Hartford Business Journal

8 Hartford Business Journal • November 7, 2016 www.HartfordBusiness.com New nonprofits to push paid family leave, gender-pay equality By Patricia Daddona pdaddona@HartfordBusiness.com T he abolishment this past spring of a 43-year-old commission that fought for women's issues at the state legislature — including gender-pay equality and paid family leave — has given rise to two new non- profits that aim to continue the advocacy. The Permanent Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) was one of six legislative commissions consoli- dated into a single entity earlier this year as the state legis- lature looked for ways to trim costs amid its budget woes. The new Commission on Women, Children and Seniors is still working to keep women's issues alive, but its more limited efforts could receive outside sup- port from two separate, but affiliated nonprofits. The PCSW Education Fund Inc. — a 501(c3) — will focus on women's issues in the workplace and generally as it conducts research, educates, and builds coalitions, while PCSW Inc. — a 501(c4) — will lobby lawmakers on those shared issues. The leaders of both nonprofits had active roles in the former PCSW before it was disbanded, bringing informed perspectives to the fledgling nonprofits, which will be bipartisan and act independently of the legis- lature, said Mary Lee Kiernan, president of the PCSW Education Fund. PCSW Inc.'s 501(c4) status allows unlimited lobby- ing as part of its mission. Other organizations that use a similar model of affiliating 501(c3) and 501(c4) non- profits include the League of Women Voters and Con- necticut Against Gun Vio- lence, Kiernan said. Unlike the consoli- dated new commission, "we have autonomy from the General Assembly," she said. "That was par- ticularly important to our advisory board. We will represent the policy posi- tions that improve the lives of women and girls without any influence by dynamics in the General Assembly." Kiernan had been chair of the now abolished com- mission. Carolyn Treiss, now president of the PCSW Inc., had been executive director. In fact, about 11 of the 16 former PCSW commission- ers and staff, along with Kiernan, Treiss and a former policy director, have joined forces across the two non- profits, Kiernan said. The original PCSW had been the largest women's commission left in the United States, and the new non- profits intend to carry forward its legacy of developing landmark legislation and research in the areas of sexual harassment, domestic violence, family medical leave pro- tections, pay equity and human trafficking, Kiernan said. Just launched in late September, the two nonprofits don't have startup funding, but will be looking to raise money from individuals and other groups. They have, however, acquired some prominent board members, including U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). "I've been working with them for years and they had done an outstanding job on the issues," said DeLauro, who sits on the PCSW Education Fund board. The original commission created the country's first family and medical leave protections, and paid family leave is the logical next step, DeLauro said, noting that it already exists in New Jersey, Rhode Island and California. Both nonprofits are starting at ground zero in terms of fundraising and tackling the issues, said Kiernan and Treiss, though they foresee potentially collaborating with the Commission on Women, Children and Seniors. Steve Hernandez, the commission's executive direc- tor, said his organization is actually making headway in preliminary talks with insurer Harvard Pilgrim on outsourcing the management of a possible paid medi- cal leave program in Connecticut, which could cover most of the program's startup costs, estimated at $13.6 million. Kiernan and Treiss also said that the ultimate paid medical leave program costs would be borne through employee payroll deductions and not fall to the employer. Outsourcing management was an idea first floated in the original commission, Kiernan said. "This is an important work[place] support for women, to keep them employed and supporting their families while they care for sick family mem - bers, and it's important for Connecticut's economy," Kiernan said. Paid family medical leave has been a hot-button issue at the state legislature in recent years, with such legisla- tion facing opposition from business groups, including the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. Last year, a bill that would have created a 12-week paid leave program — financed by worker payroll reductions — failed to get through the legislature. CBIA raised con- cerns that the state-run program would cost too much, putting further pressure on Connecticut's finances. The business group has also argued that many employers already offer flexible workplace programs and that a government-mandated program isn't necessary. Currently, family leave is a benefit and right but it is unpaid for childbirth or illness of a relative, said Her- nandez. He welcomes the expected advocacy the two nonprofits are likely to bring on the issue. "They're brand new," Hernandez said of the new non- profits, "but they come with decades of collaborative experience." Other areas Treiss and Kiernan plan to delve into include pay equity and economic security. Massachu- setts currently has a bipartisan bill that promotes pay equity, Treiss said, and she'd like to see "something like that in Connecticut," but it's still too early to say whether a bill can be pursued. Paid family leave is one aspect of economic security, along with employment rights for homecare workers, which affect low-income employees and minorities, and the $15 minimum wage. The nonprofit boards have not yet taken a position on these issues, Treiss said. They are also interested in workforce development programs that will guide women into nontraditional work in science, technol- ogy, engineering and math fields, Kiernan added. g Q&A Hartford Foundation pledges $1M to help nonprofits hit by state cuts Q&A talks to Linda Kelly, president of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, about her organization's efforts to help nonprof- its that face state and local funding cuts. Q. Back in July, the Hartford Founda- tion for Public Giving announced it would provide $1 million to assist nonprofits affected by unexpected loss- es of state funding. How has the program gone? In response to this year's reductions in state and municipal support to our region's nonprofit sector, the Foundation has been working with area nonprofits to deter- mine the impact of potential cutbacks and how the Founda- tion can assist. While we will continue to evaluate the needs, by the end of this year the Foundation will have exceeded its $1 million alloca - tion from our general grantmaking budget to assist qualifying nonprofits affected by unexpected losses of support, particularly in the areas of critical human needs. Additionally, for long-term effectiveness, the Foundation's Nonprofit Support Program (NSP) is providing capacity building and sustaining strategies to help nonprofits address the changing funding environment in a strate- gic and sustainable way. These efforts include participation in NSP's organizational assess- ment, which focuses on aligning staff and board as they seek to resolve organizational issues. NSP has also seen increased requests for technical assistance grants (TAGs), which provide help with long-term planning. A number of organizations have come forward for help to figure out how to allo- cate scarce resources through NSP's strategic planning program. Several agencies have also requested help with strategic alliances ranging from figuring out ways to combine back-office activities all the way through to possible mergers. NSP also offers nonprofits the opportunity to par- ticipate in its financial-manage- ment program and offers a vari- ety of workshops that are free to nonprofit executives. Q. In 2015, the Foundation awarded grants amounting to more than $33.1 million. How much of an impact can the Foundation hope to have with limited resources against sig- nificant state cuts? Our spending policy and investment strategy are designed to work together to provide a predictable stream of dollars for annual grantmaking to sup- port the region's current and future needs. This ensures that during fiscal down- turns the Founda- tion will continue to provide a steady and stable level of sup- port. Our nonprof- its depend on this. Our donors expect it. Our commitment to the Greater Hart- ford community is to be here in good times and bad. Q. There are continued talks about deficits ahead in the state budget. Will your funding strategy shift in the future as the state likely cuts spending to nonprofits? As a community foundation, our role is to respond to the ever- changing needs of the communi- ty. The Foundation will continue to work with our many partners to assess the impact of state bud- get cuts on our communities and find ways that collectively we can address them. Because no organization can do this work alone, the Founda- tion continues to look for ways to partner and collaborate with state and local governments, other funders including national organizations, the business com- munity, nonprofit providers and our donors to create opportuni- ties for all residents to ensure that our region can thrive, now and into the future. Q. Overall, how is support for the Foundation? Has it recovered from the recession? Unlike many other nonprofit organizations, the Hartford Foundation does not rely upon an annual fundraising appeal. We are incredibly fortunate to have built long-term relation - ships with donors who give gen- erously. Even in economic down- turns, we continue to see donors add to these funds and join our giving circles. One trend we have seen dur- ing times of economic crisis is that many of our donors make donations directly to nonprofit organizations that have been impacted by cuts in government funding. g FOCUS NONPROFITS Mary Lee Kiernan, at the podium, and Carolyn Treiss (left) announced the launch on Sept. 21 of the nonprofits they are leading, respectively, the PCSW Education Fund Inc., and the PCSW Inc. Each nonprofit incor- porated separately on June 27. ▶ ▶ ' We will represent the policy positions that improve the lives of women and girls without any influence by dynamics in the General Assembly.' Mary Lee Kiernan, president of the PCSW Education Fund LINDA KELLY President, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving P H O T O | C O N T R I B U T E D

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