In 2025, Open Horizon intends to look back, reflect on the lessons from 2024, be grateful for now and the present moment in community with our partners, and look forward with curiosity around the guiding questions and needs from our cousins.
As the winter solstice brought the new year on December 21, 2024, one of our final calls of the year was with new cousins of ours in philanthropy, Native Voices Rising. We were reminded that many folks and communities often ignore the cycles of the seasons or otherwise neglect to note the changes. Many cultures and communities recognize the new year as beginning with the solstice, the shortest day of the year. We are committed to noticing the subtle and the overt changes in 2025 and to remaining agile to meet the moments that call us while concurrently building programs and practices informed by our strategy.
We reached out to Native Voices Rising to learn more about what they do as an intermediary and how we might develop a philantrolationship; we seek guidance for how to effectively and appropriately expand our partnerships in indigenous communities. We learned that not only are they awesome new cousins with identity based expertise in our focus areas of education justice, economic justice, and health justice but they are also experiencing some growth and expansion themselves. On January 1st they transitioned to a more independent model with fiscal sponsorship and will be shifting in structure to meet the moment. We are pleased to contribute a one time capacity building grant for their team to participate in an inclusive retreat accessible to all staff and advisory committee members. 2 of the 4 ways that we do our work are by 1) facilitating convenings and 2) build capacity.
The other 2 are amplifying and funding. As we consider our 2025 goals and the commitments to sharing our partner successes and challenges along with the annual funds to be distributed per quarter, we start this year reflecting on ourselves internally. We value the question: “how can we center social justice partner needs?” and continue to thank our partners and peer organizations for honesty as we learn and deepen our understanding of your unique circumstances.
A few goal highlights for 2025:
- Bolster Open Horizon’s internal evaluation systems
- Explore and increase intermediary partnerships to expand impact in strategic focus areas:
- Signature Programs:
- Increase impact investment commitments
- Define parameters for advisory cousins board
- Rest and continue to build wellness into organizational culture
Please note in 6 that we still affirm the importance of rest, not to rejuvenate to be able to do more work, but rather because we deserve rest! We will remain closed on Fridays in 2025.
By D’Lynn Jacobs, Open Horizon Executive Director
