Celebrating Launch of the Kapor Center for Social Impact!

The Mitchell Kapor Foundation announces a “new public face”: the Kapor Center for Social Impact!

“For the past year, we’ve been keeping you abreast of an ongoing strategic shift here at the Kapor Foundation. We’re very excited to announce that we’ve arrived. As of May 15, 2013, the Kapor Foundation will have a new public face, the Kapor Center for Social Impact. Through a shared vision, set of values, and program activities, we’ll work more closely with Kapor Capital, our sibling venture capital microfirm focused on seed-stage tech startups…”

The Kapor Center’s working mission is to relentlessly pursue creative strategies that will leverage tech for positive social impact in underrepresented communities, primarily focusing on closing academic, political, health, and economic gaps. This mission represents our deep belief in the power of information technology as a tool to accelerate social good, and fully aligns with the Kapors’ longtime involvement in the tech industry, stemming back to their days at Lotus Development Corporation in the early 1980s.

Going forward, the Kapor Center will engage in partnerships across the for-profit and nonprofit continuum in three primary areas: Educational Access (which includes our College Bound Brotherhood initiative), Tech Tools for Social Impact, and Diversifying Tech. More information will be available at www.kaporcenter.org on May 15th.

As we make this transition, we are also concluding our grantmaking and related activities under the Green Access and Voting Integrity and Civic Engagement program areas, and will share the impact of what our community partners achieved in a series of retrospective reports to the broader community in early spring. We will not make additional responsive grants in these program areas. Additionally, Assistance & Advising will no longer be a distinct program area; it will be integrated into our everyday Kapor Center approach to partnerships. We will continue to be a leading partner in the College Bound Brotherhood.

We recognize that change, especially from a funding institution, always has ripples and repercussions. With this transition, we are now better situated to “provoke social change in communities of color en route to equality” by utilizing the ever-growing power of tech to our advantage. We hope that you join us in the excitement about the possibilities ahead.

Best wishes,

Freada Kapor Klein, Board Chair
Mitchell Kapor, President
Cedric Brown, Chief Executive Officer

NY Newsday & Baltimore Sun, Editorial pages, April 2007

In an April 2007 New York Newsday & Baltimore Sun op-ed, John Newsome contrasts South African vs. US political leadership and equivocation on marriage equality

“Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s support for gay-marriage legislation – even though he acknowledges passage by the State Legislature is unlikely – reflects that new American leaders are emerging on this issue. His backing for such legislation follows the lead of the mayors of Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco…”

Assuming more such leaders follow, and that the gay and lesbian community holds its ground, it’s a matter of time before we see more marriage-equality victories. In the meantime, when searching for moral leaders, I often find myself looking beyond the United States. Many national figures in the United States seem obsessed with caution around critical moral issues such as the Iraq war and gun control.

And marriage equality. Thanks to the cowardice of many of our most promising leaders, including Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, the issue of same-sex marriage is becoming the third rail in American politics, when it should be a major “front” in the struggle for civil rights.

So I take my inspiration from South Africa, a country that had long been the scourge of the international human rights community. On Dec. 1, South Africa’s Parliament made headlines around the world when it granted same-sex couples the right to marry. This groundbreaking law did not arrive without major struggle. Its passage is a powerful testament to those committed and unyielding moral leaders who demanded nothing less than full equality for gays and lesbians.

Most notably, in pushing for marriage equality, South Africa’s Archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu refused to acquiesce to public and political prejudices against gay people. Drawing upon the country’s painful apartheid history, Tutu drew parallels between racism and homophobia, arguing: “To penalize someone because of their sexual orientation is like what used to happen to us, to be penalized about something about which we could do nothing – our ethnicity, our race.”

Echoing Tutu’s bold moral call for gender equality was South African Minister of Defense Mosiuoa Lekota, who served prison time with Nelson Mandela. In arguing for marriage equality on the floor of Parliament, Lekota called upon South African leaders to uncompromisingly extend the rights of hard-won democracy to all South African citizens: “To look past the prejudices of our time and grant this right to those who have been pleading with us for so long now so that we may bequeath to succeeding generations a society democratic and more tolerant than the one that was handed down to us by those who preceded us.”

Sadly, back in the United States, we are waiting for our own Desmond Tutus and Mosiuoa Lekotas to defend the humanity of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples. Even within the Democratic Party, too many politicians have been AWOL on the issue of marriage equality, kowtowing to antigay prejudice – betraying the party’s commitment to civil rights.

Despite a solid majority’s support for the end of marriage discrimination in Massachusetts, Sen. John Kerry opposed nuptial equality. Although Clinton now says she’s “evolved” and not opposed to marriage equality, she shirks making a case for same-sex marriage. While Obama generally inspires, his stance on marriage equality is frustratingly equivocal.

Asked last month whether they considered gay acts immoral, both initially dodged the question. Then, Obama issued a statement saying he did not believe homosexuals were immoral. Clinton said on her Web site: “I have heard from many of my friends in the gay community that my response to a question about homosexuality being immoral sounded evasive. Homosexuality is not immoral. . . . That is what I believe.”

The equivocation of our national leaders (on this and other important issues) reflects their own cowardice, true, but it also reflects the LGBT community’s willingness to compromise too much. Many donors and activists, for example, are giving a pass to elected officials who fail to stand up for full marriage equality, maintaining that “civil unions are enough.” “Enough” suggests that there can be “too much” fairness for LGBT people. If only.

In stark contrast, South African LGBT activists were unyielding in their struggle, drawing strength from and giving strength to the country’s courageous moral leaders. Refusing to settle for civil unions, South Africa’s social movement for full marriage equality triumphed.

If people are looking for role models, and proof that seemingly unimaginable change can happen, I would encourage them to look south.

Innovative Public-Private Partnerships

“Corporate World Lends Big Guns to Battle Disease,” Financial Times, Dec 2012 (Interview with  John Newsome)

“A recent report from the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (Gain) argues that nutrition plays a critical role in supporting the health….”

The findings from Gain – a non-profit organisation that promotes public private partnerships to fight malnutrition – present an opportunity for the corporate sector, particularly food companies, to join the fight against the disease.

Companies have long contributed to the battle against HIV and Aids. Many donate money from corporate foundations or add to funds raised by employees. Some have donated large quantities of drugs to developing countries.

Increasingly, however, the corporate sector is also offering the skills and expertise of its executives. In partnership with governments and community organisations, many businesses are developing innovative programmes in areas such as social marketing, capacity building and advocacy.

“Companies such as Mac, Chevron and Levi-Strauss have given millions of dollars, much of which has come from employees as well as the corporation,” says John Newsome, head of the US HIV Initiative at the Global Business Coalition (GBC) on HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. “But beyond that we’re seeing new levels of engagement more broadly.”

And while many companies run workforce health programmes among their staff in severely affected countries in Africa and elsewhere – some even giving employees free anti-retroviral drugs – many are also addressing continuing infection rates in the US and Europe.

Among them is Mac, the US cosmetics group, which has been using its marketing experience to change perceptions of the disease. As well as earmarking the proceeds from its Viva Glam range for the Mac Aids Fund, Mac has been running an awareness-raising programme with the singer Fergie, who is the face of the Viva Glam line.

As part of the programme, designed to reach Britain’s African community, which accounts for nearly 50 per cent of the UK’s annual new diagnoses, Fergie has visited HIV-positive women leaders from organisations such as the African HIV Policy Network.

Education is another focus for companies, with companies such as Standard Chartered operating prevention-focused HIV education programmes. Meanwhile, in Washington DC, Pfizer, the pharmaceuticals company, is using its sales teams to support the city’s outreach efforts on HIV testing.

Moreover, companies are joining forces with other businesses. In the Washington outreach programme, for example, the initiative also draws on the resources of OraSure, the HIV testing company.

In this respect, organ-isations such as the GBC can play a convening role. “We identify where some of the biggest resource gaps are and identify companies who can meet some of those unmet needs with unique business skills and assets – and then get them to join forces,” says Mr Newsome.

Corporate expertise in areas such as strategy and performance measurement can be applied to fighting HIV-Aids. When Johnson & Johnson, the US healthcare products and services company, works with community and government partner organisations to reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission and its spread among women and young people, the company brings to the table business disciplines as well as funding.

“With the expertise that we have in strategic planning, we have partners who welcome that input,” says Sharon D’Agostino, vice-president of corporate contributions and community affairs.

Companies can also lend their brand and credibility to HIV-Aids initiatives. “Not only are we able to focus on the impact,” says Ms D’Agostino, “but also other funders would be willing to support them.”

For companies, part of the payback comes in reduced absenteeism among staff who are ill or away from work looking after relatives, lower recruitment expenditure on hiring staff to replace those too ill to work and fewer early pension pay-outs.

However, companies are also winning loyalty from employees not directly affected by the disease, and among potential recruits. “We know that these efforts are very important to those who are joining corporations around the globe,” says Ms D’Agostino.

Mr Newsome agrees. “There’s an understanding that employees benefit directly and appreciate the company’s involvement,” he says. “People like to know their company is doing good – it’s motivating and it drives retention and recruitment.”

Copyright 2009 The Financial Times Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stanford Social Innovation Review: “What Workers Want Is What the World Needs”

According to Net Impact CEO Liz Maw (SSIR blog, 05.24.12): “Employers who provide workers with tangible ways to make a positive social or environmental impact will find that it pays off” [Read More]

White House Honors Larkin Street Executive Director

On July 12, 2012 the White House and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness honored Larkin Street Executive Director Sherilyn Adams for making a significant difference in the fight against homelessness among children and youth. [Read More]

Glide Church: Weekly Podcast

Glide Memorial Church is a beloved San Francisco institution, and a beacon to the world.  In case you can’t make it to church *every* Sunday, check out the weekly Glide Sunday Celebration podcast! [Listen here]

About Tipping Point Community’s “T Lab”

Tipping Point Community’s “T Lab”: Designing and Testing New Approaches in the Fight Against Poverty

“Companies and investors spend billions to develop new products, technologies and services, but far less is invested in solving social problems. With 1.3 million people living in poverty, the stakes are high. In its inaugural year, T Lab will explore new solutions in childcare, pre-k education and prisoner re-entry…” [Read More]

PEG supports Harvard Law School class on Social Entrepreneurship

PEG supported a class on Social Entrepreneurship (2011-2014) at Harvard Law School.

One of the deliverables of the collaboration included a summary of findings from interviews with African-American MSM in San Francisco focused on HIV, access to care and issues of stigma.

Strategic Plan Leads to New HIV Prevention Guidelines

“San Francisco Moves to Curb Disproportionate HIV/AIDS Rate Among Black Residents” (Edge Magazine, 03.04.11): San Francisco unveils new RFP guidelines based on the City’s 2009 Black MSM strategic plan, developed in partnership with PEG Founder John Newsome.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health has funded a program that urges residents to know their status. “It’s About You” targets not only black gay and bisexual men; but couples, young men, women and faith-based organizations. The Black Coalition on AIDS and other local service providers hope to establish both mobile and in-house testing sites.

The SFDPH is also reviewing proposals for new contracts with HIV/AIDS service providers that will take effect in July.

Vincent Fuqua, health educator for the SFDPH’s HIV Prevention Section, told EDGE the process has changed to reflect the city’s disproportionate HIV/AIDS rates.

“This is the first time we have a category for African American men who have sex with men as a special population group,” he said. “This is the first time that a community agency can apply for funding to specifically target African American men who have sex with men.”

According to the SFDPH’s 2009 HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Annual Report, blacks represent six percent of the city’s total population, but account for 14 percent of those living with HIV/AIDS. Black MSM account for 40 percent of African Americans with HIV/AIDS in San Francisco.

The 2010 San Francisco HIV Prevention Plan-New Directions-attributes these statistics to discrimination based on race and sexual identity and lack of access to HIV testing. A lack of basic health care, increased drug use and economic disparities are also factors.

“There is still a lot of stigma surrounding HIV,” said Francis Broome, director of prevention and health education at the Black Coalition on AIDS. “Social marketing campaigns and community leaders have increased visibility in the Black community, but more work needs to be done.”

The HIV Prevention and Planning Committee cites a lack of knowledge about a person’s HIV/AIDS status as a “critical co-factor.” A 2008 study found 57 percent of black MSM who were tested did not know they were living with HIV.

Charles Fann, health promotions manager at Tenderloin Health, said his group and other service providers are “trying to remove the excuses” for not getting tested while not intruding into people’s private lives. Activists point to a lack of testing-whether it is because of work conflicts or not knowing about free testing sites-as reasons the epidemic continues.

“We are providing testing in the neighborhoods, on weekends, at community event and at the street fairs,” said Fann.

While access to testing is crucial, service providers maintain simply knowing one’s status is not enough.

“Testing needs to be wrapped around information,” said Tony Bradford, program manager for Black Brothers Esteem, a community group with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. “You find out your status, but now what do you do?”

Phoenix Rising, which Black Brothers Esteem runs, targets both positive and negative gay, bisexual and black MSM through their support groups. It focuses on community building and sharing information about the virus.

“They provide preparation for the next step”, said Bradford. “People can teach each other how to maneuver the services in the city.”

He added support groups will continue to play a crucial role in preventing new HIV/AIDS infections in the city.

The Black Coalition on AIDS, Black Brothers Esteem and other groups are collaborating with one another and the SFDPH to stage community events in effort to raise awareness and open communication about the virus. HIV/AIDS service providers across the city aim to reduce infection rates through collaborative efforts.

“Over the next five years we will see a lot more community events, and the expectation is to have a testing component,” said Fuqua.

New Directions also recommends a “one-stop-shop” for HIV prevention and care.

Tenderloin Health, which is located in a neighborhood with one of the highest demographic viral loads in the city, is a series of easily accessible buildings that include testing, case management and medical facilities and a pharmacy. “It allows for the providers to better coordinate care,” explained Fann.

San Francisco’s HIV/AIDS service providers also hope to learn from those who live in the city’s hardest hit neighborhoods but remain negative.

“There’s a lot of focus on the problem, but a lot can be learned from the successes,” said Fann. “If you have two individuals with the same background, same knowledge but one is positive and the other is negative, we can learn from him.”

GBC Recommendations to the White House

Global Business Coalition on HIV, AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria presents:

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF PARTNERSHIPS ON HIV/AIDS AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE U.S.

GBC RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION AND ILLUSTRATIVE PARTNERSHIP CASE STUDIES

Read the full report here.

The traditional view of public-private partnerships (PPPs)—in which corporations contribute money and volunteers to programs and partners—is giving way to a new generation. Companies are leveraging their unique skills, assets and reach alongside public partners in ways that are making deeper impact in a time of ever-tightening budgets.

It’s a new movement in the business fight against HIV/AIDS and other public health challenges.

It’s the leading creative minds at BET and MTV joining forces with public health experts to plan and execute awareness campaigns that lead to measurable behavior change. It’s the dozens of companies whose workplace programs and policies are educating and protecting the health of employees in the U.S. and abroad. It’s 500,000 hairdressers, during routine trainings by L’Oréal, becoming equipped to educate their customers about HIV risk reduction strategies. And it’s so much more.

The White House Office of National AIDS Policy underscored the importance of such innovative approaches when it included explicit recommendations for such private-sector partnerships in America’s first-ever comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy and Federal Implementation Plan.

In order to maximize the effectiveness of these and other partnerships, GBC and our partners are making three key recommendations to the Administration. While these recommendations were developed specifically in the context of the U.S. HIV epidemic and GBC’s engagement around the White House’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy, they have implications and “power” that extend far beyond the realm of HIV and AIDS and, if implemented, will transform the way that the U.S. public and private sectors work together to achieve a variety of health and other priorities.

GBC’s recommendations:

1. That the Administration and its various agencies reach out to the business community in radical new ways, enlisting new engagement and support around a diverse array of HIV/AIDS and broader health priorities. That means traditional philanthropy, volunteerism, social marketing and biomedical research—but also beyond those more obvious realms, to engagement around workplace programs, core competencies, advocacy and more. Businesses, large and small, employ and touch the vast majority of Americans, and are well-positioned to contribute a wealth of skills, technology and other assets—as well as help legitimize and destigmatize conversations about HIV, sex, sexuality and health more broadly.

2. That the Administration create explicit, partnership functions and designate senior-level point persons within the Department of Health and Human Services and its agencies, akin to the senior partnership functions within the State Department, e.g. the director of public-private partnerships at PEPFAR. It is our belief that doing so will help the Administration and the nation catalyze and reinforce those health partnerships that make the most strategic sense and have the greatest potential for impact.

3. That the Administration provide support and resources for health partnerships where appropriate, to ensure that the partnerships are as strategic, well-managed, accountable, sustainable and effective as possible. It is our view that partnerships must be well-designed, well-managed and appropriately resourced, in order to achieve results—and that the results achieved will far outweigh the costs.

To support these recommendations, GBC has collected case studies from 23 different partnerships in the U.S., representing a cross-section of sectors and approaches that are redefining the business community’s roles in the fight against HIV/AIDS—our present area of focus—as well as a few examples from related health arenas. These three recommendations are rooted in the needs identified in these case studies, and in the many successes of the State Department and PEPFAR models—which already operate in accordance with the above.

A PROVEN APPROACH

Until this year, the U.S. lacked a comprehensive and cohesive strategy for fighting HIV/AIDS at home the way it has done abroad. The new U.S. HIV/AIDS strategy is the beginning of something transformative—a framework that already is re- establishing the nation’s program, policy and investment priorities, and allowing key parties from every sector to work together in a more strategic and aligned way.

Now that we have a comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy and federal implementation plan, we face the challenge of execution, across multiple geographies and notably diverse stakeholder groups, including business. Fortunately, we can look abroad for precedent.

PEPFAR, which began in 2003, organizes the U.S. government’s HIV/AIDS programs around the world. It’s an unprededented effort that’s been getting results on the ground through a wide array of activities and partnerships. Among those partners is the private sector.

Thanks to vigorous U.S. government efforts to enlist corporate involvement in international development efforts; appointed ambassadors for public-private partnership; and federal support and resources, business has been able to fill critical gaps in PEPFAR programs, in many cases helping to forge, fund, sustain and scale partnerships across key stakeholders, with stunning results.

“At PEPFAR, we looked to business as a partner with unparalleled potential for impact,” said Mark Dybul, former U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. “We found that we needed to staff a public-private partnership unit and provide resources to get those partnerships off the ground. It’s an approach that had remarkable results in a global setting and I’m confident it will work domestically.”

Becton Dickinson and Company (BD) has been a leading partner for the U.S. government in the fight against HIV/AIDS abroad. Earlier this year, the company partnered with PEPFAR and the Government of Kenya to launch a joint, multi- year initiative to improve diagnostic practices in clinics and hospitals. The initiative ultimately aims to support training for thousands of healthcare workers in sub-Saharan Africa, tracking and assessing hundreds of thousands of blood draws per year within each participating country.

“We believe that well defined and well executed public private partnerships can address under-served health needs effectively,” said Renuka Gadde, Senior Director, Global Health at BD. “In our experience, solving complex challenges can be best accomplished through collaboration. The private sector brings its business process savvy, technical assistance and resources. On the other hand, the public sector often sets the framework to facilitate program reach so that ultimately government actors can own both the process and the progress.

The first step in designing a partnership is engaging a dialogue between public and private sectors, addressing common goals and planning how they will be accomplished. The U.S. government is able to create stellar partnerships through their PEPFAR program abroad. There is an opportunity for the government to pursue a similar approach on the domestic home front.”

On occasion, companies have forged comparable partnerships with the U.S. government in order to support domestic health priorities, particularly during times of crisis. For instance, in 2009, Walgreens partnered with the CDC to increase the number of people who were immunized against H1H1. After both partners recognized the strategic role Walgreens and other retailers could play in encouraging and providing H1N1 vaccinations, they worked together to focus the immunization campaign on five priority groups. The Walgreens-CDC partnership provides an excellent example of partnerships done well, with each party focusing on its unique area of expertise: CDC providing critical techincal knowledge and resources, and Walgreens bringing to bare its imbeded network of 7,000 stores, media and PR expertise and team of pharmacists.

The end result of that collaboration: Walgreens not only provided 5.4 million season flu shots during the 2009-2010 flu season—over four times the amount provided the previous year—the company also administered two million H1N1 vaccinations in all 50 states.1 Going forward, CDC leaders have expressed an interest in forging additional partnerships with Walgreens and other major retailers to conduct in-store HIV screening in key geographies nationwide (pending funding)—another, ideal pairing of public expertise and corporate assets.

We’ve seen what a strategic approach to partnerships can accomplish abroad. We’ve also seen what strategic partnerships can achieve domestically, on a relatively small and ad hoc basis, and during times of crisis. Now it’s time to redouble our focus on partnerships here in the U.S. – and do so in a strategic, sustained, and significant way.

BUSINESS STANDS READY TO HELP

The following 23 partnerships underscore the private sector’s commitment to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S. The highly engaged companies featured in these case studies also shed remarkable light on what’s already working on the ground, what isn’t and how we can make things work better.

Businesses from every sector and every geography stand ready to engage and support where they can. But they can’t do it alone. Businesses have skills and competencies that partners need, but sometimes lack deep knowledge of the U.S. HIV/AIDS epidemic and other health issues. Even with technical and project management support from intermediaries like the Kaiser Family Foundation, the National AIDS Fund, Funders Concerned About AIDS, GBC and others, businesses still require the “invitation”, expertise, guidance and partnership of the federal government.

The lessons learned from PEPFAR and elsewhere help point a way forward—to more strategic, scalable and effective public-private partnerships; breakthrough partnerships that will help turn the tide in ways unseen and perhaps unimaginable to us today. Already, public-private partnerships are having tremendous impact in the U.S. But, with stronger federal partnership and support, they have the potential to go even deeper, helping us bring about a faster end to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in our communities and across our nation.