LOCAL LEADERSHIP, GLOBAL IMPACT

LOC AL L EADERS H I P,G LO B AL I MPAC T:Community Foundations and theSustainable Development GoalsBy Natalie Ross, Council on FoundationsForeword by Vikki Spruill, Council on Foundations

TABLE OFCONTENTSForeword . 2Context for this Report. 3Introducing the Sustainable Development Goals .4Case Study: The Global Challenges, Local Solutions Program in Poland . 8Case Study: Making Local Impact through a Global Lens in Southwest Florida .9Community Foundations: Acting Locally to Achieve Globally. 10Case Study: Empowering Women and Girls in Nepal . 12Case Study: Ending Hunger in Brazil . 12Case Study: The SDGs for Corporate Donors . 13The SDGs and Community Foundations Around the World . 14Case Study: Vital Signs in Canada. 18Case Study: Tracking Philanthropy’s Investment in the SDGs with Local Data in China . 19Ten Steps to Getting Started on the SDGs . 20Case Study: Learning from Abroad to Build a Culture of Health . 22Case Study: Philanthropy Infrastructure and SDGs . 23Conclusion: Convening Power Community Knowledge SDG SUCCESS. 24Acknowledgements. 26Endnotes . 271

FOREWORDThe SDGs have one major aim:to leave no one behind as we build a better world by 2030.CThis report is about the relevance of theSDGs for community foundations everywhere,because we believe that these place-based,locally-led institutions are critical elementsfor achieving the SDGs. It’s inherent in humannature to want to be part of somethingbigger than ourselves. The SDGs provide thatframework. They give community foundationsa roadmap and language for doing, and talkingabout, local work already in progress. They arealso a way to attract new funding.ommunity foundations, no matterwhere in the world they are based,share a major trait: they work withpartners in their communities to solvecomplex local problems. No two are alike.And in today’s interconnected world,community foundations are critical leaderswho can drive change locally in order to makeprogress globally.In September 2015, the United Nationsunveiled the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs), an ambitious roadmap for how tochange our world. These 17 goals are a globalto-do-list for solving our biggest socialproblems, with time-bound targets that areapplicable to every country in the world aswe work to improve the quality of life foreveryone, everywhere.At the core of the SDGs is a commitmentto targets and measuring progress. With 17goals and 169 targets, the SDGs might seemoverwhelming at frst but these specifctargets and metrics can make it easier forcommunity foundations to leverage the SDGs.This is as true for a community foundationworking in rural Kansas as it is for a communityfoundation working in urban Kenya.While the SDGs represent a global agenda,they require local action to achieve them. Allpartners — from government to the privatesector, civil society and philanthropy — mustwork together to create a better future for all.I am excited for you to read this report. Usingthe framework of the SDGs, communityfoundations can leverage their knowledgeand expertise and make an even bigger globalimpact.Today, there are more than 1,800 communityfoundations operating around the world.Most direct their grant dollars to supportlocal and regional priorities, but communityfoundations are also important global actors.Their work to address problems like hungerand unemployment is the same work neededto achieve the SDGs.Vikki SpruillPresident and CEOCouncil on FoundationsTo date, the role of community foundationsin global development has been largelyoverlooked. However, the ability of communityfoundations to be hands-on within their localcommunities can provide local governmentsand donors with the insights needed toachieve the ambitious goals within the SDGs.2

Community foundations needto be brought to the table, bothwithin individual countries andon a global scale.CONTEXT for this ReportWhile the contributions of the broader philanthropic sectorare well-known in the international development realm,community foundations globally have yet to play a majorrole in conversations about the SDGs. And many community foundationsaround the world are unaware of the SDGs and how they are relevant totheir work. We believe community foundations are important partnersfor governments around the world if we are to achieve the overarchingaim of the SDGs to “leave no one behind.”The February 2018 North American Community Foundations Summit inMexico City introduced the SDGs to community foundations from acrossthe continent. This frst-of-its-kind gathering connected communityfoundations of diferent sizes, geographies, and capacities aroundshared community challenges, from immigration to climate changeand social inclusion. By framing shared challenges within the universalframework of the SDGs, these important grassroots actors will drivechange to achieve the essence of these global goals and improve thequality of life for all.This report is a foundational document and companion to the Summit,bridging a gap in understanding how community foundations aroundthe world can operate through the lens of the SDGs, and showing therest of the international development community the ways in whichcommunity foundations can play a transformational role in achievingthe SDGs.Connection and collaboration are key — and the SDGs provide anavenue for community foundations all over the world to become moreconnected and to make greater collective impact.3

IntroducingTHE SUSTAINABLEDEVELOPMENT GOALS:A framework to create a better future for all.At the turn of the 21st century, worldleaders gathered at the United Nationsto adopt the Millennium Declaration,a joint statement of values, principles, andcommitments to make globalization a positiveforce for all communities around the world.about people, planet, and prosperity — andabout driving development in an inclusive waythat leaves no one behind.There are key diferences between the MDGsand the SDGs. The eight MDGs were criticizedby many for not being inclusive enough —both in the way they were decided and for thechallenges they aimed to tackle. The SDGstook a whole new approach.The need to take action was urgent. At thattime, nearly half the population of peopleliving in low-income countries lived on 1.25a day.1 Twenty-three percent of the world’spopulation was undernourished.2 More thanthree million people were newly infected withHIV every year. Nearly a quarter of the planetlacked access to clean, safe drinking water.The process of developing the SDGs was farmore inclusive. The SDGs were the productof one of the largest consultation processesever undertaken. The United Nations launcheda global survey, MyWorld2015, to understandwhat issues matter most, and used feedbackfrom 9.5 million people around the world toinform development of the fnal goals.5As part of the Declaration, eight MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs) were adoptedas a set of time-bound targets designedto make progress toward ending poverty,improving health and the environment, andincreasing access to education.3 The MDGsmarked the beginning of an unprecedentedera of global development, driving the world’smost successful anti-poverty movement inhistory. It galvanized action from the publicand private sectors, and spurred majorphilanthropic involvement that yieldedunprecedented results.A few community foundations even partneredwith the U.N. to promote the survey. InMexico, the Corporativa de Fundaciones A.C.in Guadalajara convened public and privatesector partners, as well as universities, toensure that more than 400,000 individualsin western Mexico participated in theMyWorld2015 survey.The development of the SDGs was a threeyear efort by all countries in the U.N.General Assembly. The process resulted ina comprehensive set of goals and targetsinvolving human components as wellas economic development, sustainableinfrastructure development, and action tocombat climate change.While tremendous progress was made over 15years, not all targets in the MDGs were met. InSeptember 2015, as the era of the MDGs cameto an end, the U.N. adopted the SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs), that build on thelessons learned from the MDGs. The SDGs are4

“The SDGs set forth a bold agenda. Thesegoals act as a call-to-action for both thepublic and private sectors to help addresscrucial challenges such as ending poverty,ensuring access to high-quality education,and protecting national resources.”6Emmett D. Carson, Ph.D.CEO & PresidentSilicon Valley Community FoundationMDG PROGRESS 1990-20154The global under-fve mortality rate declined bymore than half, dropping from 90 to 43 deathsper 1,000 live birthsThe maternal mortality rate fell by 45%1.9 billion people gained access toclean drinking waterThe number of out-of-school children of primaryschool age worldwide fell by 43%5

Overall, there are 17 SustainableDevelopment Goals with 169achievable targets. These universallyagreed-upon targets also ofer a revolutionin the way data is used to drive internationaldevelopment. By having agreed-upon,time-bound targets for the SDGs, we canstandardize indicators across communitiesand invest in data collection at national andsub-national levels. This new ability to reporton progress toward the Goals creates anopportunity for transparency, as governmentscan report on progress in accessible ways.The current state of funding for globaldevelopment shows a stark contrast betweenthe price tag to eliminate poverty andprotect the planet by 2030, and the actualfnancial resources that are available. TheUnited Nations Conference on Trade andDevelopment (UNCTAD) estimates thatachieving the SDGs will take between 5 to 7trillion USD.The SDGs will require approximately 1.5-2.5%of world GDP per year. Financial innovation —whether through impact investing, blendingpublic and private fnancial instruments,or developing new types of public-privatepartnerships — can help ensure the resourcesneeded are available. Community foundations,and the fnancial capital at their disposal, canalso help meet these fnancial targets.All of the SDGs are inextricably linked.With the right fnancing, collaboration, andcoordination, each of the Goals can beachieved.A little more than two years into this new era,there is more momentum, more partnership,more accountability, and more excitementabout the fact that progress toward one goalmakes a positive impact toward numerousothers.k 64 countries have voluntarily reported theirprogress on the SDGs for domestic andinternational implementation7k Over 9,500 companies are signatories of theU.N. Global Compact, pledging commitmentto the SDGs8“This time theagenda includedeverybody and wemust work to havethem achieved.We are leaving noone behind.”k More than 65 mayors agreed to implementthe SDGs in their cities9k Dozens of collaborative projects have beentracked by the SDG Fund Private SectorAdvisory Group, documenting new forms ofpublic-private partnerships to achieve theSDGs10Ellen Johnson SirleafPresident of Liberiak Children from 110 countries will soon learnabout the SDGs from Thomas and Friends,ofered in 33 languages, as part of a newcollaborative efort between the U.N. andMattel, Inc.116