Insights

The Gambrell Foundation Insights

Insights

In an effort to provide inspiration and resources to the community, our team likes to share books Sally is reading, stories from our community, and articles, papers, and videos that help shape our views and inform the way we work. We hope these insights spark creativity and increase effectiveness for fellow difference makers.

On Sally's Desk

The New Jim Crow

A stunning account of the rebirth of a caste-like system in the United States, one that has resulted in millions of African Americans locked behind bars and then relegated to a permanent second-class status—denied the very rights supposedly won in the Civil Rights Movement. 

by Michelle Alexander

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Where Do We Go From Here

In this prophetic work, Martin Luther King, Jr. lays out his thoughts, plans, and dreams for America's future, including the need for better jobs, higher wages, decent housing, and quality education.

by Martin Luther King, Jr.

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The Nordic Theory of Everything

A Finnish journalist, now a naturalized American citizen, asks Americans to draw on elements of the Nordic way of life to nurture a fairer, happier, more secure, and less stressful society for themselves and their children.

by Anu Partanen

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Acts of Faith

A remarkable account of growing up Muslim in America and coming to believe in religious pluralism, from one of the most prominent faith leaders in the United States. Eboo Patel’s story is a hopeful and moving testament to the power and passion of young people—and of the world-changing potential of an interfaith youth movement.

by Eboo Patel

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Just Mercy

A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice—from one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time.

by Bryan Stevenson

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The Warmth of Other Suns

In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life.

by Isabel Wilkerson

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Awe

From a foremost expert on the science of emotions and consultant to Pixar’s Inside Out, a groundbreaking and essential exploration into the history, science, and greater understanding of awe.

by Dacher Keltner

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You're Invited

Regardless of what we want to accomplish, from growing your business, creating a great company culture, championing a social cause, or affecting your habits, we can’t do it alone. The people around you define your success (whatever that means for you) and they have the potential to change the course of your life.

by Jon Levy

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Belonging

Discover the secret to flourishing in an age of division: belonging. In a world filled with discord and loneliness, finding harmony and happiness can be difficult. But what if the key to unlocking our potential lies in this deceptively simple concept? Belonging is the feeling of being a part of a group that values, respects, and cares for us—a feeling that we can all cultivate in even the smallest corners of social life.

by Geoffrey L Cohen

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The Good Life

What makes a life fulfilling and meaningful? The simple but surprising answer is: relationships. The stronger our relationships, the more likely we are to live happy, satisfying, and healthier lives. In fact, the Harvard Study of Adult Development reveals that the strength of our connections with others can predict the health of both our bodies and our brains as we go through life.

by Robert Waldinger, MD & Marc Schulz

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Your Brain On Art

A mind-altering journey through the new science behind humanity’s evolutionary birthright — to make and behold the arts and its power to transform our lives.

by Susan Magsamen, Ivy Ross

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Generations

A groundbreaking, revelatory portrait of the six generations that currently live in the United States and how they connect, conflict, and compete with one another—from the acclaimed author of Generation Me and iGen.

by Jean M. Twenge, PhD

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Of Boys & Men

Boys and men are struggling. Profound economic and social changes of recent decades have many losing ground in the classroom, the workplace, and in the family. While the lives of women have changed, the lives of many men have remained the same or even worsened.

by Richard Reeves

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Demon Copperhead

Demon Copperhead is set in the mountains of southern Appalachia. It’s the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.

by Barbara Kingsolver

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Ours Was the Shining Future

The clear-eyed, definitive history of the modern American economy and the decline of the American Dream, from the Pulitzer Prize–winning columnist behind The New York Times’s “The Morning” newsletter.

by David Leonhardt

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https://www.nordicbildung.org/the-nordic-secret/

Go on an amazing journey together with pastors, poets, common people, some Danish royals, and the so-called schoolmen as they lifted Scandinavia from the bottom.

by Lene Rachel Andersen

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Thought Leadership from Other Foundations

The Happiness Research Institute

The Happiness Research Institute is an independent think tank exploring why some societies are happier than others. The mission is to inform decision-makers of the causes and effects of human happiness, make subjective well-being part of the public policy debate, and improve overall quality of life for citizens across the world.

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Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation

We admire the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation’s vision is to create a world where sustainable and inclusive communities thrive

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Trust-Based Philanthropy Project

The trust-based philanthropy movement is fundamentally reimagining the role funders can have in building a more just and equitable society.

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Hollingsworth Funds

ENSURING A VIBRANT & SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY 

Where Everyone Has a Meaningful Opportunity to Achieve Their Highest Potential 

We admire their values:

    • Accountability – “We hold themselves and our community stakeholders accountable for the actions we all take, and we aim to actively monitor, evaluate, and learn from the results.”
    • Empathy – “We aim to listen first and understand the experiences of those we seek to support.”
    • Equity – “We believe in fair access to opportunities for all.”
    • Excellence – “We strive to surpass ordinary standards in everything we do.”
    • Integrity – “We do what we say we are going to do and acknowledge our mistakes when we make them.”
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Mission Investors Exchange

Mission Investors Exchange is the leading impact investing network for foundations dedicated to deploying capital for social and environmental change. They provide resources, inspiration, and connections to help members increase the scale and impact of their impact investing practice. Members come to Mission Investors Exchange and each other for best practices, new investment opportunities, deal partnerships, and innovations in impact investing around the world. The Gambrell Foundation is proud to be a member.

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North Carolina Network of Grantmakers

NCNG is North Carolina’s only statewide forum for sharing information and promoting cooperation among grantmakers. We admire the way they have stepped up to be leaders connecting funders across North Carolina to knowledge, resources and one another.

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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

We admire their mission to achieve their vision:

  • Ensure more children and young people survive and thrive
  • Empower the poorest – Especially women and girls, to transform their lives
  • Combat infectious diseases that particularly affect the poorest
  • Inspire people to take action to change the world
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The Aspen Institute

The Aspen Institute has earned a reputation for gathering diverse, nonpartisan thought leaders, creatives, scholars and members of the public to address some of the world’s most complex problems. But the goal of these convenings is to have an impact beyond the conference room. They are designed to provoke, further and improve actions taken in the real world.

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Things That Make Us think

Male inequality, explained by an expert | Richard Reeves

Modern males are struggling. Author Richard Reeves outlines the three major issues boys and men face and shares possible solutions.

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Podcast: Good Life Project

A weekly podcast highlighting “inspirational, intimate and disarmingly-unfiltered conversations about living a fully-engaged, fiercely-connected and purpose-drenched life.

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Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life

The Aspen Institute’s Sit Down with Author Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and faculty director of the UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center.

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Diversifying Society’s Leaders? The Determinants and Causal Effects of Admission to Highly Selective Private Colleges

New research from Raj Chetty, David J. Deming, John Friedman

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How to Solve The Education Crisis for Boys and Men

TED Talk by Richard Reeves, President – American Institute for Boys and Men.

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Supporting Community Colleges: Emergency aid helps keep students in college

Many schools, even if they do not have specific funds set up to provide emergency aid to students, will offer small sums of money – typically a few hundred dollars – in the form of either a loan or a grant, which can often be used for things like paying an electric bill, buying food or helping out with rent. Programs vary by school.

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College and University Basic Needs Insecurity: A National #RealCollege Survey Report

The #RealCollege survey is the nation’s largest annual assessment of basic needs security among college students. The survey, created by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice (Hope Center), specifically evaluates access to affordable food and housing. This report describes the results of the #RealCollege survey administered in the fall of 2018 at 123 two- and four-year institutions across the United States.

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Is America Dreaming?

Understanding Social Mobility – Richard Reeves and Brookings Institution

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The Saguaro Seminar

The Saguaro Seminar

The Saguaro Seminar is a research initiative that brings together leading thinkers and practitioners to develop actionable ideas for civic renewal. In 2015, the Seminar launched the Closing the Opportunity Gap initiative. The initiative convened five working groups of roughly a dozen of the country’s leading experts in each of five areas: family and parenting, early childhood, K-12 education, community institutions, and “on-ramps,” like community college or apprenticeships. These non-partisan white papers distill the best evidence-based ideas for narrowing the opportunity gap.

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The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force Report

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force Report

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