10 Minutes with…

Most people agree that in order for transformative change to occur, a clear understanding of the root causes of the issue is imperative. Such a substantive and intense discussion occurred during the education track at the Rural Philanthropy Conference. Significantly, funders and other representatives from across the education spectrum (those involved from pre-natal care to literacy and adult training issues) agreed on the root causes that stifle education—particularly in rural communities. Equally significant: they agreed on the importance of and need for public-private partnerships as a long term solution to eradicating poverty and sustainable economic development.

Sarita Venkat, editor of T>A>I, spoke to two attendees who participated in the discussion: Tina Markanda, a program officer in Heath Care at the Duke Endowment, and Margaret Doughty, secretary of the Literacy Funders Network—the Council’s newest affinity group.

T>A>I: Tell us a bit about your respective work.

Doughty: The Literacy Funders Network (LFN) launched in June 2009. We were formed because foundations have realized the need to collaborate with each other and other organizations to address the literacy issue in this country. There are 90 million people in the United States who have limited literacy skills. Low literacy is the root cause of people living in poverty, which results in communities not having the skilled workforce they need to prosper.

LFN focuses on two issues: working with grantmakers to raise awareness about low literacy levels by infusing a literacy component in all social service programs (from childhood to adult learning), and bringing the funding community together to craft and support solutions around best practices. More recently, we also help foundations learn how to access stimulus funds around workforce development and literacy for their communities.

Improving literacy levels is the most effective strategy to help a person out of poverty and is also the tool to ensure a skilled workforce. Infusing literacy throughout the lifespan of support services is both the solution to a critical problem and provides an effective return on investment for public and private dollars.

Markanda: As a rural health, child care, and workforce development funder, the Duke Endowment supports the issue of pre-natal care. We work to ensure that new, at-risk parents have the services they need to provide their child with a healthy start to life. It’s documented in science and literature that a child’s first three years of development are extremely critical for optimal brain development. So, a child who has an optimal start can do much better in life—in achieving academic gains, contributing to society, and not needing government services.

T>A>I: What did you learn from the root cause analysis discussion on poverty and education?

Doughty: The discussion we had at the conference was a stimulating one. People were aware that systemic and strategic change has to occur if we are to rebuild the economy. At each of the education-related sessions, two or three experts presented their concerns, issues, and solutions. That gave participants a framework and set the stage for a dialogue. What followed was an intense discussion around the issues, the root causes, and the strategies needed to move the dialogue forward. We specifically:

• dove deeply into understanding the systems (education, social, etc.) in place and whether these systems met community needs
• understood where the systems have prevented the most progressive changes from happening (sometimes the system itself prevents the change)
• examined a broader, coordinated approach to address the educational gaps in the country

I learned two things from this conversation: funders need to partner with other organizations in their states or communities, and such collaborations are needed to devise holistic solutions.

T>A>I: Please elaborate on your observation.

Doughty: From my understanding, foundations have opted to fund individual “pieces” of the education pipeline: childhood, or workforce literacy, or health-related issues. I don’t think foundations always realize that their communities view them as leaders who can bring all these pieces together.

It’s unrealistic to think that a foundation can find the entire solution—from helping a mother in her pre-natal state to funding adult education and training. Instead, funders should work with other public and private organizations in their communities to ensure, for example, that once a new mother has completed her pre-natal program, she stays in the system and receives support and services in the next stage of her development.

I think that our education system is fragmented and our funding system is fragmented. Sometimes it’s easier to look at all the issues in the community and select a piece and focus on that piece. But this approach and mindset reduces the collaboration and coordination aspects of the education and workforce pipeline. I think funders might think in terms of “a continuum of services.”

T>A>I: Is there a specific example of a solution that illustrates the benefits of this approach?

Markanda: The Nurse-Family Partnership program has been very effective for two reasons: one because we’re making the biggest impact even before the child is born—on the child and the parent—and second, it’s an example of a successful public-private partnership.

Before we began our seven-year, $20+ million commitment to the Nurse-Family Partnership program, we embarked on a similar root cause analysis exercise. We concluded that if we made a difference upfront—at the very beginning of a child’s life—in the long-run, the child will be better equipped to compete in the workforce and live a healthy life. The ripple effect of investing in those first few years would reap big gains for the child—and for society.

This is how the program works: A nurse is partnered with an expectant mother. The mother commits to the two-and-a-half year program whereby the nurse makes frequent visits. When researching the program, our staff had the opportunity to accompany nurses on these site visits. I visited a woman who was six/seven months pregnant and watched as the nurse asked the mother about her health: if she made her pre-natal visits to the doctor, if she had appropriate nutrition, etc. If the nurse couldn’t help, she then connected this mother to other services and providers in the community as necessary—this was key.

As a result, by the time the child is born, the mother has the support and services around her to create a healthy environment for her baby. In my opinion, it was a very transformational experience to observe as a third party. The nurse and the mother had clearly formed a special bond.

Doughty: This is an example of a holistic family model: providing the parent with pre-natal support so that once the child arrives, all the support systems are in place and thus ensuring the parent has the skills to support the child once he/she is born. The nurse is able to look at the network of support organizations within the community and bring those pieces together. This program is especially effective because of home visits by the nurse. If the parent has a low literacy level, chances are, they aren’t accessing or don’t even know about the support or services available to them in the community. But having someone actually speak to them in their home—a trusted, caring person—creates that awareness.

What tends to happen is that we miss these steps early on. Only later, when we identify deficits in early childhood, do we discover that it’s often too late. Repairing the damage is costly—to the families involved and to society as a whole.

T>A>I: Explain the importance of partnerships in this program.

Markanda: We work with other foundations and the state government to deliver this program in North and South Carolina. We looked very closely to see if there were opportunities to collaborate—both with funders and with implementation partners. Because it affects so many different agencies and people, this program depends on active and seamless communication and participation among the partners. Before you invest in such a program, it’s important that your funding and implementation partners are committed to the mission.

I believe that, as funders, we have a unique vantage point— we have the opportunity to invest in programs for the long-term and see systemic change.