Please join us for an important in-person learning event in May. Nonprofit Know-How: Creating Space for Equity Conversation will be held on Wednesday, May 18, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the Community Foundation. Refreshments will be served.  This event is a chance for nonprofit leaders and staff to gather in person to respond to the Grantmaking Equity Statement and discuss an equity focus within their organizations and how to move forward on the journey. Please register here by Monday, May 16, 2022.

Nonprofit Know-How: Creating Space for Equity Conversation will feature a follow-up conversation to the December 2021 Nonprofit Know-How: Prioritizing Equity in Your Linn County Nonprofit. During the May gathering, the Community Foundation grants team will share examples of equity at work in the nonprofits in our community. We hope to create a brave space to discuss the new Grantmaking Equity Statement and engage in roundtable peer-to-peer conversations. We will also share plans for learning and engagement throughout the rest of 2022. The small group conversations and learning are for everyone. Members of the Community Foundation grants and program team will serve as participants and learners with you.

The December Nonprofit Know-How event is recorded, so we encourage participants interested in this conversation to watch the recording here and attend the May conversation in person. The Grantmaking Equity Statement was introduced at this virtual event and will be reflected in grant applications beginning in 2023. The December event covered the following topics that will spark conversation: leadership for DEI work, the Advancing Racial Equity in Linn County report, and the mission, vision, and values worksheet. Find the December event recording and links to materials here: https://www.gcrcf.org/event/nonprofit-know-how-prioritizing-equity-in-your-linn-county-nonprofit/

As an extension of this effort, we encourage organizations to participate in the Inclusive ICR DEI Index from now until May 13. This assessment tool is a free opportunity to examine DEI in your organization and assist in creating a path forward. Find information here: index.inclusiveicr.org.

About the DEI Index:

Inclusive ICR, a local coalition with a mission to grow diversity and inclusion in the workforce throughout the ICR region, has announced the launch of a free diversity, equity and inclusion assessment that will be available to area employers online at index.inclusiveicr.org from April 18 to May 13. This assessment, known as the DEI Index, is made possible through Inclusive ICR along with project investors ICR Iowa, the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, Iowa City Area Business Partnership, and the Iowa City Area Development Group.

A 2021 coalition survey identified the need to assist employers who want access to an assessment tool that would be cost effective and accessible for organizations of all sizes and industries who want to understand their strengths and challenges in the DEI space from a neutral third party. A second goal was to provide access to local and regional resources that could help an organization that receives its assessment results and would like to connect with experts on next steps. With these needs in mind, a core project committee connected with best practices in other markets to develop a customized index for the ICR Iowa region, along with the collection of area resources to build an online resource library scheduled to launch in early June.

The DEI Index is available online to any employer located in the ICR Iowa region, offering a variety of statements and questions based on five diversity, equity and inclusion pillars. One submission per organization will be accepted with flexibility to save and return to the index to ensure all information is collected for optimal accuracy and results. Upon its closing on May 13, each assessment will be curated into a customized, confidential report that will be emailed directly to the employer. A regional summary will be provided to Inclusive ICR and project investors.

Full details on the build out of the index and the link to participate is available at www.inclusiveicr.org