSA, many CORE Collective members recognized that they were seeing the fallout of this federal policy impact their respective communities and constituencies in alarming ways.
In the Inland Empire, BLU Educational Foundation fielded frantic questions from students and counselors that mirrored the questions posed in East San José to staff members of the Latino Education Advancement Foundation. Families in Los Angeles affiliated with the Parent Organization Network expressed worry about the impact on their college-bound students in ways that complemented questions coming from teachers affiliated with the Black Educator Advocates Network. Recognizing a similar need for resources, members of the CORE Collective organized themselves to share tips and best practices with each other. EdTrust-West then partnered with the group to share these suggestions with California’s Student Aid Commission to inform the rollout of supplemental resources.
The CORE Collective aims to foster this sort of nimble collaboration and learning by providing space for members to share their expertise and enrich their advocacy toolboxes. CORE members meet regularly in virtual settings to share updates, strategize together, and explore potential shared advocacy actions. The group comes together in-person at least once each year for an intensive day-long session that involves advocacy skill-building, policy expert discussions, and programming designed to deepen strategy and resource sharing to fit the grantees’ needs within the collective.
Adjusting Capacity-Building Programming to Grantee Needs
Intentionally investing in grantee organizations also requires us to be reflective about how we can best serve organizations of the CORE Collective. As the CEP report points out, communication between intermediaries and grantees is often stronger than those of originating funders — but at times trust is actually lower between intermediary organizations and their grantees. We seek to cultivate trust in authentic conversations, including gathering feedback on experiences of those involved with the CORE Collective to provide insights useful for our continued CORE programming and beyond, especially as advocates and the philanthropic sector explore ways to support and enhance the collaboration that leads to real results for students. When we asked them how the CORE Collective has supported their campaign goals and objectives, four key themes emerged, highlighting the strength of working and learning in community with one another.
Building Skills and Assessing Organizational Impact
Members highlighted that the program has been instrumental in providing valuable skills for assessing organizational impact, refining fundraising approaches, and building solidarity with other organizations. These skills have contributed to overall staff and organizational growth, serving as significant professional development opportunities.
Networking Opportunities
The program’s intentional emphasis on networking has allowed grantees to connect with other organizations that share similar values, fostering meaningful partnerships and collaborations.
Impact Report Training Workshops
Our in-house “Development of Impact Report” series led by Cities & People was particularly valuable. Members reported that the content on impact assessments, data collection, and analysis has provided strategies and tools that positively influence their work. Workshops on data collection and campaign progress discussions have helped teams think more strategically and feel more confident in their skills.
Collaborative Learning
Being part of a collective with similar organizations has enabled members to learn from each other and share expertise. This collaborative environment has enriched their resources and inspired new approaches to their campaigns and organizational growth.
Our experience has made it clear that the power of relationships and community learning is key to achieving meaningful and lasting change in California’s education ecosystem. The success of the CORE Collective is a testament to this transformative power of driving equitable change — in true partnership with grantees — and reinforces CEP’s findings about the need to be intentional in serving as an intermediary. Our CORE Collective model aims to empower communities at both local and statewide levels through strong connections. At EdTrust-West, we are committed to continuing these power-building efforts.
Lange Luntao is director of partnerships and engagement at EdTrust-West. Esmeralda Marcial is manager of partnerships and engagement at EdTrust-West.
