Early in 2017 Central Kansas Community Foundation (CKCF) received an opportunity to join a cohort group (PPREP) of Midwestern community foundations. The cohort group is formally led by the Funders’ Network through a grant from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation. Funders’ Network provides both financial and technical support to the group.
The purpose of the Philanthropic Preparedness, Resiliency and Emergency Partnership (PPREP) is to create and support a community foundation disaster preparedness and response learning cohort in a ten state Midwestern region of the United States, roughly correlating with the watershed of the Missouri River.
By the conclusion of the cohort program, the goal is that more community foundations in the ten state service area will have the knowledge, skills, tools and capacity to improve how their communities prepare for and respond to natural disasters and strengthen overall community resilience. The partnership also brings together a region of leaders that can call upon one another in times of a disaster.
Since entering the PPREP cohort, representatives from CKCF have attended four meetings with other community foundation leaders in four different host communities: Lincoln NE, St. Louis MO, Dubuque MI and Springfield, MO. During these 2.5 day convenings, group members engage with the host community by learning about various community features, organizations or local opportunities that are working in the areas of disaster recover and resiliency building. Additionally, professionals working in the field share with the group on topics specific to low-attention disasters, mission related investing, gift management and buyouts.
Directly tied to the work in the PPREP cohort, Central Kansas Community Foundation held a Winter Summit, February 3, 2018, BE READY; BE RESILIENT, for the CKCF affiliate leadership members during which Susan Lamb, PPREP Grant Facilitator, gave an overview of the impact a disaster, natural or manmade, could have on a community and the role of community foundations in responding after a disaster.
Depending on the magnitude of the incident, a community foundation could potentially be significantly impacted by an influx of charitable funding. Each CKCF affiliate is now more prepared for informed and timely response after an incident. Community Response Fund Agreements have been established for half of the affiliates and the others are finalizing their document as this will allow immediate activation following a local incident. If this topic is of interest to you there will be additional conversations and training opportunities at the Kansas Association of Community Foundations conference coming up October 14, 15 and 16th in Wichita, KS. Contact Susan Lamb at susan@centralkansascf.org .
