OUR HISTORY
SInce 2013, we have worked with more than thirty nonprofit organizations in Connecticut. Our volunteer Partners have provided tens of thousands of hours of strategic advisory work and mentoring to our nonprofit partners, and SVP has provided financial support to the majority of these organizations.
In 2019, as we recognized what changes are required to take care of the most vulnerable people in Connecticut, the focus of our efforts shifted to emphasize systems change.
Systems change is about shifting the conditions that are holding the problem in place.
Kania, J., Kramer, M., and Senge, P. The Water of Systems Change. June 2018
In 2020-21, over 140 Partners provided high quality, professional-grade consulting support, equaling an estimated 25,000 hours of volunteer time. This investment of fime and $600,000 in grants resulted in an estimated $3.3 million in economic impact.
Closing the opportunity gap through a systems change approach requires addressing the root causes - racial and income inequalities driven by a long history of systemic racism and the loss of middle class jobs due to economic changes. These problems are further exacerbated by the lack of alignment between educational institutions and employers, barriers to opportunities (e.g. child care, housing, transportation, the criminal justice system), policy-driven disincentives (e.g. tax system, benefit cliffs), and changes in technology.
SVP focuses on systems change by working with statewide partners
in government, education, philanthropy, nonprofits, and the private sector
on policy and program changes that can address these issues.
Some examples include our work with the Governor's Workforce Council, the Office of Early Childhood, and AdvanceCT. We also work with many nonprofit partners that provide proven, high quality programming and services and are ready to strengthen and scale their work in order to achieve greater impact in their communities. We highly value their expertise and seek to amplify their work.