Today, the role of philanthropy is expanding and so are its responsibilities. Philanthropy Link is published by San Diego Grantmakers to help you meet the challenge. Our mission is to connect, inform, develop, and inspire a diverse group of foundations and corporations to stimulate effective philanthropy in the San Diego region. For more information, visit www.SDGrantmakers.org.

NOTE: We are in the midst of updating our website. If you encounter any technical difficulties while visiting www.sdgrantmakers.org, please let us know and pardon our progress! Thank you!

Welcome from Nancy Jamison, the New San Diego Grantmakers Executive Director

Amazing, but true - I have been on the job here at SDG for a month now, and what a great month it has been! I continue to be impressed with this rich and rewarding opportunity to support your good works in San Diego - and I am enjoying the process of getting to know this organization, its needs and its members. I have shared lunch at the home of a family foundation member, watched a Padres game (thank you Sempra Energy!) while chatting with some of our corporate givers, and had a number of interesting lunches, coffees and phone conversations. I look forward to many more such connections as we continue to get acquainted.

In the evolution of organizations, there are occasionally "crossroads" moments where the stakeholders have a chance to examine and then reinvigorate their pursuit of the mission. By virtue of the fact that I am new and eager to develop SDG in the best ways possible, this organization is now at one of these crossroads. I hope to explore with you the opportunity we have to strengthen philanthropy in the San Diego region. By listening to you one-on-one as well as through the results of our upcoming member survey, we will evaluate the effectiveness of each of our programs and initiatives, brainstorm about what else we could do, examine best practices from other regional associations and see what direction all this takes us in the future.

On a related note, you may have just received a mailing about our 2006 Call for Board and Committee Nominations. The deadline for nominations is October 26. I hope you will consider nominating yourself or others and help lead this effort to create the future San Diego Grantmakers. The board has several openings and the current standing committees are Finance, Annual Conference, Corporate Track and Family Foundations. I've always found that the best way to get the most out of membership organizations is to jump right in and get involved - I hope you will!

Take care,
Nancy

Hurricane Katrina's Lessons for Disaster Grantmaking

Foundations and individuals in the philanthropic world are now working to move beyond meeting the immediate needs created in the wake of Hurricane Katrina towards addressing larger issues surrounding disasters and disaster grantmaking. In a recent Chronicle of Philanthropy article, the president of the Foundation for the Mid South, George Penick, raises a series of questions that people in philanthropy should consider as they decide how to respond to the devastation caused by Katrina. Click here to read the article. The Foundation for the Mid South, which serves the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas, has developed a Reflection Paper (in pdf format) that outlines the outcomes of a convening of foundation and community leaders of affected areas held on September 15. The paper describes how philanthropic leaders can assist in moving forward with long-term changes. Meanwhile, the Greater New Orleans Foundation is now functioning in a temporary location in Baton Rouge, and is able to accept donations for the rebuilding of New Orleans.

For updated information on local, San Diego-based responses to Hurricane Katrina, click here for our list of member activity and information about a November 17 teleconference for family funders entitled Funding Strategies When Hurricane Aid Ends: How Families Can Help the Gulf Coast Region in the Long Term.

Alliance Healthcare Foundation has awarded $587,189 in grants to the Corporation for Supportive Housing, Poway Unified School District, The Crime Victims Fund, and the Whittier Institute for Diabetes. Alliance Healthcare Foundation, San Diego's only nonprofit, independent healthcare foundation, works to increase access to healthcare for the medically underserved primarily in San Diego County. Its funding priorities include access to healthcare, substance abuse prevention and treatment, communicable disease education and prevention, violence prevention and mental health.

The grant to the Corporation for Supportive Housing will support the Opening New Doorways Initiative for three years. The Opening New Doorways Initiative will develop the capacity of local agencies and service providers to create and sustain new permanent supportive housing for persons with mental illness, substance abuse issues, and HIV/AIDS, with special emphasis on those currently experiencing, or at greatest risk for long-term homelessness. Alliance's grant will provide approximately one-third of the support for this initiative with collaborative funding from other SDG member foundations, including The Parker Foundation and The McCarthy Family Foundation.

Alliance Healthcare Foundation also awarded grants to a mental health program at Abraxas Continuation High School in the Poway Unified School District, the Domestic Violence Independence Program of The Crime Victims Fund, and the Whittier Institute for Diabetes pilot program addressing childhood obesity and diabetes at Horton Elementary School in the Diamond District of San Diego.

Just published: the Foundation Center's National Directory of Corporate Giving, 11th Edition and Social Justice Grantmaking: A Report on Foundation Trends. The 11th edition of the National Directory of Corporate Giving features up-to-date information on over 4,100 corporate grantmakers and 7,600 recently awarded grants. The Foundation Center partnered with INDEPENDENT SECTOR to develop another publication, a quantitative study of social justice funding by 1,000 of the largest private and community foundations in the U.S. Social Justice Grantmaking is the first study to benchmark foundation funding for nonprofit organizations working to make structural changes that increase opportunities for those who are least well off economically, socially, or politically. Both publications are available at the Foundation Center Marketplace.

Upcoming Programs

A Funder's Guide to Supporting Advocacy:
The Rules for Private and Public Foundations
October 25, 2005
9:00am-12:00pm (optional technical assistance 12:00-1:00pm)

Alliance Healthcare Foundation
9325 Sky Park Court, Suite 350, San Diego, CA. 92123

San Diego Grantmakers presents Alliance for Justice, the premier source for information and training on the federal rules for foundation support of advocacy, in conducting this special program for foundation managers and staff in the greater San Diego area. Experienced attorneys will cover the rules for private and public foundation grantmaking involving public policy work. This lively interactive session, with ample time for questions and answers, will cover topics such as:

• Can I make a grant to a nonprofit that wants to lobby?
• What kinds of advocacy activities are permitted under the IRS rules?
• How can I evaluate a grantee that works on legislative or election-year activities?
• How might our foundation help build our grantees' advocacy capacity?
• What are other foundations doing to support nonprofit advocacy?
  
  Registration fee of $60 includes all workshop materials and meals. RSVP to programs@SDGrantmakers.org.
  

GRANTMAKING 101
Grantmaking 101 is for the passionate, perplexed, and recently arrived grantmaker. The series of workshops offers a comprehensive review of the art and science of grantmaking, and includes presentations by experienced grantmakers, experts, and peer-to-peer discussions.

Numbers and Sense: Understanding the Danger Signs and Success Stories Nonprofits' Financial Statements Hold
November 9, 2005
9:00am-11:15am

The California Endowment
600 W. Broadway, Suite 1250
San Diego, CA

Our featured speaker will be Jeff Goepfert, CPA. This popular session will help answer these questions and more:

• What are some important tips in reading financial statements?
• How should grantmakers use financial statements to evaluate grant applicants and determine fiscal accountability?
• What are common problems and common solutions?

Light refreshments will be served. The event is free for SDG members and $45 for nonmembers. RSVP to programs@SDGrantmakers.org.

DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES 2005:
Diana Aviv, President & CEO, Independent Sector
November 14, 2005
11:30am-1:30pm

Institute for Peace & Justice, University of San Diego, Conference Rooms C&D

Sponsored by SEMPRA ENERGY

Diana Aviv is the president and CEO of INDEPENDENT SECTOR, the national leadership forum for America's nonprofit organizations, foundations, and corporations. Collectively representing tens of thousands of charitable groups in every state across the country, INDEPENDENT SECTOR's mission is to advance the common good by leading, strengthening, and mobilizing the independent sector.

INDEPENDENT SECTOR leads the nonprofit community by promoting effective public policies to help not-for-profit initiatives thrive, identifying emerging trends facing the nonprofit sector, strengthening nonprofit accountability, and providing the "meeting ground" for leaders in philanthropy to address challenges facing the sector.

Free for SDG Members, $40 for SDG invited guests. RSVP to programs@SDGrantmakers.org.

Aging with Attitude: Transforming Our Communities and Our Nation
Grantmakers in Aging Annual Conference
October 26-28, 2005
Baltimore, MD

This conference promises to be of interest to any grantmakers who fund projects relating to aging. Conference highlights include tracks such as "Controlling Lifespan Transitions" and "Elders Giving Back," as well as skill-building sessions, program models, and a welcoming reception at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. For additional information or to register, click here for the GIA website or call (937) 435-3156.

PRI Makers Network First Annual Conference
January 18-20, 2006
Palo Alto, CA

The PRI Makers Network, a new association of grantmakers who use program-related and other investments to accomplish their philanthropic goals, is pleased to present its first annual conference, co-sponsored by the Stanford University Graduate School of Business' Center for Social Innovation. The PRI Makers Network's mission is to provide a forum for networking, professional development, collaboration and outreach to funders, including those not currently making PRIs or other social investments. Conference registration will begin online at the network's new website (still to come) on October 24, 2005. For a hard copy of the brochure, or to inquire about membership in the Network, please contact Kim Honor, (202) 833-4690 ext. 7. The PRI Makers is administered as a special project of Neighborhood Funders Group.

Feel free to comment, suggest article ideas, or submit news items to nancy@SDGrantmakers.org -- We're always happy to hear from you. Philanthropy Link is a service to San Diego Grantmakers members. Copies of past editions are archived here: News You Can Use.

If you do not wish to receive the monthly Philanthropy Link, send an email to nancy@SDGrantmakers.org requesting to unsubscribe in the body of the email.