People Over Projects: Jordana Barrack
Behind every reference to “community partner,” “donor,” and “staff,” there is a name, a face, and a story. Our work is about people, by people. As part of our continued focus on People over Projects – an investment in long-term relationships over short-term targets – we’re sharing stories of the people that make our work possible.
Jordana Barrack is the Executive Director of Mighty Arrow Family Foundation, one of TWP’s key funding partners and supporters. Established by the founders of New Belgium Brewing Company, Mighty Arrow‘s funding priorities include social justice, climate change, food systems, and land & water stewardship.
Jordana: “Beer is 94-96% water... New Belgium's water has come from the Cache la Poudre River, and travels down from the Rocky Mountains. Our wealth that this foundation gives away came from that water…So how do we give back to the landscape that gave to us?”
In the 25 years she has lived in Colorado, working in agricultural and beer industries prior to Mighty Arrow, Jordana has maintained a close connection to the waterways vital to both.
Jordana: “I spend a lot of time on Western rivers around the US, and that has led me to a lot of personal interest in protecting some of our land and water out in these spaces. We need to honor the landscapes that sustain us while also supporting economic opportunity for other people and other communities.”
A personal relationship with the landscapes, and with the people, has been the foundation of Jordana’s leadership at Mighty Arrow.
Jordana: “I think until you just go out in the field with some of these partners, you don't understand the amount of stress and risk that they take on to do this work. And so I trust them and what they're working on, because I can go out and see the way that their lives are shaped by the work that they do. That makes it easier to just pick up the phone and have those conversations throughout the year versus asking for a written report every three months.”
Built from listening to grantees’ needs, Mighty Arrow’s grantmaking strategies have prioritized authentic relationships, honest conversations, and long-term support through general operating funds and multi-year grants.
Jordana: “We spent a lot more time listening to our nonprofit partners than we did to the standard systems of how philanthropy should operate…And now, today, we've found that we have been ahead of the curve of what is now being called trust-based philanthropy. It’s really fun to see – by actually listening to our nonprofit partners we have been operating in a trust-based way.”
Ultimately, Mighty Arrow’s efforts center the people at the heart of the work. For Jordana, meetings with grantees aren't only about checking in on the organization’s finances or the project’s milestones – they’re also about checking on the people, and listening deeply to the answers.
Jordana: “There's a lot of power in listening. I think that curiosity is one of the most generous things that we can offer each other right now. How do we spend more time being curious about each other, asking questions, and as a funder to a practitioner relationship how do we be curious about the people that are working in these organizations? And by listening to the answers to those questions, that is what drives our practices.”