Passion — This element is the key to success. Passion is the lifeblood of a community, so it is important to find people that share your organizations passions. In fact, you can’t be successful with any of these tools without passion. How do you build a strong team without a shared passion propelling the movement forward? You simply can’t, which is why I believe that this passion for change should be infused into every aspect of your nonprofit.
For someone who wants to set aside money to establish a Philanthropic Foundation or Fund, what does it take to make sure your resources are being impactful and truly effective? In this interview series, called “How To Create Philanthropy That Leaves a Lasting Legacy” we are visiting with founders of Philanthropic Foundations, Charitable Organizations, and Non Profit Organizations, to talk about the steps they took to create sustainable success.
As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Griffin Graham.
Griffin Graham grew up in New York in an abusive and impoverished home environment. After witnessing and experiencing devastating trauma — not only in his household but in the community in which his family lived, Griffin felt deeply inspired — inspired to not be a victim of his circumstances but a helping hand for people in need from all walks of life.
His firsthand experiences of disenfranchisement and difficult life lessons helped Griffin develop a great sense of empathy and passion for serving impoverished individuals. Tired of seeing detrimental suffering taking a toll on people, Griffin made a commitment to uplift, inspire, enlighten and support those in need within his community.
Despite the adversities that Griffin faced, he used his experiences to fuel the fire for founding Community Nest Foundation. Now, Griffins serves as co-founder and president and eagerly shares the message that there will never be equality unless there is an overall emphasis and focus on uplifting humanity as a whole regardless of race, color, sexuality or other forms of identification.
Griffin also founded Community Nest Foundation in honor of his late brother, Allen Graham, who was the victim of hateful violence at the age of 16. He hopes his brother’s legacy lives on through the impact Community Nest Foundation is making through its charitable contributions and involvement in the local community.
Thank you for making time to visit with us about a ‘top of mind’ topic. Our readers would like to get to know you a bit better. Can you please tell us about one or two life experiences that most shaped who you are today?
I have many people and experiences in my life that have undoubtedly shaped me into the man I am today, but the lessons that I learned early on in life have made the biggest impact on how I view the world. I grew up in New York in an abusive and impoverished home environment, having never met my father until I was 26 years old. This isn’t a new origin story by any means, but it helped me realize early on that I, too, had a choice to make. When I finally met my father one thing was quickly evident to me, is that I must learn from his mistakes. I realized that my father showed me the perfect example of how I don’t want to raise my children, and I thanked him for it.
Growing up in a household similar to mine, many people end up perpetuating the pain and violence onto the next generation, but I saw my childhood as one of life’s biggest lessons. After witnessing and experiencing devastating trauma — not only in my household but in the community in which my family lived, I felt deeply inspired — inspired to not be a victim of my circumstances but a helping hand for people in need from all walks of life.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? We would love to hear a few stories or examples.
I often think about Community Nest Organization as one big soup that the community is making together. What kind of ingredients do we want in our soup? For me, a large serving of authenticity, a few cups of love, a sprinkle of belief and a dash of respect are the foundation for my soup. Then, we think about the ingredients we don’t want in our soup, like mistrust, deceit and selfishness. It’s up to us when choosing the ingredients into our soups.
Another character trait that has been the key to my success I learned early in life from a book. I give a lot of credit to a former sales manager who convinced me to read Napoleon Hill’s book Think and Grow Rich, which changed my outlook on life. This book enlightened me to think of so many concepts in a new way, universal laws that guide you through any issues in life, like controlling your own demise and success. When you have conscious control over your demise, it can easily be guided and shaped into success, it just depends how you let each situation effect your mindset. This concept was instrumental in the development and management of my organization Community Nest Foundation.
The support I received from my community was also extremely impactful to my success, especially from my close friend and de facto sister, Amber Whittington. Amber is the creator and personality behind Amber’s Closet, a YouTube channel where she gives advice and talk about LGBTQ+ issues, and also sits on the Board of Directors at Community Nest Foundation. Amber and I became close friends and without her support and encouragement, Community Nest Foundation would be a very different organization today.
What’s the most interesting discovery you’ve made since you started leading your organization?
Through my work building Community Nest Foundation, the most interesting discovery that I’ve found is how easy it is to drift off course towards something unproductive. Often times in life, we think we’ve charted a clear course towards our destination or goal, but we let small inconsequential issues and people take us off course without realizing it. We can ensure we are charting the right course by holding one another accountable, being a reliable teammate, approaching the situation with love and support, and working together to achieve shared goals.
Can you please tell our readers more about how you or your organization intends to make a significant social impact?
I founded the organization Community Nest Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles, with the intention of supporting and building strong relationships with L.A.’s underserved communities. Community Nest Foundation’s vision is to culminate a society in which everyone is treated with fairness, equality and respect; a place where individuals can reach their full potential and be able to count on one other to advance forward in life. At CNF, we believe that there will never be equality unless there is an overall focus on uplifting humanity as a whole regardless of race, color, sexuality or other forms of identification.
By working collaboratively with other nonprofits in the community who vow to provide support and resources to disenfranchised individuals, we hope to put the humanity, or the “H,” back into “LGBTQ+(H).” When you lead with humanity and fight to foster long-lasting relationships, you look at the issues these communities face in a new light, come together with a shared goal, and truly make a difference in your community.
What makes you feel passionate about this cause more than any other?
Fostering strong community relationships between organizations and leaders that work together to enhance and uplift members of the community, especially with the LGBTQ+ and homeless communities, is a driving passion of mine simply because it is a cause that hits very close to my personal life. Community Nest Foundation was founded in part to honor the legacy of my brother, Allen Graham, a victim of hateful violence at the tender age of 16 years old. I started CNF in hopes that my brother’s legacy lives on through the impact Community Nest Foundation is making through its charitable contributions and involvement in the local community. We know we are successful as an organization when the people that make us proud to be part of the community share in our pride for ourselves. Feeling the strong community support behind us only deepens my passion and confirms that I am doing the best thing I can to make a difference in the world.
Without naming names, could you share a story about an individual who benefitted from your initiatives?
The person that has probably benefitted most from the work that my team at Community Nest Foundation would be myself. As I began working closely within my community, there were many ideas and concepts that would give me pause to think, “why isn’t anyone doing anything to solve this issue?” That is when I realized that nonprofits need to come together to make the biggest impact in our community. This epiphany inspired our toy and technology donation to Helios School District.
The simple act of providing these students with educational toys really made an impact on how I look at the future of Community Nest Foundation. Now, Community Nest Foundation looks for opportunities to partner with other philanthropic organizations who share similar values in its mission to advocate for equality amongst the LGBT+ and disenfranchised communities at large; to the benefit to all humanity.
In addition to our work with the Helios School District, we’ve also supported our friends at Los Angeles’s new LGBTQ+ Center and have also worked with Lunch On Me, an LA-Based nonprofit that provides meals to the homeless community. This year, we will be joining Los Angeles’s Thanksgiving Day celebrations by supporting LA Mission with a 2,000-shoe donation. We look forward to offering our continued support to amazing nonprofit organizations and making a difference in our community through collaborative efforts.
We all want to help and to live a life of purpose. What are three actions anyone could take to help address the root cause of the problem you’re trying to solve?
The three best practices that every person can implement to support their communities are simple, good words, good thoughts and good deeds. I truly believe that if everyone navigated their life by vowing to extend good words, good thoughts and good deeds to those around them that we would not have many of the issues our community faces today. Offering fundraising support and volunteering time will always be important in order to move the needle towards change, but for those who are unable to support in those ways, good words, good thoughts and good deeds being the foundation of change, is the best mindset to start from.

Based on your experience, what are the “5 Things You Need To Create A Successful & Effective Nonprofit That Leaves A Lasting Legacy?” Please share a story or example for each.
There are many things that I found are important elements for creating a successful nonprofit, but the five most important are tools that everyone involved in the organization should follow:
Believers — Believers are the foundation to every successful nonprofit that leaves a lasting legacy. If you don’t have people who believe in you and your cause, you should reexamine the mission of your nonprofit to ensure that you aren’t missing the mark. If you find yourself with countless believers eager to make a difference, then you know you’re starting from a good place.
A Strong Team — Community Nest Foundation is built off of the support that our community gives to us and the support we give to our community. None of that would be possible without a strong, hardworking team that makes up the organization. I have found that when you have a supportive team who is excited to make a difference, the organization makes a deeper impact within the community you are supporting. When you have a team that is dedicated to making a difference, the work doesn’t feel like work anymore.
Movement — With a strong team supporting the organization, the next thing needed to create an effective nonprofit is to inspire a movement in your community. The best movements come from the connections within a community. You’d be surprised to learn who needs your organizations support. I encourage nonprofit leaders to become active community members to learn more about their community’s needs. Tap into the ideas, experiences, and connections of your team, take to the streets and start making an impact.
Passion — This element is the key to success. Passion is the lifeblood of a community, so it is important to find people that share your organizations passions. In fact, you can’t be successful with any of these tools without passion. How do you build a strong team without a shared passion propelling the movement forward? You simply can’t, which is why I believe that this passion for change should be infused into every aspect of your nonprofit.
Action — This element is the key to success. If you start with a group of believers in your cause, then build a strong team, the next important aspect is action. Having a clear plan of action within your nonprofit organization ensures that the organization is working towards its missions and goals. It is easy to get caught up in logistics of launching a nonprofit and lose momentum when it’s time to focus on action, which is why having a supportive, passionate team is integral in making a difference.
How has the pandemic changed your definition of success?
An important lesson that I took away from the impact of the pandemic is to have more appreciation for the small things, because as we know, unexpected things can happen at any time that will forever alter how we look at life. When the pandemic first hit, the whole world was questioning everything that we thought we knew. This world of uncertainty had us all reevaluating our personal definitions of success, as well as the things that truly make life meaningful. Even as the world was on pause, I realized that I couldn’t use the pandemic as an excuse to stop. Now, coming out of the pandemic, Community Nest Foundation is even more dedicated to making an impact in our community.
How do you get inspired after an inevitable setback?
When I am faced with challenges and potential setbacks, that is when I know I need inspiration the most. I always carry inspiration with me in my heart, it’s in everything I do, and it is the fastest way to bounce back from a setback. Setbacks and challenges are inevitable but are also a great opportunity to examine where we are at, look at what we can do better in the future, and move forward in a new, and often better direction. Instead of losing inspiration when facing a setback, that is when you should be harnessing that inspiration to move you forward, no matter what adversities you face.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world who you would like to talk to, to share the idea behind your non-profit? He, she, or they might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I would love to connect with Oprah Winfrey and talk with her about the mission of Community Nest Foundation and the impact it is making in our community. Oprah is an inspiring entrepreneur and being able to speak with her about the future of Community Nest Foundation would be life-changing for our organization.
You’re doing important work. How can our readers follow your progress online?
Readers can stay informed on all of Community Nest Foundation’s initiatives on our website, https://www.cnflgbt.com/, or on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/communitynestfoundation, and Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/cnflgbt/?hl=en
Thank you for a meaningful conversation. We wish you continued success with your mission.