The power of collaboration among different partners can be a mighty force that transforms the opportunities and challenges they are addressing. Recently, Philanthropy West Virginia’s Education Funders Affinity Group, also known as the EAG, has gone to a new level of collaboration through a promotion campaign.
The Philanthropy WV EAG was formed in 2015 to bring foundations, companies, and donors together who are focusing their giving on education from early childhood to adulthood in our state and central Appalachian region. The EAG serves as a platform for peer learning, networking, and collaboration among board members, CEOs, staff, and advisors of foundations, companies, and also individual donors working on all forms of education. The discussions and sharing of opportunities and needs are provided by educators, students, policy makers, county/state education department leaders, nonprofits, and more who are working to improve education in the state and region.
In 2018, the EAG under the leadership of co-chairs Stephanie Hyre of The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation and Adam Sanders of the Roy & Gwen Steeley Foundation, with Philanthropy WV staff assistance advanced its work to become more collaborative and move to action. The collective 25 foundations and companies involved identified bigger goals focused on:
- collaborative grantmaking on key priorities among foundations, companies, and donors to ensure student success
- engaging national funders to invest in West Virginia and our region by leveraging local foundation and philanthropic giving
The collaborative priorities of the EAG members can be found HERE. This launch of the EAG promotion campaign is to reach other West Virginia, Appalachian, and national foundations and corporations to become partners in addressing common education needs, sharing resources, and most importantly ensuring success of all West Virginia students (early childhood to adulthood). These partnerships are harnessing new national funder support, improve collaborations locally, and great opportunities for West Virginia’s students.
The collaborative power of philanthropy humbly working with and learning from schools, teachers, nonprofits, businesses, and government creates the perfect place that foundations and companies wanting to do their giving in the region can find peers, expertise, and identified needs to further educational success in our rural communities.
For more details on the EAG and the communication tools, visit HERE