Nuts & Bolts: The Uses & Limits of Data as We Work in the San Joaquin Valley
In this post, we discuss our efforts to better integrate data as we try to understand the opportunities and challenges facing the San Joaquin Valley.
The Heron Blog
Heron's 2019 Presidential Podcast
In 2018, Dana Bezerra became the new president of Heron. However, Dana has been at Heron for 13 years in total, starting as a program officer in 2006. She’s seen Heron grow and change and is now sharing her guidance, leadership, and lessons learned as we focus on the intersection of communities and capital markets. In this podcast episode, we ask Dana to reflect on her first year as president, and share what’s next for Heron.
General Operating Support: The Effective Thing to Do; The Respectful Thing to Do
General operating support can provide nonprofit organizations with the flexibility to plan, innovate, and pivot in their work. So, why don’t more foundations provide general operating support as part of their grantmaking strategies? In this post, we chat with Mary Jo Mullan, a former and longtime member of the Heron team, about the importance of general operating support.
Questions We’re Asking This Week: San Joaquin Valley Edition
We’re launching a new series called “Questions We’re Asking This Week” that catalogs some of the inquiries we’re chasing in order to help people and communities help themselves out of poverty.
Questions We're Asking this Week: Pensions & Community Prosperity
Pension liabilities can be a detriment to community prosperity, while pension funds can be a source of power for workers. With those dynamics in mind, here are a few pension-related questions we’re asking this week.
Mar 10, 2015
Field Notes: Reinventing Philanthropy for the 21st Century
The Aspen Institute has released a report on Impact Investing featuring an essay written by Heron president Clara Miller.
Mar 24, 2015
Field Notes: Is the Old Philanthropy Model Obsolete?
Philanthropy advisers warn that foundations’ structure may hinder their mission success--and urge them to optimize for mission success via impact investing.
Apr 7, 2015
Field Notes: Impacting Job Quality & Quantity
A brief case study on impact management features Huntington Capital’s efforts to maximize impact on job quality in their third fund.
Apr 14, 2015
Field Notes: Would Your Charity Jump Into the Shark Tank?
The Council on Foundations drew ire from nonprofits when it planned a “Shark Tank"- style grant competition.
Apr 15, 2015
Field Notes: Six Ways for Business to Address Inequality
The Aspen Institute's Judy Samuelson and Maureen Conway detail six steps that corporations can take to advance equity for their employees and society.
Apr 24, 2015
Field Notes: Examining the Impacts of Social Enterprise
A REDF report discusses its mission-driven business investments and assesses their impact on beneficiaries, as well as on society as a whole.
May 6, 2015
Field Notes: The 2015 "Money Masters" Awards
Heron’s Clara Miller was recognized by Institutional Investor Magazine with the Small Foundation Award.
Jun 3, 2015
Field Notes: GIIN Impact Base Snapshot
The Global Impact Investing Network offers up their first analysis of 310 impact funds, demonstrating a focus on finance, basic services and employment.
Jun 8, 2015
Field Notes: Eyes on the Horizon, the Impact Investor Survey
GIIN and J.P. Morgan have teamed up again to produce their fifth annual global impact investor survey.
Jun 16, 2015
Field Notes: The Thorny Complexities of Impact Investing
Two articles in the Stanford Social Innovation Review delve into the difficulties of impact investing and why the traditional investment structure remains an obstacle.