This past year was characterized by agility and adaptability as we worked together to continue to deliver important services and support to our members.
Filantropía Puerto Rico (FiPR) continued to assert its role as a convener and as the amplifier of the impact of philanthropy in Puerto Rico, enabling philanthropic entities and civil society groups to work together for the benefit of the people of the island.
We led and facilitated numerous efforts to address ongoing crises and new challenges impacting Puerto Rico’s Third Sector and lives in historically marginalized populations. Some of those efforts originated in FiPR, others were requested by philanthropic or nonprofit entities, and the rest were collaborations with peer organizations.
As we continue on our day-to-day grind, it is important to pause and reflect on the work done in the past twelve months.
We expanded our [Action Dialogues] to a consistent recurrence so that our members may explore their shared interests in topics of housing, arts & culture, environment and education, while coordinating actions with bigger impact. To facilitate these interactions, Joel Franqui has joined the FiPR team as program coordinator.
42 members representing 16 entities participated in our third annual Convening to connect with their philanthropic peers through themed sessions and networking events.
Held 23 educational webinars on a large variety of topics that ranged from an epidemiologist's COVID overview to what is needed to tackle abandoned properties throughout the island.
FiPR got involved in a wide range of topics such as:
FORWARD Fund Puerto Rico was launched to support recovery efforts after Hurricane Maria.Read a summary of our grantees' achievements since the fund's inception.
In August 2020, Fund for Shared Insight (FSI) awarded grants to FiPR and six other US-based philanthropy serving organizations (PSO) to jointly develop toolkits from a diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) lens to help grantmakers listen to the people they ultimately seek to help. This two-year project is an experimental lab in which FiPR and its members will learn and test in our local context new philanthropic practices rooted in DEI, while also building new relationships with peer organizations in the US to expand our support network.
FiPR, along with six grant making organizations, is undertaking experiments as part of a working group facilitated by Feedback Labs to encourage nonprofits and foundations to improve how they listen to the people who are meant to benefit from their actions. FiPR’s purpose is to develop a high-quality feedback culture within the organization and to be a role model for its implementation throughout the island’s philanthropic sector. Participation in this group will extend into the third quarter of 2021 and learnings will inform our 'Learning to Listen' project and vice versa.
Our membership continues to expand and diversify, this year with six new local and US-based grant making organizations ranging in staff size from two people to 100+, and with multiple operations around the World. This resulted in an increase in the size (from seven to ten) and diversity (local and US-based) of our board of directors.
Our staff grew with a program coordinator and two interns, one in the summer and another who is currently in his fourth month of a one-year tenure. This influx of new people enriches FiPR’s organizational culture and decision-making with new perspectives and energy.
To be more effective in a growing organization, we have begun to streamline and standardize internal processes, particularly in the face of unforeseen events. We have tackled these challenges with the help of technological and traditional organization tools, with staff feedback sessions and with clearer and more consistent communications. We also continue to iterate and better define FiPR’s purpose and role within Puerto Rico’s third sector and are beginning to communicate it to our members and partners.
Learning Journey: Centro Esperanza Al comenzar el mes de septiembre, momento en el que reflexionamos sobre la recuperación de nuestras comunidades, realizamos nuestro Learning Journey en el Centro Esperanza de
FiPR Conversatorios Transformando la Noción de Seguridad Pública ¿Qué es la seguridad pública? – ¿Cuál es la noción que tienen las comunidades sobre la seguridad pública? y; ¿Cuál es su
