Meet our members!  AFN’s greatest asset is our members—a diverse network of national, regional, and community-based foundations, financial institutions, and grantmakers—investing in advancing economic opportunity and prosperity.  Check back each month and meet your peers!   

1: What’s your main interest/focus on asset building in 2020?

Our 16 agency Working Families Success Network will continue to focus on increasing savings for their participants and reducing barriers to debt reduction, and all things workforce development, including training and education. Lastly, I am excited to add Housing to my portfolio and become a student again. 2020 is going to be great!

 

2: What’s the most “ah-ha” provoking new book or research that you’ve read in the past year?

Strong Towns by Charles “Chuck” Marohn, an urban planner and economist, shines a spotlight on a radically new approach to growth, development, and governance that will make American cities truly resilient in a time where the norm for cities is to project for growth but not for maintenance and expenses.

 

3: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from a grantee or a colleague? 

The transforming power of trusting relationships between nonprofits and funders. When the funder positions itself to lesson and learn from the true experts—the nonprofits—programs produce transformative outcomes for our communities. Funders not only need to be students and teachers, but we must be servants to our communities as well.

 

4: What’s your favorite binge-worthy show, series, or podcast? 

Show – Blackish; Mini-Series – When They See Us; Podcast – Pod Save the People, Strong Towns

 



About Ashley McIver, Community Philanthropy Officer, Communities Foundation of Texas

As a member of the Philanthropy Department at Communities Foundation of Texas, Ashley focuses her time and energy on improving the economic security of low-income individuals and families. Her key passion is working on solutions to address pressing community needs, especially within communities of color, and driving execution to deliver transformational results. She does this by partnering with and coaching local nonprofit agencies through the process of increasing their capacity to effectively meet the needs of working families in North Texas.