Piper Fund is proud to have had a longtime partnership with the Johnson Family Foundation (JFF). This year marked the beginning of a new four-year funding commitment from JFF, which supports Piper Fund through its Justice grantmaking portfolio. Program Officer Mia Legaspi-Cavin shares how the relationship has grown over time and how it has served JFF’s mission to support the development of healthy, vibrant, and just communities where people, families, and the next generation of leaders can thrive.
The three areas of work in JFF’s justice grantmaking portfolio include the following: democracy, food and nutritional justice, and education. This is the lens we look through when deciding on support to organizations. Additionally, democracy is now one of JFF’s highest priorities, and extends well beyond the portfolio where the Piper Fund grant sits. Whether we’re supporting the social safety net, LGBTQ rights, early childhood education, or environmental activism, none of it is possible without a healthy and functioning democracy, which feels more at risk today than at any point in recent memory. If people’s rights are protected, then they have better access to those other needs that need to be met in order to thrive.
What initially drew JFF to Piper Fund was its Money in Politics work. After Citizens United, this work was a big draw for JFF as a mechanism to combat increased corporate influence and create more fairness in elections – so that everyday people can have more of a voice.
While our entry point was the Money in Politics work, we especially value our partnership with Piper Fund because it has broadened our understanding of the deeper levers of social change needed to protect and strengthen our rights. Through Piper’s efforts to safeguard an independent judiciary, defend the right to protest, curb the outsized influence of special interests, and build community-led power, we’ve gained a clearer view of what is needed to make change.
It’s affirming that Piper, as a collaborative funder, is working closely with organizations that have their hands on the pulse of what’s important. One example is the work that the Judicial Integrity program did in Kansas to support grantees with a threat to judicial independence there. A crisis was averted. Then when reproductive rights were on the chopping block in that state, those rights were protected [by a Kansas Supreme Court decision.] That wouldn’t have happened without the work to ensure judicial independence in Kansas. Examples like that have been helpful for Johnson Family Foundation to see the through-line – the need to maintain that as a pillar of democracy so that when threats come or there’s a possibility of protections or rights for people being removed, that groundwork has already been done.
Through donor convenings and grantees spotlights, Piper Fund has helped us to better understand what big themes, questions, and challenges organizations are navigating in working to protect and strengthen democracy. They’re more closely connected to the organizations that are really doing this work. It’s a better use of our time and resources to go to an organization whose expertise is understanding who’s doing the work across the country. We trust that the grant funding that is going to Piper is going to the right organizations.
We also appreciate how much care and time the Piper team commits to providing grantees with capacity-building support. In additional to the tangible support, we think the Piper team helps people and groups that might otherwise feel isolated in their fight to feel connected.
Lastly, the Piper team is a joy to work with. It’s been my experience that no question is too small or silly for them. I know that my questions are always going to be met with grace, honesty and integrity. When I go to conferences or convenings, I love running into [the team] and spending time with them.
JFF’s mission is intentionally broad and includes four primary portfolios of work, all of which depend on a functioning democracy. Piper has helped the JFF staff connect our various program areas to democracy work. Furthermore, JFF is a small foundation with only one full-time staff person working on democracy work. Piper Fund expands our capacity to engage in democracy work by providing ongoing education on the state of the field, seeding grantee ideas, and connecting us with like-minded foundations for collaboration.
