In a recent article for Grantmakers in Health, Rick Ybarra, senior program officer at the Hogg Foundation, explores how philanthropy can contribute to supporting and building a stronger, more robust, and durable nonprofit sector.   

Philanthropy has forever espoused the term “sustainability.” We ask in grant applications and in our conversations with grant partners: “What’s your sustainability plan?” and “How do you plan to sustain your program once the grant ends?” Read more…

Rick Ybarra

We All Could Use a Little More Comfort

One of the topics that comes up frequently in the quarterly Seclusion and Restraint Reduction Leadership Group meeting is how helpful people find a well-designed comfort room. Many Texas facilities, including psychiatric hospitals, residential treatment centers and...

The Texas Tribune Festival: A Summary of Sunday’s Sessions

The second day of the Texas Tribune Festival was as informative and engaging as the first. The opening and closing Health and Human Services presentations interacted nicely by laying out the policy arguments for and against the Affordable Care Act. Click on the posts...

Spread the Message of Recovery Month Throughout the Year!

As September draws to a close, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the importance of recovery and what it means to mental health. We know now that people with mental health conditions, even serious ones, can recover and experience wellness. They can live...

Only a Few Weeks Until the 25th Annual Alternatives Conference

There is excitement in the mental health consumer world about the upcoming Alternatives 2011 conference. The Alternatives conference is the oldest national mental health conference organized by and for mental health consumers/survivors. In a few weeks, three of my...

Not All Who Travel to Dallas are Cotton Bowl Bound

Program Officer Rick Ybarra and I are headed to Dallas this weekend!  However, unlike many other Austinites who will be traveling northbound on IH-35, we won’t be attending the Texas-Oklahoma game or the state fair.  We will be gathering with social workers from all...