We define stewardship as people caring for that to which they are entrusted. The Foundation supports efforts to strengthen communities and regions through existing and new organizations focused on forging collaborative, multi-sector models of stewardship for economic, environmental, social, and governance improvements. We are particularly interested in programs that:

• Provide resources and support to stewardship efforts that promote the idea that strong and vibrant communities are built on an innovative economy, livable communities, sustainable natural resources, social inclusion, and a collaborative style of governance; and that galvanize individuals and organizations in these efforts.
• Promote sustainable practices across disciplines and populations.
• Support and strengthen non-profit leaders and encourage philanthropy and civic leadership from throughout our diverse communities.

Featured Grant:

California Stewardship Project - Thriving Regions Lead to a Thriving State

The Morgan Family Foundation has launched the California Stewardship Project to develop innovative regional solutions to California’s most pressing economic, environmental, and community challenges.  These solutions will require breakthrough innovation driven by a new generation of civic entrepreneurs.

Stewardship is the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to us.  This Project focuses on the “stewardship of place”— which requires attention to the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of a region. 

Civic entrepreneurs are individuals who see an opportunity for change and bring the same passion and persistence to community problem solving that business entrepreneurs bring to building new ventures.  They mobilize teams and collaborate across multi-sector boundaries to address interrelated challenges.  They come from all walks of life— from the business, public, labor and non-profit sectors. 

Currently, ten regions are participating in the California Stewardship Exchange. Their focus is stewardship, their approach is collaboration, and their outcomes are innovative solutions. All are led by civic entrepreneurs. They are: San Diego, Fresno, Inland Empire, Los Angeles County, Silicon Valley, Sonoma County, Redwood Coast, Butte County, Sacramento and Sierra. Affinity groups have been formed around the areas of green technology, education and economic development.

Hood Corps | www.sthope.org/leadershipinstitute

Eighteen years ago, wanting to positively impact the life outcomes of young people living in urban neighborhoods, NBA All-Star Kevin Johnson founded St. HOPE Academy. What began as a small after-school program has grown into a national nonprofit community development organization. St. HOPE’s mission is to revitalize inner-city communities through public education, civic leadership, economic development and the arts.

St. HOPE has created a framework for volunteerism called Hood Corps that builds the capacity of community members through leadership development and service opportunities.

The Morgan Family Foundation is pleased to be an early funder of Hood Corps’ youth volunteer programs based in Sacramento, California. Hood Corps’ mission is to recruit, train and mobilize young adults to become civic leaders committed to revitalizing inner-city communities throughout the US. The program offers a variety of short-term and long-term volunteer opportunities ranging from one-hour projects to one-year fellowships, each with stipends and educational awards available.

The Fellowship program is a highly selective and intensive program that draws recent college and graduate students from all over the nation to live and work in the inner city for one year.  Fellows gain first-hand experience in the complex issues facing America's urban cities, refine their professional talents and cultivate leadership skills.

Similar to the Fellowship program, internships are for college students who want to gain valuable work experience and clarify their career goals while experiencing first-hand the critical issues facing urban communities. Interns may serve for a summer, semester or a year.

St. HOPE strongly believes that civic responsibility should be cultivated at an early age. The Apprenticeship program provides high school students who are 17 years and older with an extreme service learning experience designed to instill an ethic of lifelong service and grow young leaders committed to giving back to their communities.