The Urban Philanthropic Fund (Up Fund)

Mission

The Urban Philanthropic Fund aims to foster collaboration between the finance and nonprofit sectors and train the next generation of investment managers, nonprofit leaders, and philanthropists. We seek to use finance to build and strengthen community through working with local New Haven nonprofits by providing funding and positioning them for larger grants.

Student Leaders

Zeyna Malik – Co-Coordinator/Co-President Ali Otuzoglu – Co-Coordinator/Co-President

Activities

Weekly Office Hours Direct Service We will provide weekly office hours for our partners to ask questions in-person (or on Zoom) related to their engagement with the UP Fund. Weekly Office Hours Direct Service We will host weekly office hours inviting employees and beneficiaries of our community partners to meet with and receive feedback on grant applications. Direct Service Trip to Tail to Paw, one of our partner organizations Direct Service Tail To Paw Animal Support works to ensure no owner has to abandon their companion animal due to their poverty level or housing status. We want to offer members of The UP Fund and the wider Yale community the opportunity to visit one of our partner non-profits to lead a public educational seminar for pet owners and learn about the non-profit’s mission by speaking with leadership. We will also host an in-person information session to prepare for the trip. Direct Service Trip to Winning Ways Inc of CT, one of our parnter non-profits Direct Service We want to offer members of The UP Fund and the wider Yale community the opportunity to visit one of our partner non-profits to lead a session as part of their ‘WINNING CIRCLE SERIES? CURRICULUM’ and learn about the non-profit’s mission by speaking with leadership. We will also host an in-person information session to prepare for the trip. Justice Prison Visitation Program for the Frederick Douglass Project Direct Service The Frederick Douglass Project for Justice facilitates structured meetings and respectful conversations between members of free society and incarcerated people, so that they can learn from each other, form powerful human connections, and transform both their own lives and society at large. As part of the Prison Visitation Program at the Frederick Douglass Project for Justice, we are planning two initial trips to the Chesire and York Correctional Institution in Connecticut, respectively. The visits will be open to all members of the Yale community and will provide an opportunity to observe the program in action, discuss its impact, and explore potential areas of collaboration between the Frederick Douglass Project and The Urban Philanthropic Fund. Wix Website Plan Direct Service Our Wix website plan is required for its booking/form functionality in order to enable grant disbursement to our partner nonprofits, one of the core functions of our club. New Haven Non-Profit Leadership Forum Advocacy or Activism Your support will allow us further to deepen our engagement with New Haven-based nonprofit leaders by hosting a forum with them open to the Yale and New Haven communities. Speaker Series (with professionals at the intersection of social impact, philanthropy, and finance) Advocacy or Activism We plan to host four weekly speaker series open to the whole Yale community to share passion and knowledge of socially responsible investments, philanthropy, and finance. We are working on confirming speakers for our events. Currently, we plan to host speaker event with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative on 10/3. This is an open event to all Yale students featuring representatives from Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg’s social impact and philanthropy fund. Three more events (on October 10th with the Yale Investments Office, October 24th with EMERGE CT, and November 7th with Point72) are being confirmed. Community Celebration Social/Cultural/Team-Building We will hold two end-of-semester conference opportunities for nonprofits and local organizations we work with in a consulting and grants capacity to connect with students in the organization and establish deeper community ties. This will also allow for local partners to connect with each other in-person. End of Year Celebration Social/Cultural/Team-Building We want an opportunity to bring together all our nonprofit partners and grants recipients in an End of Year Celebration. This will connect Yale students and the New Haven community and work to foster long-term collaborations between our organizations, enabling us to take on pro-bono work on an ongoing basis.

How Others Get Involved

Email us at taban.malihi@yale.edu and find our instagram!