Page 5 - October 2023

JSF RETREAT 2023: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF OUR SCOPE (2)
Going wide is not a mistake. Going deep is not a mistake. But we should reconsider trying to do both. In 2023, the annual JSF grant distribution will be approximately $11 million. After core distributions of $4.4 million, the GPC will direct $6.6 million in discretionary grants to 3 program areas ($2.2 million to each). That $2.2 million is further divided into scholarships, endowment building and job training. That’s not a lot of money to address these three very important items. The dilution is even more significant when you consider the funding is spread over two countries.
JSF impact could improve from a greater focus of scope. Consider the outcomes we highlight in our mission statement. When we include employment, we are wider in two dimensions. First, our intended outcomes are doubled from education to education and a job. Second, it exponentially broadens the scope of people we are trying to assist.
JSF is at its core an education foundation. Employment in our mission adds a wing than can splinter our funding. Our history and grant-making point to post-secondary education as the means to improve the quality of lives and communities. We believe it is reasonable that a college education makes a person more employable. JSF’s mission is not the answer for all people. Nor are we the exclusive answer for those we serve. At best, we are a meaningful piece of the answer. The $2.2 million annually per program should be strategically invested in education.
JSF should consider doubling down on education (the goal of post-secondary education) as the area we focus on. This would include scholarships, mentorship, wrap-around service programs and endowments that secure them for student success. We should consider prioritizing a deep dive (serve a younger demographic of students) with programs that prepare disadvantaged students, Indigenous students and students with disabilities. A college education offers improved employment opportunities. That’s enough. It’s not that we don’t see the merit of employment, but rather we recognize the limits of our funding.
We should consider the benefit of one strategy across all three program areas. Focusing on education enables this positioning. Apply one mission, one strategy to our three program areas. Align our discretionary funding to line up with our core funding to have all grants paddling in the same direction. We can integrate our grant investments vertically (by age) rather than horizontally (by people groups and intended outcomes).
Page 3 HORIZONS