We dedicate the seeds of our efforts to those who pursue love, forgiveness and true community through spirited and generous engagement.

Inspired Legacies convenes donors, nonprofits and advisors for inspired outcomes. So naturally with wonderful partners and alliances, we want to share just a few projects which we feel are exemplary.

Please fund and share these projects! Contact Tracy with questions and comments.

brought to you by:

Inspired Legacies
1722 Haver Street
Houston, TX 77006
Phone: 713.527.7671
Fax: 713.527.7672
info@inspiredlegacies.org

CONSCIOUSNESS, LEADERSHIP, AND COMMUNITY BUILDING

• Bioneers
• Center for Contemplative Mind in Society
• Rockwood Leadership
• The Alliance for New Humanity

DIVERSITY, RACE, AND GENDER JUSTICE

• Class Action
• Disability Rights and Education Fund
• First Nations Development Institute
• International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
• The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice
• The Center for Community Change
• The White House Project
• Mexican American Legal Defense Fund

ECONOMIC REFORM

• Co-Op America
• TimeBanks
• Transforming Money Project of The Rudolf Steiner Foundation
• Codepink Women for Peace

FAMILY ADVOCACY

• Childbirth Connections
• Children's Defense Fund
• Family Violence Prevention Fund

GLOBAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

• Global Fund for Women
• Innovations
• Social Franchising Commons project of Global Gain, Catalytic Communities, and Nurture
• Synergos

NEW GENERATION LEADERSHIP AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

• Resource Generation
• Third Wave Foundation
• Yes!

NEW MEDIA AND THE ARTS

• Art and Social Change Funding Circle
• Democracy Now!
• Planetwork
• Natural Capital

SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

• Choral Earth
• Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
• Global Greengrants Fund
• Intermission
• The Berkana Institute

TRANSFORMATIVE PHILANTHROPY AND DONOR EDUCATION

• Changemakers
• Charity Focus
• Inspired Legacies
• The 50% League’s Bolder Giving Project
• The Tipping Point Fund
• Women’s Funding Network
• Universal Giving
• Youth Give

TRANSFORMING EDUCATION AND POLICY

• Conversation Café
• MindOh!
• PassageWorks Institute
• Ploughshares
• Reuniting America
• National Council for Research on Women

All things are possible,
Once enough human
beings realize that
everything is at stake.

~ Norman Cousins

Criteria for selecting these :

• Addresses needs as Inspired Legacies perceives them through wisdom of talking with thousands of nonprofits, donors, and advisors.
• Lacks significant attention within targeted or broad community.
• Provides donors with opportunity for significant impact.
• Known for successful implementation personally or through trust network.

"Each one of us has that capacity to move from a limited and confining sense of identification to an expanded sense of awareness. That is what we mean by transformation."
~ James O'Dea, President of the Institute of Noetic Sciences

In our report with Duane Elgin and Elizabeth Share, and our new book we have a chapter on Transformative Philanthropy.

Here's the way we've defined Transformative Philanthropy:
Transformational Philanthropy is a strategy of partnering with organizations and leaders who are conscious of their work in a larger context of societal change. Its leaders and funders work in relationship to a field of practice that includes mapping, alliances, risk taking and experimentation. The goals are long term, and for large scale changes in consciousness and behavior and in systems including communications and convenings, that invite perspective, renewal and new and evolved ways of living and relating.

Transformative projects: (from Elgin/Share/Gary/Levy report, 2002)

1. build strength by actively embracing diversity
2. tell a basic story about the nature and purpose of life
3. bring a reflective consciousness into the functioning of a system
4. foster self-organization at the grass-roots scale
5. provides leadership that ignites a belief in transformational change
6. approaches the change in transformational ways
7. recognizes and appreciates multiple ways of knowing

This model is implemented often through large scale strategic, projects that enable the initiators to leverage funding with other partners to create greater impact.

Inspired Legacies is a sponsor of the TIPPING POINT FUND which will fund transformative projects, once it has build its capacity to hire a Donor Steward in early 2008. For now, please do not request donations as we are in development of this project with two networks as listed under Transformational Philanthropy and Donor Education below.

We offer this list simply to inform your giving and to encourage your expanded generosity.

Disclaimer: There are thousands of great transformative projects and leaders.  We offer these as a sampler. We do not presume to say that there are not many other worthy projects. Please use your own due diligence. In the end giving is both arbitrary and deliberate and spontaneous. Above all it is an act of faith and wisdom. We offer ours in the form of a portfolio of projects. This is our way, what is yours? We invite your feedback and opinion, but we encourage your greater giving. (Now, to one of these projects or better yet, 2-3 that you do not know!)

We urge you to dialogue on what you feel will make for greater change and to read our book or see our sites for more giving tools and a chapter on transformative giving.

www.inspiredlegacies.org
www.inspiredphilanthropy.org

May we know what is at stake and reconsider our collective path, extending to others and turn together to the path, at every opportunity.

Give more, change the world and yourself.

Happy New Year,
Tracy Gary for Inspired Legacies' team.