July 2021: Grants Q1 and Q2
Q&A With Shelley A. Davis
The Coleman Foundation is halfway through its first strategic planning process. CEO Shelley A. Davis fills us in on what we’ve learned so far and what to expect.
I thought we’d start with a little check-in. You started a new job about seven months ago. How is it going?
Starting a job in the midst of a pandemic is not optimal. It’s been difficult to get to know each other as a team. I realize what I miss most are conversations in between meetings, those quick knock on the door, “gotta sec” conversations. I really look forward to us returning to the office in September.
Q: What in your experience do you draw upon to gain perspective in your new role?
A: Personally, as a native Southsider, I bring the perspective of the needs and conditions of communities that have been underinvested in for generations. Professionally, I’ve spent my entire career in the nonprofit sector- first as an advocate, then as a grantmaker, and most recently as a major donor fundraiser. I view our grantmaking through the eyes of both the grant seeker and grantmaker. Finally, I also have a lot of relationships across Chicago and the philanthropic sector — peer relationships where we influence each other with ideas, cross-pollination, and collaboration.
Q: With so many things closed, were you able to connect with stakeholders?
A: When I first started, I asked the staff to help organize some grantee meetings for us. I really wanted to leverage Zoom to our advantage. We invited everyone to introduce themselves to me. There were about two hundred folks that took us up on our invitation. The purpose was to give people an opportunity to meet the new CEO, and for me to get a lay of the land. It led to an understanding of Coleman’s relationships with our grantee partners and contributed to the beginning of our strategic planning process.
Q: Where are you in the strategic planning process?
A: We launched the process in March and we are about halfway through. Our consultants have been going through a discovery phase, which includes a series of one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and now a stakeholder survey. We also have gone through several sessions with our board and staff and have a two-day retreat planned for July. We will begin drafting the plan at the beginning of Q4 and release it sometime before the end of the year.
Q: What have you learned? 
A: I’ve heard a lot of praise about the foundation in terms of how we have developed these shared tables with our grantees in a way that they are able to learn from each other and solve problems together. I’ve heard stories about collaboration and partnership. There’s goodwill in the community for Coleman, because we have been such a dedicated long-term partner in ways that make me proud to be part of Coleman.
In true Coleman fashion, every time there has been an opportunity to listen, to engage, and to learn, we have tried to do that. We are asking everyone who receives this newsletter to please take the stakeholder survey. So, if you haven’t taken it already, please do it now.
Q: Are you expecting big changes?
A: I said when I started that we may not look radically different to the outside world coming out of this plan. And I stand by that. There’s an alignment of culture and process that’s going on that’s internal to Coleman. The board and staff are taking this opportunity to build our team, to think about how we support our grantees’ work and how we will continue to support their work. We’re building cohesion and alignment between board and staff, questioning long-held assumptions, and refreshing our mission, vision, and values. We may have a sharpening of strategy going forward. If anything changes with our guidelines or grantmaking, it would be announced later this year and implemented slowly beginning in 2022.
Q2. The Coleman Foundation awarded twenty-three grants for a total of $1.75 million in April, May, and June 2021. The grantees and amounts are posted here.
Q1. The Coleman Foundation awarded ninety-three grants for a total of $1.59 million in January, February, and March 2021. The grantees and amounts are posted here.
In The News
When Marina Malaguti invited me to be interviewed for the UNBOSSED podcast I had no idea what to expect. Although I get opportunities to share my story often- somehow this felt different, and it was. Marina invited me to share my leadership journey. I told stories of often being one of the few women of color in senior roles. I gave tribute to my mentors and peer network. And she was patient while I struggled to define what Unbossed means to me. Take a listen to my story and let me know what you think.
