On Jan. 24, The Alliance for Health Equity launched its second cohort of the Nonprofit Justice and Equity Institute. The Nonprofit Justice and Equity Institute was co-created by The Alliance for Health Equity and the Tammy Dowley-Blackman Group, LLC (TDB Group). The institute will assist nine local nonprofit institutions in their commitment to further transform their organizational culture.

These organizations are:

• 2 Fish & 5 Loaves
• Chester County History Center
• Chester County Futures
• Crime Victims Center of Chester County
• Kennett Library
• Oxford Arts Alliance
• Trellis for Tomorrow
• Valley Forge Park Alliance
• Young Moms

The nine participating organizations will attend seven sessions over six months which includes participation in six hours of capacity-building coaching to advance their understanding of systemic inequities. In preparation for the institute, each organization completes a readiness assessment to determine its stage in equitable practices and programs currently in place. The learning sessions are designed to support the nonprofit sector in its commitment to recognize and mitigate the deeply rooted inequities experienced by its most marginalized community members, including those experienced by the Black and Brown communities. Learning session topics focus on: (1) justice and equity leadership; (2) why race and justice matter; (3) the intersectionality of social, health, and economic factors; and (4) accountability to the community. The final component of the learning sessions provides an opportunity for each nonprofit to draft a customized Justice and Equity blueprint (i.e., Accountability Plan) that will help each organization address internal and external systemic inequities.

The Nonprofit Justice and Equity Institute believes in the importance of responding to people and society justly and equitably through strategies that build communities for long-term success. The goal of the Nonprofit Justice and Equity Institute is to build the local nonprofit sectors’ capacity to embed social justice and racial equity throughout their decision-making and operations.

Strategies include:

• Understanding the historical context of racial and social inequities as well as its impact on the community
• Participating in capacity-building coaching to advance justice and equity learning and action
• Creating an organizational blueprint that centers justice and equity to sustain learning and accountability of the organization and the community

The impactful work that The Nonprofit Justice and Equity Institute is doing to alleviate inequities and community health disparities in this sector is made possible because of the understanding and investment by these Chester County funders: Chester County Community Foundation, The Fund for Women and Girls, Nelson Foundation, Phoenixville Community Health Foundation, United Way of Chester County, and The Alliance for Health Equity.

For more information about the Nonprofit Justice and Equity Institute, please visit the Alliance for Health Equity.