John Rex Endowment

10/09/2024

Today, we’re celebrating outgoing board member Matt Leatherman. When asked what he’s most proud of from his time with JRE, Matt shared:

“We have done work together that is hard – because it is hard, because others would or could not, because it is that necessary. During my time on the board, JRE committed ourselves to honesty and to action about the way that race affects child and family health in Wake County.”

Read more of his reflections here: https://www.johnrexendowment.org/news/reflections-from-our-outgoing-board-members-matt-leatherman.

10/02/2024

At JRE, our hearts are with every person impacted by the devastation Hurricane Helene left behind. We're in awe of the amazing nonprofits, coalitions and people overall who have pulled together to help the North Carolinians who need it most after the storm. We've been proud to help fund one of these nonprofits, the NC Counts Coalition, as they focus on aid relief efforts in Western NC. They're doing incredible work -- but they need all of our help so they can keep doing it.

The coalition is accepting donations as they work around the clock, and 100 percent of your contribution supports the Western NC response and recovery. Find the link here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=8L26XPNUP8YAA.

Help support NC Counts Coalition by donating or sharing with your friends.

09/23/2024

We’re thrilled to announce that Rebekah Appleton has joined the JRE team as operations facilitator!

Rebekah is a dedicated advocate with a profound commitment to advancing justice. Her work has involved close coordination with diverse teams, from policymakers to local farmers, all while maintaining a focus on the needs of the community.

She’s collaborated with organizations such as The Elder Protection Network, Central Pines Regional Council and The Center for Public Leadership and Governance.

She also has a passion for event planning and research, which have been her focus for the past few years. Now, she is ready to apply her skills to support JRE and our mission. Please join us in welcoming her to the team!

09/17/2024

As advocates, we tend to focus on – well? Advocating. But every now and then, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) makes a decision that impacts what rules we must follow – and that impacts how we can advocate.

In April 2024, the DOL shared a new set of rules that are now part of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA determines everything from overtime pay to recordkeeping.

Incorporating the law into our budgets, hiring processes and operations plans is critical. That’s why we’re sharing more about the new FLSA overtime rules – and what they mean for nonprofits – through our blog article.

In April 2024, the DOL shared a new set of rules that are now part of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA determines everything from overtime pay to recordkeeping. Incorporating the law into our budgets, hiring processes and operations plans is critical. That’s why we’re s...

09/10/2024

At JRE, we believe that sometimes, great minds don’t have to think alike. For example, someone with a finance background is going to identify separate opportunities than a healthcare professional. A research expert will have different ideas than an education leader. That’s why our board of directors is a diverse team with a wide range of lived experiences.

Our board members are some of the smartest people we know, and we are so, so grateful for their service.

As we look toward 2025, several board members are completing their board terms with JRE. These board members include Matt Leatherman, Warren Ludwig, John Rusher and LaTasha Winstead.

Stay tuned as we highlight each of these board members, their work and their achievements in the coming months – and then introduce you to our new board members, too!

08/30/2024

🤝 As part of our work focused on systems change, we started providing grant funding for Project LAUNCH in 2015.

🎊 Now, the National Institute of Health has awarded the LAUNCH Program a new grant to research how family stress – stress often related to a lack of resources – impacts infants’ health, well-being and growing bodies.

👩🏽‍🍼Through this grant, the team is gathering important data that will help make science-based decisions on how to best support families and their young children. 👩🏼‍🍼

This is an incredible example of the type of systems change we seek to fund and support! The nationally recognized Project LAUNCH team has already reached hundreds of families – and this work will expand that positive impact.

We are so proud of the Project LAUNCH team and are excited to see what comes next.

08/23/2024

Are you a leader who identifies as Black, Indigenous, Latinx or other Person of Color? If so, we invite you to participate in a peer-led program designed to amplify wisdom, increase agency and lessen burdens of racial equity work.

We encourage you to check out our free Gathering to BREATHE opportunity, created by Black leaders, to help support healthy Person of Color leadership.

📅Cohort sessions will be on September 13, 20 and 27 from 10 a.m. to noon EST on Zoom.

🖊️Sign up here! https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89767480391?pwd=hseeCJUioxd41y1r5FLOQ679hQyp2F.1

08/20/2024

We’re thrilled to announce that Ashley Ahlers has joined the JRE team as the new Director of Partnerships and Communication!

“When we reimagined this role, we knew we wanted to hire someone with deep communications experience – but also someone who understands our community, who is energized by building more partnerships, who is passionate about our racial justice focus,” said Kellan Moore, JRE President and CEO. “Ashley embodies all of this and much more. We’re excited to work with her and drive our mission forward.”

You can “meet” Ashley here: https://www.johnrexendowment.org/news/welcoming-our-new-director-of-partnerships-and-communications.

08/15/2024

Through our strategic roadmap, we’re truly working towards long-term change. Through this roadmap, we:

- Are continuing to fund and co-create efforts that align with our mission.

- Are partnering more with organizations that are focused on movement building.

- Are exploring ways to support the phenomenal community leaders and advocates who are on the ground every day, doing the good work that helps our communities thrive.

08/01/2024

What does embracing a "whole child mindset" mean to you?

In our work, it includes thinking about what impacts children's social emotional health — from living in safe, healthy housing to equitable education. Then, we work with grant partners, helping them build their capacity to fully understand how to provide proper supports to enhance children’s social emotional health.

Here, Dr. Balow breaks down his thoughts on the whole child mindset, mental health and social emotional learning.

Learn the difference between SEL and mental health and why a whole child approach is best.

07/24/2024

At John Rex Endowment, we’re proud to incorporate many of these best practices into our work, including through our partnership with Emerging Equity as they work towards collective capacity building with our newest cohort of grantees.

We're working to build trust, transparency and collaboration into our work every day. But we know we're not done!

As part of our culture of learning, we're continuing to ask questions, listen to feedback and update the way we work, so we can serve our partners best.

How strategic capacity building and trust-based philanthropy can work in concert.

07/19/2024

This new report highlights the need to invest in innovative ways to improve youth's social emotional health. As a foundation that strengthens the capacity of organizations working to improve children's social emotional health, we know just how important this topic is.

It should not rest with parents alone. We’re *all* accountable to the social emotional health of youth.

“Overall, 93% of parents thought their children always or usually had the social and emotional support they need, but only about 59% of teens felt that to be true, according to the new report."

We must do better, together.

As a youth mental health crisis persists in the US, a new report highlights a significant gap between the level of support that teenagers feel and the amount that parents think their children have.