Power Station

America is heading into a presidential election that will determine whether we remain a democracy or consign ourselves to autocracy. It is happening while the world witnesses a devastating assault on Palestine by Israel, a constitutional democracy, led by an autocratic leader, Bibi Netanyahu. Much like aspiring autocrat Donald Trump, he does not recognize the rights and humanity of many within his own nation. While Netanyahu characterizes Israel’s war on Gaza, prompted by the horrendous October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, as a strategy to eliminate Hamas, it is the people of Palestine who are bring killed by the thousands, leaving famine and destroyed infrastructure in its wake. As a Jew and a believer in the power of nonprofits to advance democracy I am devastated by this nation’s responses to the ongoing assault on Gaza and to those who are standing up to question it here at home. For this episode of Power Station, I reached out to Wa’el Alzayat, former U.S. State Department diplomat and Middle East policy

Solving this nation’s housing crisis, which has triggered an all-time high in homelessness, begins with demystifying the reasons it exists. The National Low Income Housing Coalition answers the why, advances policies that make housing attainable and builds the political will to achieve large-scale solutions. For 50 years it has been unwavering in its focus on the housing needs of lowest income renters, engaging them as partners in their advocacy and as members of the Board of Directors. As the super talented Sarah Saadian, Senior VP of Public Policy and Field Organizing, explains on this episode of Power Station, there are two main drivers of the housing crisis: a severe shortage of homes that are affordable and available to extremely low-income renters and our systemic wage gap, which make it impossible for working people to meet ever increasing rent demands. She points to the Coalition’s annual GAP report, which documents these conditions state by state, providing policymakers with the stark realities of th

It happens during every election cycle. Young adults are characterized in newspaper headlines as apathetic non-voters. This very tired trope, which is contradicted by data, greatly frustrates Kristen McGuire. As executive director of Young Invincibles, the national nonprofit that emerged when young people stepped up to be heard in the lead up to the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, she lives the actual truth every day. As Kristin reminds us in this episode of Power Station, advocacy by young people led to a hallmark ACA provision, the ability to stay on parents’ health insurance until the age of 26, a transformative moment for healthcare access in our nation. Since then, Young Invincibles has provided infrastructure, training and support to young leaders who are generating progressive and equitable policymaking at the state and national levels. Its focus in 2024 is on elevating policymaking that increases access to mental health care for young people and all Americans. Governors, college administra

The numbers tell a powerful story about America and its future. Today, 64 million Latinos, those with multi-generational roots and newcomers, call the United States home. While they are vital contributors to our economy, culture, and civil rights legacy, they are grossly underrepresented (just 2%) in elected office. Latino Victory is the trailblazing nonprofit that is changing the trajectory of Latino electoral power, and it is winning. On this episode of Power Station, Sindy Benavides, President & CEO of Victory Fund, who leads with strategic brilliance and heart, begins the conversation with a staggering statistic. Every 30 seconds a Latino in the United States turns 18. These numbers motivate Latino Victory to empower Latinos across the country with information about everything there is to know about voting and civic engagement.  Its 501c4 counterpart elevates the campaigns of an impressive roster of candidates vying for office at the local, state, and federal levels. Latino Victory's founders, Eva Lon

If you have lived through housing insecurity and homelessness or worked in a nonprofit as a shelter provider, tenant organizer, nonprofit housing developer or policy advocate you know that having a home is fundamental to thriving, losing a home is traumatizing and fining people experiencing homelessness is unproductive and shameful. The progress that the nonprofit housing sector has generated over several decades is irrefutable, from persuading policymakers to increase funding for housing vouchers to preventing evictions during the pandemic and fueling affordable housing development through community land trusts. And yet rental housing and homeownership is increasingly unattainable across most income brackets. In this episode of Power Station, Marisol Bello, shares how the Housing Narrative Lab is countering damaging messages embedded in our culture about who becomes homeless and why. It is building a new, more nuanced narrative that emphasizes empathy over blame and policy solutions over criminalization. We

It often begins with a knock at the door in the middle of the night. A child, or multiple children, need immediate care. Their parents have been deployed, incarcerated, are sidelined by substance abuse or mental illness. This is when grandparents, other relatives and family friends step up at a critical moment. These adults, who take on caregiving for conservatively, 2.5 million children in America, have no legal standing. They are not legal guardians or adopters. And there is no single entity that funds, studies, or resources these families. There is, however, extensive data on the outcomes of children who stay within their families versus navigating the cultural and emotional dislocation of traditional foster care. On this episode of Power Station, Ana Beltran, a consummate changemaker, introduces us to Grandfamilies and Kinship Support Center, the nonprofit she leads. The Center provides technical assistance to individuals, government agencies and nonprofits that serve grandfamilies, tackling challenges, f

What compels men and women to leave their home countries behind to migrate to the United States? Oscar Chacon, executive director of Alianza Americas, has made it his mission to answer this question for our elected leaders whose policies determine the quality of life for some 22 million Latin American and the Caribbean immigrants, the largest segment of America’s foreign born population who now reside in the U.S. As Oscar shares on this episode of Power Station, until America’s leaders understand the political, economic, and environmental conditions in El Salvador, Venezuela, Honduras, and Mexico, and other countries of origin, they cannot fully appreciate what drives migration. He defies conventional advocacy strategies by sending American policy makers to embed with families and communities in Latin America and bringing Latin Americans to tell their stories in America. Alianza is a safe space for Latin American and Caribbean leaders of community based nonprofits here to tackle inequities both in the US and

Consider the implications of undertaking a 10-year strategic plan during a global pandemic. The Greater Washington Community Foundation did just that, bringing its intentionally diverse constituency of civic, business, nonprofit and community leaders together to inform the process and vision. In the Washington DC region, the pandemic exposed the thin economic margins, structural racism, and lack of access to resources that Black and other communities of color have grappled with in and around our nation’s capital for generations. As Tonia Wellons, President, and CEO of Greater Washington Community Foundation explains on this episode of Power Station, the moment created an opportunity to engage its unique cohort in building on the Foundation’s core competencies, identifying barriers to economic justice, investing in groundbreaking solutions, and aligning itself with change making, high impact nonprofits. Tonia breaks down how closing the racial wealth gap is embedded in every issue the Foundation tackles and in

In 1996, a small group of Asian American civil rights leaders in Washington, DC stepped up to launch a new and inclusive organization, the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans. The vision was to create a home for, and combine the forces of, a diverse constituency that includes South Asians, East Asians, Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders and more to ensure that their voices and expertise were heard and included at public policy making tables. NCAPA is now where 40+ national AAPI nonprofits with expertise in healthcare, education, immigration, housing, and technology make recommendations and, when needed, demands to the White House, Congress, and federal agencies. This work is critical to raising the profile, needs and contributions of communities that too often have been invisible to decision-makers. In this episode of Power Station, National Director Gregg Orton, who learned the hard scrabble but exhilarating world of policy making as a Congressional staffer, shares NCAPA’s recent accomplishments. Afte

  In 1996, a small group of Asian American civil rights leaders in Washington DC stepped up to launch a new and inclusive organization, the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans. The vision was to create a home for, and combine the forces of, a diverse constituency that includes South Asians, East Asians, Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders and more to ensure that their voices and expertise were heard and included at public policy making tables. NCAPA is now where 40+ national AANHPI nonprofits that advocate for advancements in healthcare, education, immigration, housing, and technology make recommendations and, when needed, demands to the White House, Congress, and federal agencies. This work is critical to raising the profile, needs and contributions of communities that too often have been invisible to decision-makers. In this episode of Power Station, National Director Gregg Orton, who learned the hard scrabble but exhilarating world of policy making as a Congressional staffer, shares NCAPA’s most rece

The story of Mothers Outreach Network is about what happens when women stand up for other women who live in poverty and are entangled in the child welfare system. It is about being a Black mother in Washington DC where 13% of families live under the federal poverty guidelines and face a loss of benefits when they get a job or their income increases. It is about moms who lack the basic resources, including strollers, needed to navigate their daily lives. Melody Webb, a Harvard trained public interest lawyer, founded Mother’s Outreach Network to build economic security and power among women in these circumstances. It took a global pandemic and the death of George Floyd to push the philanthropic sector to deepen their investments in Black-led nonprofits, including Mothers Outreach Network. In this episode of Power Station, Melody shares stories about women who are blossoming as advocates who testify before the DC City Council to identify policy solutions. She explains how Mother Up, her new pilot project that ta

The most powerful advocacy begins at home. This is the case for Staci Lofton, who loved growing up in Queens, New York but realized as she got older that her family and neighbors had to leave their community to buy groceries, find a doctor and connect to the many resources needed to maintain their lives. As Staci explains on this episode of Power Station, her experience is shared by countless other underinvested Black and Brown communities that lack what research has determined is necessary to thrive: clean air, open spaces, healthy food, a safe environment, and access to community-based health care. As Senior Director of Health Equity at Families USA, a powerhouse national nonprofit, recognized for its leadership in bringing the Affordable Care Act over the finish line and making Medicare drug price negotiations possible, Staci is driven to preserve and expand on these achievements. She talks about what is at stake in our upcoming elections, including women’s bodily autonomy and funding for community health

There is power that comes from privilege and position and there is power that communities who have been excluded from decision making tables, claim. It is built over time with a commitment to meeting needs, creating personal bonds, and deepening community connections. This is the origin story of MANA, the oldest and largest Hispanic Women’s nonprofit organization in the nation. Amy Hinojosa, MANA’s dynamic, and inspiring CEO knows that her influence in the halls of Congress and in the White House is powered by MANA’s impressive footprint of on-the-ground Latina-led chapters and affiliates. On this episode of Power Station, Amy talks about MANA’s impactful initiatives, including Hermanitas, the only mentoring program in the nation created by Latinas for Latinas. It has been, most recently, a critical lifeline for middle and high school girls navigating mental health challenges spurred by isolation and social media during the pandemic. Over time it has generated thousands of Latina change makers, from educators

Let’s be real: If you work for a nonprofit with a social change mission you are probably not averse to taking on challenges. Whether a nonprofit’s charge is tackling hunger, homelessness, or access to healthcare you must be prepared to help people in crisis, provide resources, build community power and advocate for policy solutions. The truth is that nonprofits exist to take on deep-rooted problems that the private market will not solve. But where corporations are capitalized at levels needed to build a robust infrastructure and attract expertise, philanthropic support for nonprofit grantees is not commensurate with their capacities or the urgency of their mission. This tired and harmful paradigm is being brilliantly disrupted by Andrea Levere, a legend in the field of asset building and now, the founder and CEO of Capitalize Good. In this episode of Power Station Andrea shares her experience with making wealth inequality a national talking point and breaks down her blueprint for Enterprise Capital, a new mod

America’s housing affordability crisis is a well-documented reality not just in gentrifying cities but in virtually every corner of this nation. The persistence of the problem is particularly frustrating because we have proven policy solutions in hand, largely generated by nonprofits and community leaders. What is lacking is full-on political will at the federal level to break through barriers and make housing an accessible and affordable resource. Community Land Trusts, which have deep roots across the globe, were put on the map in the United States by civil rights icons Charles and Shirley Sherrod. Their founding of New Communities in Albany, Georgia, motivated by the violent displacement of Black farmers from their land and informed by their time on kibbutzim in Israel, galvanized a modern movement for the communal stewardship of land and housing whose affordability is permanent. In this episode of Power Station, Tony Pickett, CEO of Grounded Solutions Network, a powerdul cohort of CLT leaders, shares his

America’s progressive movement is a big tent of organizations and leaders whose passion for democracy runs deep. Imagine a Venn diagram with one circle representing these organizations and the issues they tackle, from choice, the environment, healthcare and housing to LGBTQ rights, labor rights, and immigration. A parallel circle would display the legislation and public investments needed to protect people and the earth. What is in the intersecting circle? As Daria Dawson, executive director of America Votes, explains on this episode of Power Station, it is voting for progressive changemakers. Every election, whether for president, city council or state election administrators, is our collective opportunity to make our beliefs and expectations known. This juncture is where America Votes thrives. Now in its 20th year, America Votes is the coordination hub for the big tent, the apparatus that labor unions, national and community-based advocacy oriented nonprofits look to for guidance and to make their on-the-gr

We want to believe that all children in America, from birth through high school, are  equally positioned to learn, dream, and thrive. The reality, which is well-documented through unassailable data collected by Kids Count, a national initiative funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, is starkly different. As Kimberly Perry, executive director of DC Action says on this episode of Power Station, the input into our children isn’t equal so the outcome isn’t going to be equal. A failure to invest in quality childcare, public schools and out-of-school resources in Black and Brown communities is a direct result of public policies rooted in racism, leaving a legacy of discrimination that is embedded in our public systems. DC Action is dissecting these systems to better understand what is working and where change is needed. It works with parents and young people to create policy solutions and push for their passage into law by the DC Council and Mayor. DC Action is both a resource to lawmakers and a formidable advoca

The data tells the story: In the United States, 44 million people, including 1 in 5 children are food insecure, lacking the food and nutrition needed to thrive. This population includes not only individuals and families living in poverty and experiencing homelessness; it also extends to our employed neighbors, family members and the co-worker in the next cubicle. Until our national leaders fully invest in policy solutions that lift families out of poverty and make our transportation, health, and housing systems more equitable, hunger will persist. In fact, as L. Ron Pringle, President and CEO of Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, a North Carolina based nonprofit, explains on this episode of Power Station, the hardest part of his job is trying to convince people, from policymakers to corporate leaders, that hunger is a real issue. At the Food Shuttle, Ron and his team have created an eco-system of programs that feed people in need today while advocating for the elimination of hunger tomorrow. Feeding, teaching, growing

Facts matter. Data eclipses narratives steeped in bias, providing the foundation for policy solutions to economic inequities. At the Brookings Institution, a preeminent global think tank, scholars conduct research, generate data, and share knowledge for the purpose of improving policy and governance in America and around the world. That includes Senior Fellow Dr. Andre M. Perry whose research focuses on the value of assets, from homes to businesses and infrastructure, in American Black majority cities. His work exposes a devastating devaluation of assets, an underpricing of homes by 23%, robbing Black communities of some $156 billion in lost equity. As he shares in our conversation and in his tremendously important book: Know Your Price, Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities, these dollars could have financed millions of businesses, college educations, replaced water pipers in Flint, Michigan and more. His book bring policy to life by following his own trajectory as an infant raised by El

When Darryl Maxwell explains, on this episode of Power Station, that I in 7 Washingtonians are lawyers, I am taken aback. Yes, the federal government is our largest employer and many law firms are headquartered here but the abundance of expertise does not make access to justice equitable for all. The DC Bar Pro Bono Center exists to galvanize the legal community, from law firms to the Department of Justice, as volunteers, providing civil legal services to low-income people facing eviction, immigration challenges, child custody disputes, and denials of public benefits. It does the same for nonprofit organizations, a critical sector here, and small businesses striving to operate with limited resources in a regulated marketplace. As Director of Nonprofit and Small Business Legal Assistance, Darryl was my lifeline while establishing Power Station as an LLC. As he points out, supporting the legal needs of nonprofits that advocate for DC residents is another access to justice touchpoint. The same is true for small