True Partnership: Hard but Important

[This article was originally posted on July 20, 2010 at the Philanthropy Northwest Blog]

Last Friday, Philanthropy Northwest convened the Human Services Funding Collaborative to host Washington State policymakers and members for an in-depth briefing about the Washington State Benefit Portal Partnership Project. We are enthusiastic about hosting events like this one—as a membership organization, our mission is to connect funders to each other so that they can achieve more with their giving. (Increasingly, this means working with government officials, as well as our foundation and corporate members.) The Boeing Company, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and United Way of King County co-sponsored the event which, in addition to providing valuable information about an exciting project, also offers insight into the collaborative process.

Governor Chris Gregoire and the Department of Social and Health Services, along with a network of community partners, have spent the last year designing a public-private partnership which will expand access to federal, state and local benefits for eligible populations in need. This idea, simple in the telling, but complicated in its implementation, has required a serious commitment of time, energy and patience by all involved. The group has persevered because the creation of an electronic portal, coupled with community outreach, has the very real potential to significantly help families and children and to bring millions of new dollars into Washington State. This kind of project has been successfully implemented in other states, including Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida, and Colorado, reminding those involved that they are driving towards an achievable goal.

About 25 members and community partners attended the meeting here at Philanthropy Northwest. Department of Social and Health Services Secretary Susan Dreyfus thanked funders for their interest and involvement and reiterated that this project is a priority for her department. She reviewed the funding gap that remains—explaining that philanthropic dollars (with partial matches from the federal government) will be needed to close the budget gap and begin building the portal this year. State House Representative Mary Lou Dickerson underscored the legislature’s commitment to the project and several grantmakers explained why they are prepared to invest in it: David Okimoto of United Way of King County, Gina Breukelman of Boeing and David Bley of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

True partnerships are not easy, and this one is no different. There were people in the room who have been working to streamline access to benefits for ten or even fifteen years. Now that the project is closer to reality, it’s important to reflect on how it achieved this level of partnership. Simply put, funders, community groups, state agencies, city governments and the legislature worked hard to overcome uncertainties about each other. They made a time-intensive commitment to work openly and collaboratively, recognizing that the project could not be achieved any other way. In short, they took risks.

While efforts to close the funding gap are ongoing and success, while within reach, is still uncertain, I think there is reason to celebrate. Public and private funders are learning to work together. While the true measure of the effort will be improved support for families and children in Washington State, the lessons we learn in this effort will guide us as we address other social issues deserving our combined efforts. This is good news for those of us who believe we are all, truly, better together. If you are interested in learning more about the Benefit Portal Partnership Project or connecting with the project’s experts please let me know.

Mindie Reule is the Program Manager for Public Policy at Philanthropy Northwest