By Matt Mansfield, Board Member
We won’t bury the lede: We’re asking for money.
The foundation hopes to raise $2,400 this week for new scholarships that help emerging leaders in the way Tiffany Shackelford did so much in her life. We call these “Shackelford Shines” stipends.
Board member Emma Carew Grovum wrote about this effort when the Tiffany Shackelford Foundation established the fund late last year to help folks from marginalized backgrounds get to conferences and trainings. It’s such a Tiffany-like effort to bolster and build up people early in their leadership journeys.
Tiffany herself might tell me to get that ask higher. With fewer words. I bet she would. But I do have this fancy form, which I think she would appreciate.
Tiffany was an excellent fundraiser, a powerhouse who encouraged those she worked with to not clear their throats. Tell potential donors right away what you need and why — help them see the change you hope to make in the world.
Help donors, she would always say, see how their support moves you a few steps closer, even how it helps you leap sometimes.
So now you know the what.
Still, there’s a bit more to say. About those steps closer.
Why now? This week, on July 31, Tiffany would have turned 49.
Tiffany always told me that helping people see why something matters right now is key to winning. Why not tomorrow or next week or next year? Why now? For this effort, it’s now because many of us are remembering Tiffany at this time and the change she made in the world. We want to pay it forward.
The need is also now because the foundation recently awarded its first “Shackelford Shines” stipend. We want to make more awards to make a difference. If we receive $2,400 now, that will fund four more stipends.
Our first recipient is Elisha Brown, who writes about reproductive rights for States Newsroom, a nonprofit focused on state policy and politics. At a time when abortion access is increasingly under assault, Elisha’s work is important to combating threats with real reporting. The foundation awarded $599 to Elisha to help her attend the AAN (Association of Alternative Newsmedia) Conference.
Want some help for you or someone you know? Send an email to us at info@tiffanyshack.org with this subject line: Shackelford Shines.
We promise real people will read the request. A small panel makes decisions to help applicants as quickly as possible. If you could use help, please reach out directly to the foundation team.
We also have talked to several journalism organizations so they can help us spread the word about these $599 stipends. You can also share this post to boost the signal about the availability of these awards.
Women, people of color, local and regional journalists, and other underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.
The more of these stipends the foundation can award, the one or two steps closer we can get to more equitable representation for emerging leaders. And that is something Tiffany would surely support.
Please consider a donation. I'll personally match the first $599 that comes in.
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