SD Grantmakers Update

Today, the role of philanthropy is expanding and so are its responsibilities. This online SDGrantmakers Update is published by San Diego Grantmakers to help you meet the challenge. Our mission is to connect, educate, 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.

"When I give, I give myself"--Walt Whitman 

Welcome New Member:
10,000 RV Sales, Inc.

Charitable Reform Update

The latest update from COF: The House Ways and Means Committee has released the bill texts for their pension reform and “trifecta” (tax extenders, estate tax reduction and minimum wage increase) bills. House leaders decided to include charitable reforms and incentives in H.R. 4, the Pension Protection Act of 2006. The Council on Foundations has released a summary of the charitable provisions (PDF) that most directly affect grantmakers. Please note that this is not a complete summary of the bill, which has numerous other provisions affecting charitable organizations. The bill passed the house on July 28, 279-131. The items in the charitable reform measures affecting grantmakers are:

• IRS Charitable Rollover
• Increases in Penalty Excise Taxes
• Expansion of the base for Private Foundation Tax on Investment Income
• Donor-Advised Funds
• Supporting Organizations
• Application of the Excess Business Holdings Rule to Donor-Advised Funds

The Council on Foundations is very concerned about some of the reform provisions in the bill and is hosting a Charitable Reform Update Conference Call tomorrow, Tuesday, August 1, at 3:30 pm ET. During the call, the Council's Government Relations and Legal teams will provide the latest information on H.R. 4, its prospects in the Senate, outline next steps and answer your questions. Click here to register for the call. The Council on Foundations Charitable Reform Resource Center offers the latest on charitable reform efforts.

Also, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley recently wrote an article in The Hill, sharing his perspective on how to regulate the philanthropic sector.

Member News

YOUR ORGANIZATION COULD BE FEATURED HERE! Don't forget to let SDG know what's new with you, from grantmaking to awards, events, and more. We want to share the good news about all of our members. To submit an item for the newsletter, email nancy@sdgrantmakers.org.

Alliance Healthcare Foundation and The California Endowment were featured in this San Diego Union-Tribune column by Logan Jenkins about health insurance for children. Alliance also announced in July that the Foundation Board of Trustees recently approved grants totaling $532,783 to the San Diego Organizing Project, ACCESS Immigrant Services and Family Health Centers of San Diego. 

The International Community Foundation will have a historic new address! ICF was gifted the former National City home of John and Christy Walton. In addition to ICF's offices, the property will house the planned Center for Cross Border Philanthropy.

Invitrogen Corporation held their 3rd Annual Global Volunteer Day, with over 2000 participants, on July 13: this year's theme was "Invitrogen Goes Green." Click here for more information.

Valerie Jacobs of the Jacobs Family Foundation was quoted about her experience traveling to Washington, DC for the "Foundations on the Hill" event in the May/June issue of Foundation News & Commentary.

Jewish Community Foundation announced on July 19 that donors responded to the current crisis in Israel by recommending almost $50,000 in grants for Israel programs in just 24 hours. The grants are being accepted by the United Jewish Federation of San Diego, which will then forward the funds to the United Jewish Communities and the Friends of Israel Defense Force. Overall, since July 2005, JCF has awarded over 3,900 grants totalling moe than $53 million.

Qualcomm's John McCarthy has left San Diego to pursue graduate studies at Harvard Business School.

The San Diego Foundation and International Community Foundation were featured in a San Diego Union-Tribune column by Lynn O'Shaughnessy about creating donor-advised funds at community foundations. Marjory Kaplan, Paul Nierman, and Charlene Seidle of the Jewish Community Foundation wrote a letter to the editor to point out JCF's donor-advised funds.

The San Diego Foundation announced that Paul Thompson, Senior Vice President for Organizational Success, will transition from his fulltime role to that of a Senior Consultant as he returns to his Social Investment and Management Consulting firm of Global Community Solutions. In other TSDF news, the foundation announced on July 11 that its charitable assets had topped a half billion dollars (click here for the release).

San Diego Social Venture Partners have announced the winners of their 2005-2006 funding search for innovative nonprofits in the Early Childhood education sector.  ANGELS Foster Family Agency and La Cuna – both San Diego-based organizations that place foster babies and toddlers into safe, loving homes  – will receive over $500,000 in grants and in-kind business consulting services from SDSVP partners.

Welcome to the newest member of the SDG family: Union Bank's Kathy Patoff gave birth to Dessa Nuray Kuritz on July 15.

Ted Waitt of The Waitt Family Foundation was featured in a July 2 San Diego Union Tribune article about his $1 million-dollar-plus gift to the National Geographic Society for the restoration and preservation of the Gospel of Judas manuscript.

John D. Heubusch, President of The Waitt Family Foundation, was  elected to the Council of Foundations board at the COF meeting on May 8. Congratulations!

Ruth Westreich of The Westreich Foundation was profiled in the July 20 issue of the Carmel Valley News/Del Mar Village Voice.

Thank You

SDG would like to extend special thanks to Ann Bossler (Weingart-Price Fund of The San Diego Foundation) and Regina Meyer (The Rose Foundation/WebMD Health Foundation) for their service on the San Diego Grantmakers Board of Directors.

LEAD San Diego Seeks Community Organizations

During 2006 and 2007, LEAD San Diego will train 55 regional civic leaders through its nine-month curriculum in leadership development.  As part of this experience, the class members will be deployed to work on six community projects which will be drawn from community-based organizations and grassroots community-building efforts in San Diego County’s low-income, traditionally disadvantaged communities.  Do you know of this kind of community-based organization with a project that could be initiated and completed between November 2006 and April 2007, but lacks the human resources to accomplish it? If so, download the guidelines and proposal from the LEAD website. Proposals are due by Friday, August 25.  For more information, please contact Sherrie-Lyn M. Thompson at 619.280.5323.

SDG Wish List

Thank you to The Patricia and Christopher Weil Family Foundation for donating two computers to SDG in response to our last request!

We are also seeking to replace two very old printers. If anyone has a laser and/or color printer that they would like to donate to SDG, please let us know--thank you!

Resources

State of Philanthropy 2006
National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy published State of Philanthropy 2006: Creating Dialogue for Tomorrow’s Movements, which analyzes trends in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. The report challenges foundation and nonprofits to strengthen, redirect, and refocus their efforts to meet the material and political needs of the disenfranchised. State of Philanthropy 2006 features writings by sector leaders and experts from an array of advocacy and research organizations. Writings include “State of Philanthropy in 2006: A New Foundations Debate,” by David R. Jones and David Campbell; “On Being Grounded: Perspectives from the New York Foundation,” by Kevin Ryan, Adriana Rocha and Maria Mottola; “When a Grant Is Not a Grant: Fostering Deep Philanthropic Engagement,” by Gwen I. Walden; and “What Philanthropy Owes Katrina’s Victims,” by George D. Penick. To find out more or purchase a copy, click here.

Healthcare in South County: an Update for the Community
The County of San Diego is announcing the release of the
draft Healthcare Safety Net Assessment, a study to gauge the community’s future healthcare needs. Supervisor Greg Cox is hosting two community meetings to update South San Diego County residents:

Monday, August 14, 2006, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Chula Vista Library, Civic Center Branch
365 F Street, Chula Vista

Tuesday, August 15, 2006, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Sherman Heights Community Center
2258 Island Avenue, San Diego

The Healthcare Safety Net Assessment was prepared by the Abaris Group. Copies of the draft summary are available here (click on “project sites”).

Gunderson on Philanthropic Regulation

COF leader Steve Gunderson recently wrote an article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "Philanthropy Weeds Out the Bad Guys," excerpted below:

I've been reading with great interest lately the intensifying questions following Warren Buffett's pledge to give the majority of his estate (a $30.6 billion gift) to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This scrutiny was inevitable and, in some ways, expected.

In the wake of Jack Abramoff's alleged abusive use of philanthropic organizations for political purposes, there is both a need and a public demand for new regulations on the sector. Individuals have recommended a wide array of next steps -- congressional hearings, additional disclosures for charities related to congressional members, to even prohibiting any foundation related to elected officials. Lately, many are asking, "What are all philanthropic organizations doing to prevent such egregious use of their organizations and assets?" Click here for the entire article.

Rady Makes Record Gift to Children's Hospital

The Union Tribune reports: "La Jolla businessman Ernest Rady said [on June 29] that he will give $60 million and his name to Children's Hospital and Health Center, a gesture that some think could fuel other multimillion-dollar donations in the region." Click here for the full article, which discusses the gift in reference to San Diego's growing philanthropic sector.

GOOD Magazine

Ben Goldhirsh, son of Inc. magazine founder Bernard Goldhirsh, has been making headlines recently for his philanthropic involvement, including launching GOOD, a new magazine to debut this fall. The magazine and website's mission aims to capture the attention of younger people: “GOOD, a new voice in media, embraces this generation's merger of capitalism and idealism.  We provide an entertaining, thought-provoking, cultural platform for those who want to do well by doing good.  We engage and challenge the people, ideas and institutions driving change in the world.  Our mission is to stimulate the culture of good by creating dialogue around things that matter.” Currently, subscribers to GOOD can designate a charitable beneficiary for their subscription costs. The Los Angeles Times recently ran a profile of Ben Goldhirsh and the Chronicle of Philanthropy featured a report on the magazine.

Venture Philanthropists

The Wall Street Journal featured an article about venture philanthropists on July 3: "Increasingly, though, wealthy donors are opting for a more hands-on approach, giving money on the condition that the charity take their management advice, too. In many cases, fledgling nonprofits, in exchange for new funding, agree to let benefactors overhaul their business models, make personnel changes and install financial controls." Click here for a link to the article.

Upcoming SDG Programs

Funding Education: Round 2
Dr. Carl Cohn, Superintendent San Diego City Schools; Dr. Paula Cordeiro, Dean of the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, USD; Richard Thome, Assistant Superintendent, San Diego County Schools
August 3, 2006, 8:30-10:30am
Location: San Diego Foundation, 1420 Kettner Blvd, San Diego
First floor Community Room of San Diego National Bank
Breakfast hosted by:

Child Welfare Funders Session
August 7, 2006, 12:00 - 1:30pm
Location:  The California Endowment, 600 West Broadway, Suite 1250, SD, CA 92101
Lunch hosted by:
This meeting of the Child Welfare Funders group will feature Judge James R. Milliken, the former presiding judge of juvenile court in San Diego. Presentation and Q and A format.

N2: Networking at Northern Trust
A FEW 4th WEDNESDAYS
August 23, 12 - 1:30pm
September 27, 4 - 5:30pm Special Member Panel: Grants Review & Decisions
October 25, 12 - 1:30pm
Hosted by: Northern Trust, 4370 La Jolla Village Drive, 10th Floor, San Diego

Network with and learn from your SDG member colleagues! September 27 will have a special focus on reviewing grant applications with Tim McCarthy from the McCarthy Family Foundation, Ruth Riedel from the Alliance Healthcare Foundation and Cindy Olmstead, Chair of the San Diego Women's Foundation Grants Committee.

Viva La Volunteer: Corporate Employee Engagement
September 7, 2006, 8:30-10:30am
Location:  AMN Healthcare, 12400 High Bluff Drive, San Diego
Sponsors:  Sempra, Washington Mutual
Breakfast hosted by AMN Healthcare

An Exploration: SDG Family Foundation Peer Learning Network
September 13, 4-6pm
Location: Home of Valerie Jacobs and Norm Hapke

San Diego Grantmakers Annual Conference: 
Grantmakers as Change Makers
October 4, 2006, 8am-3pm
Location: NTC Promenade, 2875 Dewey Road, San Diego
$100 for SDG members, $150 non-member grantmakers
Breakfast and Lunch

Distinguished Speaker Series: Mayor Jerry Sanders
A Philanthropic Lens for San Diego’s Future
November 1, 2006, 11:30am-1:00pm
Location: Aboard Holland America Lines ms Zaandam (in port), 1140 N. Harbor Drive, San Diego
Lunch
Fee

All programs are free for SDG members except where indicated. To RSVP, please call (619) 744-2180 or email programs@sdgrantmakers.org.

Alliance for Nonprofit Management Annual Conference: "Collaborative Leadership"
August 2-5, 2006
Los Angeles, CA

Click here for more details about the conference, which is focused on organizational effectiveness for nonprofits.

The University Club Distinguished Speaker Series:
Congressman Brian P. Bilbray
August 11, 2006, 7:30am
San Diego, CA

The University Club invites SDG members to join them in hearing from Congressman Brian Bilbray. Reserve your seat by calling (619) 234-5200: $20 for Club members and $25 for nonmembers.
 

Northwest Area Foundation's Grassroots & Groundwork
"What Communities Are Doing to Get Out and Stay Out of Poverty"
September 16-19, 2006
St. Paul, MN

This national conference will explore strategies to reduce poverty and rebuild communities. Click here for more information.

COF Community Foundations Fall Conference
September 18-20, 2006
Boston, MA

Click here for details.

Grantmakers for Children, Youth, and Families Annual Conference
September 24-27, 2006
Los Angeles, CA

Click here for more information.

Nonprofit Management Solutions: A Salute to Excellence 2006
October 17, 2006
San Diego, CA

Recognizing superior no nprofit leadership and governance in San Diego County. Click here for more information.

Independent Sector 2006 Annual Conference
Many Voices, Shared Purpose:  Working Together to Improve Lives
October 22-24, 2006
Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN

Click here for more information or to register.

Grantmakers in Aging 2006 Annual Conference
October 25-27, 2006
Milwaukee, WI

Click here for details about the conference.

Association of Small Foundations 2006 National Conference
October 26-28, 2006
New Orleans, LA

Click here for details about the conference.

Grantmakers for Education Annual Conference
November 6-8, 2006
San Francisco, CA

Click here for more information.

American Association of Grant Professionals Annual Conference
November 8-11, 2006
Nashville, TN

Click here for more information.

Philanthropy Roundtable's Annual Meeting:
“Raising the Bar: Achieving Excellence in Giving”
November 9-11, 2006
Charleston, SC

Click here for details.

Grantmakers in the Arts 2006 Conference
November 12-15, 2006
Boston, MA

Click here for details about the conference.

National Philanthropy Day 2006
November 15, 2006
San Diego, CA

Click here for more information.

BoardSource 2006 Leadership Forum
December 3-4, 2006
Chicago, IL

This conference on nonprofit governance will feature James E. Canales of SDG member The James Irvine Foundation. For details, click here.

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

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