The Nonprofit Alliance Foundation Announces New Initiative With AARP Foundation

The Nonprofit Alliance Foundation announced it has received $100,000 from AARP Foundation to sponsor a new multi-year initiative to create a more diverse and inclusive nonprofit sector. The program will include resources such as virtual educational programs, new accountability measurements and an internship and support program to attract diverse talent to the industry.

“The nonprofit sector plays a vital role in our communities and economy — employing more than 10% of the U.S. workforce and providing critical services to vulnerable people throughout their lifetime. It is essential that nonprofits represent the communities they serve and become examples of diversity and inclusion,” said Shannon McCracken, CEO of The Nonprofit Alliance, whose members include 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations and firms that support them. The Nonprofit Alliance Foundation is the educational arm of TNPA, which works to promote, protect and strengthen the philanthropic sector through advocacy and support.

The Essential Leadership Lab, a new TNPAF program, kicked off on January 27 with a virtual executive session, "Putting Words into Action: Accountability for DEI Excellence in the Nonprofit Sector," that will be led by AARP Foundation President Lisa Marsh Ryerson. Marsh Ryerson will share the framework she implemented at AARP Foundation to build accountability for diverse staff teams and will also discuss the need for shared responsibility across organizations. The session will launch a four-month intensive initiative by 70 nonprofit sector leaders developing resources for improving diversity and inclusion among staff, boards and vendor partners.

“We know from our work that a lifetime of discrimination, inequity and adversity takes a toll, and puts people at greater risk for poverty, financial insecurity and housing instability. For older adults, the consequences are compounded further by age discrimination. The foundation is proud to support TNPAF’s important efforts to fight all forms of discrimination in the nonprofit sector,” said Lisa Marsh Ryerson, president, AARP Foundation.

The two-year $100,000 sponsorship will help fund TNPAF’s DEI initiatives, which began in early 2020, but have taken on renewed urgency during the pandemic as the need for nonprofit support has skyrocketed. Nonprofits and supporting organizations are encouraged to learn more about TNPA and its DEI programs at tnpa.org/dei.

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