Antoinette Malveaux, Managing Director
Casey Family Programs, Seattle, Washington

As a national foundation, Casey Family Programs joined Philanthropy Southwest to help us connect more directly with other foundations that also have an interest in child welfare and improving outcomes for vulnerable children, youth and families. Our desire is to share knowledge about our work, learn about related efforts of other funders, and explore ways to work together. In addition to the connections we have made through attending conferences and participating on committees for the association, we asked Philanthropy Southwest to provide us with tailored assistance to make specific connections to further our work. Casey wanted to convene funders and government representatives in Texas to have a dialogue about child welfare in the state. We knew Philanthropy Southwest staff have extensive knowledge of the philanthropic sector and strong relationships with foundations in the region, and Casey partners across the country with child welfare leaders. Casey brought the new head of the Texas child welfare system to talk about their priorities and to identify potential partnership areas with foundations that Philanthropy Southwest brought into the conversation. Philanthropy Southwest played a valuable role in helping us to achieve the first step in our goal, aiding us in finding the funders interested in working together with government leaders so that we might all work together to deepen our impact.