Biennial report released

2017/2018 Biennial Report

This annual report highlights that in the nonprofit sector, evaluation can be intimidating. It’s viewed as a critical ruler that measures a program’s value and worth. A compliance requirement that organizations use to secure funding. A hoop funders require grantees to jump through. We see it differently.

We know the complex, incremental work of improving people’s health and transforming a community is tough. Progress can be difficult to measure and results can shift as circumstances do. An intentional commitment to learning is our best tactic to gauge impact, direct finite resources, and know when it’s time to change course.

We embrace an approach to evaluation and learning that puts our partners and the people they serve at the center. We encourage our partners to ask questions and set metrics that give them the insight and information they need to do their work well. In turn, we use our grantees’ progress reports to instruct us on where we need to invest more or invest differently to achieve our shared goals.

Throughout this biennial report we highlight stories of how our partners are using evaluation and learning to inform their work. With each story we also share our own learning journey—what we’re learning about what it takes to be a valued community partner, and to support and catalyze meaningful impact in Northeast Pennsylvania.

Click here to read the report.

2018-2019 First Quarter Grants

Moses Taylor Foundation has approved its 2018-2019 first quarter grants,
awarding a total of $1,051,642 to 12 organizations.
(Click here to read the press release)

2017-2018 Third and Fourth Quarter Grants

Moses Taylor Foundation has approved its 2017-2018 third and fourth quarter grants,
awarding a total of $924,516 to 15 organizations.
(Click here to read the press release)

Listen for Good Gathering

We're proud to be representing Scranton at Fund for Shared Insight's 2018 Listen for Good Gathering in Houston, Texas. Moses Taylor Foundation nominated these 5 local organizations, who are now the first (and only!) Listen for Good grantees in the state of Pennsylvania. Read more here: https://conta.cc/2EsHOLK #FeedbackEmpowers

Pictured above: Stig Fromm, United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties; Jane Augustine, EOTC; Ryan Zarkesh, United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania; Gus Fahey, United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania; Nancy Perri, Women's Resource Center; Jeff Smith, Moses Taylor Foundation; Anna Faramelli, Women's Resource Center. Kneeling: Tiffany Elkins, The Wright Center For Primary Care; Linda Ciampi, EOTC; Kellen Kraky, The Wright Center For Primary Care

 

CEP Results

Good morning,
Last fall we engaged The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) to survey the 90 organizations we have funded to date and an additional 85 organizations that have applied to the Foundation. We were eager to hear your feedback on the Foundation’s grantmaking approach, impact and your interactions with our team. An amazing 82% of our grantees and 48% of applicants responded—some of the highest results CEP has received. Thank you!
Our board and staff have taken time to carefully review your feedback to understand what we are doing well and what we can improve. Below is a summary of the feedback you provided and changes we’re making in response.
Your feedback comes at a critical time. We are in the process of creating our first strategic plan. While we are still determining our future direction, we’d like to share where we are and how we’re using your feedback to help us determine what’s next. If you’re interested in learning more, please join us for a webinar to continue the conversation.
In a few years we will repeat the CEP survey to gauge our progress. However, we always welcome the opportunity to talk with you about how we can work better together. We can only achieve our mission through authentic partnerships with organizations like yours. Thank you for working with us to improve our region’s health.
In partnership,
 
What you said we're doing well:
What you encouraged us to improve:
Some recommendations are not feasible at this time given our grantmaking priorities. Here are the changes we are implementing in response to your feedback:
Interested in continuing the discussion? Register for one of our upcoming webinars:
Click here to read our full report from The Center for Effective Philanthropy

Listen for Good

Five local nonprofits have put Northeast Pennsylvania on the map! Through the national Listen for Good Initiative, EOTC, The Wright Center for Primary Care, United Neighborhood Centers, United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties and Women’s Resource Center will each receive technical assistance and a $45,000 grant over two years to improve methods for collecting and incorporating feedback from their clients to enhance service delivery.
As the local sponsor, Moses Taylor Foundation will award each grantee $15,000 with the remaining $30,000 funded by Listen for Good. In its 3rd year of operation, Listen for Good has awarded over $4.7 million to 159 partners. These five NEPA grantees are the first in Pennsylvania!
          
Listen for Good is the signature feedback initiative of The Fund for Shared Insight. Administered by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the Fund is a collaborative of 12 core funders including Ford Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and W. K. Kellogg Foundation.
In partnership with local foundations across the country, the Fund works to improve foundation practice and nonprofit results. 
159 organizations nationwide have received Listen for Good grants.
The Scranton area now has the only 5 recipients in Pennsylvania.

Listen for Good was designed to build the practice of feedback loops in the social sector and philanthropy, especially aiming to amplify the voices of those least heard. Closing feedback loops is a wide-spread practice in business. It drives product development and adjustment in services offered in almost every industry, including healthcare. With finite resources and escalating need, mission-driven nonprofits can incorporate these vital practices to determine how to best serve their communities.

Feedback loop:
provides information about your work in real time; identifies opportunities to change, improve, and enhance; pushes toward improved outcomes
"We are excited to leverage our resources to bring this national funding in support of nonprofits to our region. We look forward to sharing what our partners learn over the next two years."
--LaTida Smith, President and CEO of Moses Taylor Foundation

2017-2018 Second Quarter Grants

Moses Taylor Foundation has approved its 2017-2018 second quarter grants,
awarding a total of $835,811 to thirteen organizations.
(Click here to read the press release)

Foundation Awards $349,360 to Scranton School District

The board of directors of Moses Taylor Foundation voted to award $349,360 to the Scranton School District to continue the services of four Licensed Social Workers (LSWs), as well as implement a Second Step Social-Emotional Learning curriculum, in its elementary schools through December 31, 2018.
(Click here to read the press release)

 

Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging Survey - Needs Your Help

Are you or do you know someone age 55 or older that lives in Lackawanna County? Our grantee wants to hear from this group!

Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging hopes to gain insight through a community outreach survey that will be conducted by the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development, a Wilkes-Barre-based think tank, to conduct separate surveys targeting three key demographics: senior citizens ages 65 and up, future seniors between ages 55 and 64, and nonprofessional caregivers who provide care for a senior family member, neighbor or friend. “As a county, we are invested in the well-being of our older adults. ... We’re really interested in what they think we should be offering to them in terms of services and activities and resources,” agency Director Jason Kavulich commented.

To learn more about this project, click here to read a recent article.

Want to take the survey or know someone who should? 

Interested parties who want to take the survey can fill it out online by clicking one of these following links:

Potential participants may also request a hard copy of the appropriate survey by calling the county Area Agency on Aging at 570-963-6740.