2022 is a year of rethinking, reimagining and redesigning the Maddox Fund’s grant program.
Input from the community was essential. During the month of June, we heard from our partners through in-person design meetings, virtual gatherings and an online survey. More than 75% of our nonprofit partners participated in this crucial process. Thank you in advance for your generosity and guidance.
Maddox welcomed feedback on how we should conceptualize our grantmaking areas, youth and wildlife conservation, going forward. Participants were asked to review a draft document and rank priorities. Below are those priorities in community rank order.
Youth
- Youth Services
- Post-secondary Access
- Youth & Education Advocacy
- Out-of-School Learning
- Education Leadership Pipeline Programs
Wildlife Conservation
- Community-based Nature Programs
- Conservation Advocacy
- Environmental Leadership Pipeline Programs
- Hunting and Fishing
We also asked our partners what Maddox should be asking itself. Three themes emerged:
- How does Maddox understand its leadership role in relationship to other foundations, donors and the overall nonprofit well-being?
- How can we create connections among our partners?
- How does class analysis play into our grantmaking?
Partners also asked Maddox to:
- Offer clarifying language (i.e., clarify that the interest in leadership programs is to diversify conservation and education leadership pipelines)
- Offer specific input on what we do and do not support
The work now returns to the Maddox Grant Committee to integrate community input into the 2023 grant program. We anticipate the following schedule:
- Fall 2022—Grant redesign presentation to community
- December 2022—Application goes live
- March 1, 2023—Applications due
- May 8, 2023—Grants approved
- July 1, 2023—Grant payments made
If you would like to share your thoughts or provide any additional feedback, you can email Maddox staff or call the office at 615-385-1006. You may leave feedback anonymously at anytime by using this link.
