The board of a local nonprofit organization recently elected two LGBTQ+ board leaders. Michael Ticzon and Nic Knepp will take the helm as president and vice president, respectively, at the Spruce Foundation, a volunteer-led nonprofit that provides grants for organizations that give back to Philadelphia’s youth. Most recently, Spruce awarded grants to Achieve Now, Collective Climb, Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers and We Love Philly. The four organizations will be honored during a showcase at the end of September.
While Ticzon and Knepp began these new roles on Aug. 1, they are not new to the work of Spruce. The two leaders have had numerous roles on the board. Ticzon’s tenure dates back to when he applied for a position on the board’s Development Committee in fall 2020. He then switched to Strategic Operations before becoming vice president last year. Ticzon said he is most proud of the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives of Spruce.
“From our board matrix to our trainings, and just how [we] talk about [DEI], it’s woven in all aspects that we do as an organization, and we’re continuing to progress forward on those efforts,” Ticzon said. “We’ve also celebrated 15 years as Spruce just last year — [It’s] 100% volunteer-led and driven — and 15 more years to come.”
Knepp also joined Spruce in the fall, but not until 2022. As chair for the Grants Committee, one of the things Knepp is most proud of is helping to make Spruce’s grant applications more approachable. Moving forward as vice president, they plan to bring their LGBTQ+ identity into the mix.
“[I wanted to] bring my own perspectives and experiences of being a nonbinary queer person to the work that Spruce was already engaged in, to make sure that we were uplifting queer voices and perspectives throughout our efforts,” Knepp said.
Knepp noticed that when it came to Spruce grant applicants, there wasn’t much representation in terms of LGBTQ+ nonprofits. They noted this can come from several factors, including whether the nonprofits are aware of the application and whether they have time to put toward applying. Moving forward, Knepp wants to use their experiences from working in nonprofits to inform Spruce’s efforts and to collaborate with more LGBTQ+ nonprofits.
“We support emerging nonprofits that have strong ties to communities serving youth directly and, in a time of unprecedented policy proposals to hide us away, to make us small in a world that isn’t ready to hear our voice. I aim to push back and say no,” Knepp said. “LGBTQ+ youth-serving organizations are part of the epicenter for social change, uplifting mutual aid efforts to push back against the hate that continues to perpetuate stereotypes that aren’t true, about a vibrant community that is full of life and love. These organizations create a space that allows young adults to come together and connect with one another. My hope is that we can partner with more of these organizations in the future. We just aren’t on each other’s radar yet and I want to change that.”
Ticzon also said his LGBTQ+ identity plays a role in how he leads and will continue to lead Spruce during his last year of service. As a gay person, Ticzon says it makes him more aware of what’s going on in his community at a national level. He also noted the importance of queer youth voices at the table, saying they “lend well to morale and vision.” However, Ticzon is also looking back on the Spruce Foundation’s past. The organization began in 2007 “as a group of friends who wanted to maximize their giving impact,” according to the foundation’s website. He said he hopes to tap into that past by enhancing community engagement.
“We’re visible as an organization for Spruce, but how can you really tap into these community connections?” Ticzon said. “Can we invest with them? Can we explore these conversations, these partnerships and programs better? Or, at minimum, can we share it out to our youth individuals, to our family members, to other people in the queer community just to really uplift their programs and missions as organizations? [We want] Spruce [to be] that connector, that neighborly community organization that is doing good for not only the queer community, but the city of Philadelphia in general.”
Additionally, Ticzon said he is “excited about the direction ahead and what leadership is coming down the pipeline.” As he approaches the end of his four-year term on the board, he hopes Knepp will eventually take over as president.
“I’m thinking of strategy and succession planning at this point,” Ticzon said. “I think we have a lot of great ideas from our board members. Our visibility is high in Philadelphia. We have opportunities that are coming to us but I think we know our bandwidth and our resources. We’re 100% volunteer-led and driven. So [I want] to think intentionally about what we can produce, our outcomes and be intentional about that impact.”
Knepp echoed that statement while adding the desire to create more opportunities for grantees.
“We want our grantees to become more involved with Spruce,” Knepp said. You don’t want to just cut a check and say, ‘All right, see you later.’ We really want to bring them into the fold with us. We understand that human connection is powerful and if we can align the passion of Spruce’s board members with that of our grantees, we’ll create a powerful engine for change that will continue to make a meaningful impact on Philly’s youth.”
For more information on Spruce Foundation, visit sprucefoundation.org.