Samwise Nonprofits and Charities Newsletter
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Black Faith-Based Nonprofits Return Land to Families in the Rural South
Black faith-based nonprofits in the rural South are using community land trusts to address a century of land dispossession. The Black Belt Community Foundation, led by Christopher Spencer, helped 14 formerly homeless Selma women secure homes after a 2023 tornado. New Communities Inc., cofounded by civil rights veteran Shirley Sherrod, won a $12.8 million settlement after losing 5,735 acres to foreclosure in 1985. Kavon Ward’s organization Where Is My Land documents how heirs’ property laws, partition sales, and violence erased 90 percent of Black-owned farmland by the 20th century’s end. Spencer argues that sustained institutional commitment to land ownership is the foundation of genuine reparations.
Sources: Nonprofit Quarterly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Historic Salem Church Leads Neighborhood Geothermal and Solar Network
St. Peter’s–San Pedro Episcopal Church in Salem, Massachusetts—founded in 1733—is building a neighborhood-scale renewable energy network after utility bills spiked from $100 to $3,000 per month in December 2022. The Heaven and Earth initiative combines solar panels with a mile-and-a-quarter geothermal pipe network drawing heat from 500-foot boreholes beneath Salem Common. The project will serve 24 buildings including the Peabody Essex Museum. The bilingual, predominantly Latino congregation has secured more than $850,000 in grants, including $349,000 from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Boston-based nonprofit HEET is a key technical partner. Full green energy operation is expected within two years.
Sources: Nonprofit Quarterly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Nonprofit Leaders Call for Civic Listening Infrastructure at America’s 250th
Wei Soo, co-founder of The Stories of Us, argues that America’s 250th anniversary demands institutional capacity for sustained civic listening, not merely commemoration. Writing in Nonprofit Quarterly, Soo proposes three infrastructure elements: helping people be seen through public art, heard via speech-to-text storytelling platforms, and understood through “narrative intelligence.” Collaborating organizations span AARP, the Detroit Public Library, Girl Scouts, Liberation Ventures, United Way, and the YMCA. “If the first 250 years were shaped largely by who had the power to tell the national story,” Soo writes, “the next 250 years may be shaped by whether our institutions develop the capacity to hear and act on what they learn.”
Sources: Nonprofit Quarterly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Nonprofits Use Surf Events to Combat Racial Disparity in Maternal Health
A coalition of nonprofits is expanding awareness of preeclampsia through community events including a Paddle Out in Santa Cruz, California. Registered nurse and three-time survivor Chelsea Woody leads the W.E. P.U.S.H. campaign, which teaches warning sign recognition. Preeclampsia affects 5 to 8 percent of U.S. pregnancies, has doubled in incidence from 2007 to 2019, and strikes Black women at a 7 percent rate compared to 4.3 percent for White women. Partner organizations include the Preeclampsia Foundation, Surf Therapy Santa Cruz, March of Dimes, and Groundswell Community Project. Dr. Sara Johnson, an OB/GYN and surfer, co-organized the event alongside Jody Wilfong of Surf Therapy Santa Cruz.
Sources: Nonprofit Quarterly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Opinion: Hyper-Agent Philanthropists Risk Marginalizing Community Voices
Analyst Arpita Biradar examines how concentrated wealth among “hyper-agent” philanthropists is reshaping nonprofit priorities worldwide. Writing in Nonprofit Quarterly, Biradar notes that India has approximately 300,000 NGOs, yet 83 percent of micro-organizations and 66 percent of small organizations report operating deficits. When wealthy entrepreneurs assume operational roles—rather than simply providing funding—they impose market-driven metrics onto development challenges, sidelining grassroots voices from strategic decisions. Drawing on philosopher Michael J. Sandel, Biradar warns of market logic corroding democratic values. She advocates for community representation at the strategy level, arguing that the power to give should never become the power to define what social good means.
Sources: Nonprofit Quarterly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Nonprofits Urged to Build Resilience Plans Before the Next Crisis Strikes
Strategy consultant Jon Hoffmann urges nonprofits to begin formal scenario planning before the next crisis arrives. Writing in NonProfit PRO, Hoffmann outlines The Bridgespan Group’s four-step approach: identify vulnerable program areas, develop risk-anchored scenarios, create action portfolios, and establish trigger points. The process requires executive leadership, senior staff, and board members to participate in dedicated half-day sessions—allowing organizations to “pre-make key decisions in a time of relative calm.” Current pressures driving the need include public funding disruptions, escalating community demand, evolving regulations, and rapid AI adoption. Hoffmann works with Elevate NP of Southwest Pennsylvania, a regional capacity-building organization serving nonprofits through strategic planning and operational support.
Sources: NonProfit PRO Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Study: AI-Adaptive Nonprofits Earn More Revenue but Face a Donor Trust Gap
New research from the Blackbaud Institute finds nonprofits with systematic, responsible AI practices significantly outperform peers financially. The study “Bridging the AI Effectiveness Gap” found only 10 percent of surveyed nonprofits reached “AI-adaptive” status, while nearly 40 percent remained merely “aware”—using AI without formal structure. AI-adaptive organizations saved $621 per employee per week against a sector average of $500, with 75 percent reporting increased revenue, 64 percent improved fundraising, and 48 percent stronger donor retention. The research also identified a transparency gap: 75 percent of donors want AI use disclosed, but only 25 percent of nonprofits currently do so, a trust deficit that threatens sector-wide credibility as adoption accelerates.
Candid: Advanced Grant Writing Succeeds by Connecting With Funders, Not Just Answering Questions
Grant proposals succeed not by answering every question on a funder’s checklist but by making immediate human connections, according to Dave Holmes, Educational Programming Manager at Candid. In a new Candid Insights post, Holmes identifies three elements: a compelling hook, authentic storytelling drawn from on-the-ground experience, and personalized language acknowledging long-term funder partnerships. Holmes cautions against over-relying on AI writing tools, which can homogenize proposals and misrepresent an organization’s actual work. The guidance comes as 68 percent of nonprofits anticipate increased service demand within 12 months. Holmes will teach these techniques in a fall session of Candid Learning’s Proposal Writing Boot Camp.
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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