Funding for Impact: An Interview with the Singing for Change Foundation
Hear the stories behind the amazing foundations that support Adelante Mujeres.
If you’ve ever been to a Jimmy Buffett concert, you may have noticed a notation at the bottom of your ticket telling you that $1 of your ticket price is donated to SFC Charitable Foundation.
Jimmy created Singing for Change (SFC) in 1995 because he wanted to support community-based organizations in creating real change in communities throughout the nation.
Judith Ranger Smith, Executive Director of the Signing for Change Foundation.
Judith Ranger Smith launched this foundation and still serves as the Executive Director today. SFC has been a strong supporter of Adelante Mujeres, funding our Adult and Early Childhood Education, Nourish the Community, and Forest Grove Farmers Market Programs.
I was curious how a foundation located on the East Coast felt such a strong connection to the mission and work of Adelante Mujeres.
Fortunately, I had the opportunity to speak with Judith and learn more about their work.
Judith’s Story
Judith’s path to philanthropic work began when she was working as an administrative assistant and had a realization that she wanted to be doing more to be of service in the world.
“I went home one night and told my husband that I just really wanted to do something amazing with my life,” she said.
On a leap of faith, she quit her job and struck out on a new path, which led her to Atlanta to work with the Hands On network in its newly developed stage and eventually to Seattle where she worked at a residential treatment center to help children who had been abused.
After this cross-country journey, she decided to move back to Key West where she met a woman named Sunshine Smith who offered her an opportunity with Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville retail shop. At that time, the store was donating 5% of its income to nonprofit organizations and Judith created a community involvement team that worked together to form a set of guidelines and priorities for charitable giving.
Very shortly after, Sunshine recommended Judith for helping Jimmy to start up a more formal charitable organization. With Judith’s experience in the nonprofit sector and the guidelines that she helped to establish, along with the board members, Singing for Change was launched.
Judith’s main goal was to create a simplified application process designed to be mindful of nonprofits’ time.
“I wanted to focus on community-based organizations,” she said. “It’s the small nonprofits that need the most money and are making the greatest impact.”
In her experience as a program manager at nonprofits, she often saw that grant guidelines were very restrictive and that program staff were trying to fit into the grant guidelines instead of doing the work that they knew could propel their communities forward. This was the motivation for creating a simplified grant application and allowing organizations the flexibility to request support for what their needs truly are.
“Organizations know their communities. Each person has a different definition of what ‘thriving’ means to them. Program staff are on the ground, working directly with people to empower them with the resources needed to live their best lives.”
This philosophy is why Judith feels a close connection to the mission of Adelante Mujeres.
“Adelante Mujeres is creating gateways into the community for Latina women to feel welcomed and empowered in taking leading roles in community service and in civic life. You are giving them confidence to break through the barriers that often tell them ‘I can’t do this’.”
Judith is passionate about ending poverty and she believes that there is no ONE way of accomplishing that goal. She noted how exhilarating it is to read about the unique, community-based programs that are helping people across the country and overcoming tremendous challenges.
“Because we don’t place a lot of restrictions on our grant process, I have the good fortune of reading about people’s dreams and how they see themselves and their communities thriving. Unrestricted grant dollars allow organizations to take risks and to dream big.”
She explained how Adelante Mujeres is a great example of that. Our focus on the whole family, with multiple routes to empowerment (education, small business development, civic leadership, and more) is very sustaining work and that approach is helping us to lift people out of poverty.
Singing for Change has distributed more than $12 million since its founding. Judith explained that while most foundations distribute about 5% of their assets annually to charitable giving, Singing for Change distributes 100%. She stated that Jimmy is fully committed to helping communities to meet their most urgent needs and to thrive in the here and now.
“I am really proud of the work that we do at Singing for Change. I once spoke with Jimmy about his motivation for creating a foundation and he told me, ‘It’s hard to enjoy music or art if you’re hungry and don’t have a place to live’. I knew at that point that I had finally found my calling and that I was really doing something amazing with my life.”
Adelante Mujeres is honored to have such remarkable partnerships and strong alliances in the work that we do to empower Latina women.
Rose Walker is a guest blogger and Grants Officer for Adelante Mujeres. She has 10 years of experience working with non-profit organizations as a program manager, mostly focusing on providing nutrition and educational services to low-income families. She has a B.A. in English Literature and a Master of Divinity Degree.