Karen Leventhal

Cleveland 2030 District has a great education session coming up on September 11th: Climate Goals: Are They Enough? Leading national and local experts will provide an update on climate change and the science-based targets we must achieve to keep global warming in check. Are our targets sufficient, or is it time to reassess them? We'll dig into climate trends, rainfall metrics and when we can expect to reach the 1.5 degrees of warming that was set as the upper limit to avoid severe impact of climate change. We will also address the built environment's contribution and what we must do to meaningfully reduce our impact on climate change. We've made progress but is it enough? We'll answer these questions in addition to hearing from the City on their new goals and initiatives. Speakers: David Easterling from Future Climate, Erin McDade, Assoc. AIA McDade from Architecture 2030, Liz Beardsley from U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Sarah E. O'Keeffe O'Keeffe from City of Cleveland - City Hall 2 continuing education credits available for several professional associations. September 11, 2025 from 8 -10 AM ET on Zoom Register: https://lnkd.in/ejiaKc4x

17

Great news for Indiana’s communities! The state has just released the Community Development Toolkit via the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, designed to support strategic planning and impactful project execution across our towns and cities. Why this matters: • It strengthens your foundation, ensuring your community is truly “project-ready” before diving in. • It aligns resources and incentives to help projects attract investment and drive economic outcomes. • It empowers local leaders to move with confidence and clarity toward growth. #IndianaEconomy #CommunityDevelopment #ProjectGrowth #EconomicDevelopment #PlaceMaking

14

1 Comment

When a Food Crisis Becomes a Housing, Utility, and Public Safety EmergencyBy Melva L. Bradford, Executive Director, The LaStraw, Inc.The SNAP benefit suspension is not just a food crisis—it’s a multi-layered emergency affecting housing, utilities, and public safety across Detroit’s Eastside.Families are facing a $1,227.60 monthly shortfall. As temperatures drop and utility bills rise, many will be forced to choose: Food or rentGroceries or heatShelter or medicationThis domino effect is predictable. Food insecurity leads to housing instability. Housing instability leads to unpaid utilities.Unpaid utilities lead to unsafe living conditions. And all of it contributes to rising public safety risks in neighborhoods with low or no resources. Many businesses shuttered during COVID never returned. The economic infrastructure is fragile. The social safety net is fraying. The National Guard has been deployed in several cities, throughout the country but there has been no corresponding response in the form of expansion of supportive services.The Solution Is Local — But UnderfundedCommunity-based and grassroots organizations—many operating with budgets under $50,000—are embedded in the neighborhoods they serve. They hold deep community trust, even if they lack political power.These organizations are often lifted up rhetorically for “doing more with less,” yet they are rarely trusted by funders to do more with more. They are seldom given the resources to build their capacity, scale their impact, or sustain their work beyond crisis response.This contradiction must be addressed. If their proximity, their insight, and their effectiveness, is truly valuable it must signal a justifiable demand for equitable funding. They can be mobilized quickly to:Distribute foodProvide emergency housing and utility supportCoordinate outreach and volunteer logistics Equitable Funding is Imperative to Stave Off a CrisisWe call on city, state, and federal leaders to:Fund small nonprofits equitably, based on proximity to the crisis and proven impactInvest in their capacity, not just their programsInclude them in emergency planning and policy designRecognize their role as essential infrastructure, not optional support Investing in these organizations is not charity—it’s strategy. It’s how we build resilience, dignity, and recovery from the ground up.#SNAPEmergency #FoodJustice #HousingEquity #UtilityJustice #DetroitEastside #CommunityCouncil #TheLaStraw #PolicyWithEmpathy #LinkedInVoices #weveseenthisbefore

2

What Is Fiscal Sponsorship — and Why It Matters for Health Equity in Wisconsin Many community-led initiatives never move forward because launching a new nonprofit is administratively complex, costly, and time-intensive. Embolden WI serves as a fiscal sponsor for Wisconsin-based projects focused on health equity, health justice, and civic health. By operating under our established 501(c)(3), emerging initiatives can: • Raise tax-deductible funds • Apply for grants • Access financial oversight and compliance support • Launch more quickly and with lower risk Fiscal sponsorship provides the governance and financial infrastructure necessary for promising ideas to develop responsibly — while allowing project leaders to focus on impact. For funders and institutional partners, this model offers: • Accountability and fiscal oversight • Streamlined grant management • Reduced duplication of nonprofit infrastructure • A pathway to test and scale community-driven solutions On March 3rd, during The Big Share, we invite you to support Embolden WI’s role as a backbone organization advancing equitable, community-led change across Wisconsin. Invest in infrastructure. Strengthen innovation. Build sustainable impact. Donate today: https://lnkd.in/gsFbAPkk

6