ITASCA, Ill., Jan. 16, 2018 – Wheat Ridge Ministries announced today the change of its organization’s name to We Raise Foundation, and said it will focus on supporting Christian nonprofits addressing poverty, violence, and inequality through education, workforce development, and criminal justice programs in the United States. The new name also accompanies a new approach to grantmaking that seeks to achieve deeper impact in the communities it serves. Since 1961, We Raise Foundation has awarded more than $45 million in grants to Christian nonprofit organizations across the country.
“The decision to change our name and focus came after a year-long review process, and it reflects our strong commitment to address the critical social inequalities still faced by too many Americans today,” said Paul C. Miles, president and CEO of We Raise Foundation. “While financial markets stand at record highs and our nation has made historic advances across nearly every area of human development, we remain a country facing vast inequality. While great strides have been made by many anti-poverty programs, there are still 43 million people living in poverty in America. We can do better. Our goal is to raise the country’s consciousness about these problems and provide grants and capacity building to emerging community leaders whose programs offer solutions to these issues. Our new name is the perfect representation of our new vision for this foundation.”
As part of this strategic shift, We Raise Foundation is expanding its GrantsPlus awards to offer tools and services to strengthen the capacity of grantees in fundraising, resource development, crowdfunding, and access to donor and foundation databases.
“With the many issues facing our communities today, it feels easier to turn away from it all or assume someone else will fix it,” added Miles. “We’ve seen too much effort put into shifting blame for these issues and not enough work finding community-led solutions. At We Raise, we intend to change that.”
Every GrantsPlus recipient will be paired with a staff coach who will provide specialized services to help ensure the sustainability of programs beyond the term of the grant. With this additional training and support, on average, every dollar invested with We Raise Foundation will translate into double its value to recipient organizations. We Raise is the only foundation providing this added value to its grantees in this way.
“We Raise Foundation hopes to be at the forefront of identifying innovative ideas, people, and programs that raise consciousness, community leadership, and capital to break the cycles of poverty, violence, and inequality that have so long plagued our communities,” said Miles. “Very few foundations are willing to take a risk as the initial funder. They want a safe bet. But we believe that as we elevate awareness of these emerging leaders and their programs, it will spur others to provide additional support, creating a ripple effect in the community.”
For more information about the GrantsPlus awards or to apply for a grant, please visit weraise.org.