Explore every episode of the podcast Forever Forward

On January, 1, Richard Sisisky began a two-year term as chair of the Board of Trustees of The Community Foundation. In this episode, Richard sits down with The Community Foundation President, Isaiah M. Oliver, to talk about how he first came to know the Foundation and why he believes in giving back.

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In this episode of Forever Forward, Isaiah M. Oliver, President of The Community Foundation, sits down with Ashley Dietz, President and CEO of the Florida Philanthropic Network, to explore the evolving role of philanthropy in Florida. From collaboration and capacity-building to advocacy, community foundations, and the power of convening in divided times, Ashley shares insights from her unique vantage point at the center of the state’s philanthropic landscape—and why connection, trust, and courage matter now more than ever.

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In this episode, we dive into a new report on community development corporations (CDCs)—co-funded by The Community Foundation, Jessie Ball duPont Fund, and United Way of Northeast Florida—that offers new insights into this critical partner for affordable housing, economic mobility, and neighborhood revitalization. James Coggin, Senior Director of Grantmaking and Impact Investing, is joined by two experts: 

• Stan Fitterman, author of the report, who is a housing and community development consultant with over 25 years of experience.
• Paul Tutwiler, CEO of Northwest Jacksonville CDC for over 20 years—spanning five mayoral administrations—and a foundational leader of the local CDC movement. 

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What role can community foundations play in solving the challenges facing their communities – beyond important contributions of grant funding? In a new episode of our podcast, Forever Forward, President Isaiah M. Oliver sits down with Mary Thomas, President and CEO of CFLeads, and Rose Bradshaw, President and CEO of the North Texas Community Foundation, to talk about the role of community foundations in community leadership. For the last two years, Isaiah has served as the chair of the board of CFLeads, which represents the country’s national network of community foundations committed to community leadership. The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida recently hosted a meeting of the board here in Jacksonville. “I believe in community foundations – it’s in my DNA,” Mary said. “Once folks hear about the value proposition of community foundations being trusted partners in their own communities, the magic will happen.”

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In this episode of the podcast, TCF President Isaiah Oliver joins two national leaders whose work has shaped philanthropy at every level—from grassroots communities in the rural South to the largest philanthropic institutions in the country. Dr. Sherece West-Scantlebury is president of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation in Arkansas, after previously leading the Foundation for Louisiana and serving at the Annie E. Casey Foundation.  

Her husband, Joe Scantlebury, began his career as a lawyer from Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, and went on to serve in senior philanthropic leadership at the Gates Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. He is now the president of Living Cities, which brings together some of the most influential philanthropic and financial institutions in America—MacArthur, Kellogg, Robert Wood Johnson, M&T Bank, and Truist. 

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In our May Donors Forum, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Weaver Philanthropic Initiative with guest, Robyn Schein, senior consultant at 21/64, a national leader on next-generation philanthropy.

In this episode, listen as Wanda Willis continues the conversation on next gen philanthropy with Robyn in our studio.

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This spring, The Community Foundation partnered with the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy to discuss their recent report, 11 Trends in Philanthropy for 2025, at our Donors Forum programs for regional grantmakers.

In this episode, we invited our guests to share their insights with Wanda Willis, Vice President of Civic Leadership. 

The conversation starts with Tory Martin, Director of Communications and Strategic Partnerships at the Johnson Center. Then we turn to Michael D. Layton, PhD, who dives into one of the 11 trends that we know well here at The Community Foundation – collective giving.  

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Over the past nine years, The Community Foundation has made over $1.6 million in grants to foster inclusive prosperity across Jacksonville as part of our key leadership initiative, Supporting Neighborhoods.  

One of the stand-out areas of investment has been a body of work we call “heirs property,” led by local nonprofit partners including the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). It’s a critical component for building wealth in underserved neighborhoods, and The Community Foundation has made multiple grants to support it in Duval County and now in Nassau County.  

The data is impressive: In the past four years, LISC has invested more than $1 million in resolving heirs property issues, and the work has successfully preserved or stabilized more than $29 million in real estate.  

Our guests from LISC – Kristopher Smith, Community Development Program Officer, and John Sapora, Housing Resiliency Program Officer, join James Coggin, TCF Senior Director of Grantmaking and Impact Investing, to tell us more about this work. 

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Isaiah Oliver talks with Marsha Hatcher about her work, how she's helping emerging artists in Jacksonville, and what it means for her to be selected for the Ann McDonald Baker Art Ventures Award. 

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The term “urban forest” may sound like an oxymoron. But the newest episode of our podcast, Forever Forward, offers insights into why it’s an aspiration rather than a contradiction. In this episode, Isaiah Oliver sat down with Anne Coglianese, Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Jacksonville, and Valerie Feinberg, Executive FUSE Fellow, to learn how their work is helping protect our region from the impacts of climate.  

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In this episode of Forever Forward, community stewards Gregory Owens and Cleve Warren sat down with TCF’s Vice President of Civic Leadership, Wanda Willis, to discuss the Eartha M.M. White Legacy Fund. The endowed fund has made more than $1.3M in grants since it was created by the sale of Eartha M.M. White’s nursing home, and is celebrating its 20th anniversary here at The Community Foundation. Both Owens and Warren have led grantmaking from the fund from the very beginning, and in this podcast, they share their stories about Eartha White and what they’re proudest of, looking back on 20 years of grants.  

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Learn more and sign up for email updates at jaxcf.org

John Inazu is the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St Louis. His latest book is “Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect.” Inazu spoke at Donors Forum in September, and continued the conversation with Wanda Willis, VP of Civic Leadership.

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August is Black Philanthropy Month, a time to celebrate the ways that Black communities give their time, talent, and treasure. Dr. Gail Christopher is a past Senior Advisor and Vice President of the WK Kellogg Foundation -- and she's also a friend and mentor to Isaiah Oliver, TCF President. Dr. Christopher visited Jacksonville to speak at our August Donors Forum celebrating Black Philanthropy Month. Now, we’re expanding on that conversation here on our podcast with a conversation between Isaiah Oliver and Dr. Gail Christopher.

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In our first episode of Season 2, TCF President Isaiah M. Oliver sits down with TCF Board Chair Michael DuBow to reflect on his inaugural year as President of The Community Foundation. In July 2023, Isaiah moved with his wife and four children to Jacksonville to become the third president of The Community Foundation. Over the past year, he has tirelessly immersed himself in the community. He has engaged with donors, nonprofit leaders, community leaders, and business leaders. He has explored many areas of our region, from the Historic Eastside to Amelia Island. Tune in to hear Isaiah's reflections on navigating a new city, building new relationships, and what's ahead for TCF.

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TCF President Isaiah M. Oliver led a conversation former Presidents Nina Waters and Andy Bell to talk about the past, present and future of The Community Foundation during a celebration of our 60th anniversary.

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In the last episode of our first season, Nina Waters sits down with Isaiah M. Oliver, the new president of The Community Foundation. Isaiah tells the story of his journey to Jacksonville -- how he came into community leadership in Flint, MI, how he fell in love with the work of community foundations, and why he and his family decided to make Northeast Florida home.

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Nancy and Gary Chartrand are well-known names in our community. Their philanthropy has made a positive impact on many important nonprofits in our area. But not everyone knows their whole story.

In Episode 8 of our podcast series, which looks back on our work as we approach our 60th anniversary next year, I sit down with Nancy and Gary to talk about what inspires them to give back through The Community Foundation.

I hope you'll tune in to hear:

• How Nancy and Gary first came to Northeast Florida through Gary's career at Acosta
• Why their family has focused on K-12 education, early childhood education and social and emotional health in their philanthropy
• How they're engaging their children and grandchildren in learning the joy of giving

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. 

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Cindy Edelman is a dear friend, a former chair of our board of trustees, and a champion for public education.  

I’ve been privileged to work with Cindy for more than two decades in my role as president of The Community Foundation. Cindy was a visionary leader in the 10-year Quality Education for All Initiative, and she has never wavered in her support for public education since then. 

In Episode 7 of the Giving Forward podcast, “Bridging Divides,” we talk about our journey in community philanthropy over two decades, including: 

• Why The Community Foundation approaches using our voice to advocate for change in a time of political and social division 
• The benefits of giving through The Community Foundation – even when donors also have a private foundation 
• The “most beautiful gift” she’s ever received – the Cindy Edelman Excellence in Teaching Fellowship 

I hope you’ll enjoy this conversation as much as I did. 

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Michael Meyers is an attorney, a trustee of The Community Foundation, and the first president of the LGBTQ community Fund for Northeast Florida.  

He grew up in Jacksonville, and lived for many years in New York City. Lucky for us, he came back, and quickly committed to improving the community he and his family call now home. 

In this conversation, we talk about the interesting work we’ve been privileged to be part of: 

• How we worked with many others to create the LGBTQ Community Fund 
• Why collective giving can enhance the impact of individual donors 
• What well-run youth diversion programs can do to reduce crime and improve life outcomes 
• How cash bail reform can address racial and economic disparities in the criminal justice system 

I’m incredibly proud of the work Michael and I have been part of, and I hope you’ll enjoy our stories as we pull back the curtain on our work to build a better community. 

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Sherry Magill has been a mentor to me and a partner in crisis for more than two decades. 
 
She led the Jessie Ball duPont Fund as President during much of my time here at The Community Foundation. She had the incredible vision to rescue and renovate the state-of-the-art building where we recorded this podcast series -- the Jessie Ball duPont Center. 
 
 In this conversation, you’ll hear about why we never go it alone, and other topics, including: 

• How Sherry first came to the duPont Fund, and our first collaboration together on improving the quality of services for child- and youth-serving organizations 
• Why private philanthropy must support the nonprofit sector, and how we worked as partners to protect the mission of the Kids Hope Alliance 
• How we proactively organized a disaster response fund after we saw what happened during the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando 

Why humility is one of the most important traits for working in philanthropy 

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I met Rachael Tutwiler Fortune about 13 years ago. Back then, Rachael had just left the classroom to take a role at the nascent Jacksonville Public Education Fund.  

The Community Foundation helped found JPEF as an independent think-and-do tank that works to pilot and scale new approaches to improving the quality of education in Duval County.  

In Episode 4 of the Giving Forward podcast, we talk about the state of public education today, and discuss our sources of inspiration – including the petite businesswoman who taught me how to lead in a male-dominated town. 

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Kathleen Shaw and I go way back. 

She and I started our nonprofit careers together at the PACE Center for Girls.  

We were working moms together, juggling the multiple responsibilities of parenting and careers, and we have now spent two decades together making grants to nonprofits here in Northeast Florida. 

In Episode 3 of the Giving Forward podcast, “Head and Heart,” we talk about our community work over the years, including: 

• How we came to know and work closely with Delores Barr Weaver, our community’s most generous philanthropist 
• Why we try to balance the head and the heart in our work to build a better community 
• What “trust-based philanthropy” means, and why unrestricted funding is so important to nonprofits 
• How Kathleen came to be the “queen of disaster philanthropy,” helping lead the response to Hurricanes Matthew and Irma 
• What it was like to start our careers serving girls who were at risk of dropping out of school 
• How The Community Foundation helps grow resources for nonprofits by working with donors and growing endowments 

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When Bill Scheu was awarded our Prize for Civic Engagement, the selection committee described him as a “Civic Superman.” Bill is one of just two people we have honored with the Prize.

A partner at Rogers Towers, Bill has been a trusted mediator on many issues in our community, from pension reform to election integrity.

He’s also been a leader in our work as a past trustee and board chair of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. 

In this episode of the Giving Forward podcast, “Civic Superman,” we talk about our community work over the years, including:

·       What we did when the community faced a crisis with our local food bank – and how Feeding Northeast Florida was born

·       How working in my father’s grocery store inspired my approach to philanthropy

·       What it means for The Community Foundation to embrace ‘civic leadership’

·       How our community bridged a racial divide to improve a blighted public housing community, Blodgett Homes 

·       How Bill restored trust in voting as interim Supervisor of Elections following the ‘hanging chads’ election of 2000

·       How faith guides the way we collaborate to solve community issues

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In this episode, Nina Waters, President of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, looks back on more than 30 years of community work with Judge Brian J. Davis, a federal judge and chair of The Community Foundation's Board of Trustees,  including:

• Their early years in Jacksonville – including what it was like to grow up in segregated Jacksonville
• What it means to stimulate philanthropy and promote giving by protecting donor intent
• Why Jacksonville leaders of all stripes came together to talk about race long before the 2020 killing of George Floyd
•  How The Community Foundation took on public education reform to ensure all our community’s young people could lead successful lives, no matter their family’s financial situation, their ZIP code, or their race
• How J.J. Daniel, a founder of The Community Foundation and former publisher of the Times-Union, met Judge Davis when he was a young man and helped steer the course of his life
• How The Community Foundation is approaching our next chapter as we prepare to welcome a new president

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Nina Waters, President of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, takes you behind the scenes on some of our community's biggest issues -- food security, public education reform, and disaster relief -- talking with some of our community's most prominent leaders and telling the real stories of how philanthropists and nonprofits have shaped our region.  Visit jaxcf.org to sign up for email updates and get all the episodes delivered.

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