Throughout the Community Foundation’s extensive strategic planning process, stakeholders across our region expressed a desire for the Foundation to uphold equity and inclusion as guiding principles in our work.

The Foundation has committed to better modeling the importance of equity and inclusion both internally, in our organizational culture and processes, and externally, in our grant making and related practices. We hold Equity and Inclusion up as both one of the Foundation’s five priorities and a cross-cutting value that informs everything we do.

What We Believe

Pursuing equity and inclusion is not just the right thing to do — it is smart. Embracing diverse perspectives and voices is critical to ensuring a vibrant, inviting community. Our goal is not to reduce the complexity of who we are but to foster an increased awareness and appreciation of our diversity and differences. People from any background should feel welcomed to the table, empowered to raise issues that matter to them, and involved in decisions that impact them. This allows all of us to learn from the conversations and relationships that result and be a part of creating change.

What We Mean When We Say “Equity”

When we say equity, we are referring to the achievable ideal where everyone in our community can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. This is not the same as “equality”, which implies offering identical resources and opportunities to everyone. Equity means meeting people where they are and paying special attention to the most marginalized. Driven by data, this type of intentional support unlocks potential and helps ensure each individual has what they need to thrive. In the near term, greater equity means improved outcomes for communities. Over the long term — if we tackle issues at the root — a focus on equity can permanently shift what future generations expect from life in our region.

The Impact We Seek

Promote the values and practice of equity and inclusion in our community by:

1. Developing public awareness, dialogue, and action to reduce barriers and ensure fair opportunities for everyone
2. Increasing capacity of and support for residents to drive positive change and create fairer systems for all
3. Promoting opportunities for meaningful participation by any marginalized groups and for dialogue and relationship building across differences