SD Grantmakers Update
“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”--Henry David Thoreau
Welcome New Members
Project High Hopes
Satterberg Foundation
In This Issue
Third Thursday Update
Make sure to RSVP now for June's Third Thursday event:
Turning Silver to Gold in San Diego:
The Impact of Aging
June 21, 2007
8:30 AM-10:30 AM
Location: United Way of San Diego County, 4699 Murphy Canyon Road, San Diego, CA 92123
Special Guests: E. Thomas Brewer, Director of Programs, Archstone Foundation; Carol Farquhar, Executive Director, Grantmakers in Aging; Gregory Hall, Senior Program Officer, The California Endowment; Pam Smith, Deputy Director, County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency
Aging influences nearly every aspect of our communities and nation. As individuals, we are affected by our own aging, as well as by our aging families, friends and colleagues. Regardless of your funding interests – the arts, environment, health, neighborhoods, social services, children and youth, families, or education – older adults are increasingly relevant to your work. They may already benefit directly or indirectly from the programs you fund. Conversely, they may serve as critically needed volunteers or supporters for your grantees. Join us to look at your funding through an "aging lens."
Save the Date: SDG Annual Conference on November 8
Mark your calendars: the 2007 SDG Annual Conference will be held on Thursday, November 8. Don't miss our most popular event of the year! This year’s conference, “Strategic Grantmaking: Inspiration to Implementation,” will be held at NTC Promenade (a center for nonprofit groups!) and will feature inspiring and educational plenary and workshop sessions highlighting best practices, innovation, and collaboration. Among our expert speakers are Peter Hero, Senior Advisor and former President of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and Albert Ruesga, Vice President of The Meyer Foundation and chair of Hispanics in Philanthropy (and philanthropy blogger).
Sponsorships are now available: sponsors already signed on include Washington Mutual, QUALCOMM Inc., Fieldstone Foundation, the Jewish Community Foundation, WebMD Health Foundation, The Patricia and Christopher Weil Family Foundation,
and the Sorkin Family Fund. Click here (pdf) to download a sponsorship form.
Co-Chairs Janine Mason and Charlene Seidle and the members of the Annual Conference committee are hard at work planning an inspiring and informative day--stay tuned for more details!
Corporate Philanthropy in the News
San Diego Business Journal Publishes Supplement on Corporate Philanthropy
San Diego Business Journal, San Diego Grantmakers, and Volunteer San Diego worked together to launch this special supplement on local corporate philanthropy. Published on May 28, 2007, the piece highlights the contributions of current corporate giving and employee volunteer programs and will hopefully inspire more companies to get involved. To download the supplement (large pdf), click here. If you would like to receive a hard copy, contact us. The piece has already received some attention in the blogosphere: click here.
Guiding Principles, Continued
by Tim McCarthy, McCarthy Family Foundation, and Chair of the SDG Guiding Principles Task Force
Last month, we launched SDG's Guiding Principles effort at our May Third Thursday event and followed that up with the first meeting of the SDG Guiding Principles Task Force. There is no question that these issues are in the news--click here for yet another story about questionable foundation behavior (in this example, regarding executive compensation). The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that blogger Dan Prives analyzed the recent IRS report on executive compensation at nonprofits and found that private foundations received four-fifths of the penalties levied--astounding, given that foundations were only one-fifth of the organizations examined!
If you think this problem is going away, or that it could never happen in America's Finest City, think again! Stories like these make clear the importance of developing strong guiding principles. Please join us for the second meeting of the Task Force, which will take place on Monday, July 23 at AMN Healthcare from 8:30-11:00am. We will offer a project orientation at the beginning of the meeting to update new members, so don't hesitate even if you were not able to attend either the launch or first meeting! I hope to see you there as we continue our work on this very important issue--RSVP today.
Member & Community Partner 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.
San Diego Grantmakers announces the formation of our new Advisory Board: the founding members include William E. Beamer, Esq., The Parker Foundation; James E. Canales, The James Irvine Foundation; Molly Cartmill, Sempra Energy; Peter Ellsworth, The Legler Benbough Foundation; Murray Galinson, The Galinson Family Foundation; Marjory Kaplan, Jewish Community Foundation; Bob Kelly, The San Diego Foundation; Tim McCarthy, McCarthy Family Foundation; Judy McDonald, The Parker Foundation; Ruth Lyn Riedel, Ph.D., Alliance Healthcare Foundation; and Robert K. Ross, M.D., The California Endowment. SDG is also thrilled to welcome our new summer intern, Claire Hapke!
Click here for Alliance Healthcare Foundation's Spring 2007 e-newsletter.
Congratulations to both Shelley Wright of AMN Healthcare and Lori Finch of The San Diego Foundation on the new arrivals in their respective families!
The California Endowment and Alliance Healthcare Foundation have announced a combined grant of $532,896 for the TEAM San Diego Long Term Care Integration for Older Adults and Individuals with Disabilities project. The goal of this project is to create a comprehensive and coordinated health and social services system for individuals with multiple healthcare needs in San Diego County.
The Coastal Community Foundation was featured in a recent San Diego Union-Tribune article.
GEO's newsletter highlighted the work of The Fieldstone Foundation. Click here for details.
The Hitachi Foundation received a Gold Award in the Special Reports category of the 2007 COF Wilmer Shields Rich Awards Program for its 20th anniversary report. This is the Foundation's tenth time to be honored with this prestigious award. Click here for more info.
The Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation was featured on the front page of the San Diego Union-Tribune's Home section on June 10 for its work on a condominium complex designed by and for low-income residents. Click here for the article.
The James Irvine Foundation has announced more than $19.5 million in second-quarter grants to expand the opportunities for Californians to participate in a vibrant, successful, and inclusive society. Click here for more info.
QUALCOMM was honored by San Diego Youth & Community Services, South Bay Community Services and YMCA Youth and Family Services honored QUALCOMM for a $1,000,000 gift to help support San Diego youth transitioning from foster care to independence through housing and services.
The San Diego Social Venture Partners awarded their 2007 Annual Grant to two nonprofit organizations fighting hunger and homelessness: Corporation for Supportive Housing in San Diego and Community Resource Center in Encinitas. Each organization will receive $300,000 in cash grants and in-kind professional business consulting services from SDSVP over a three-year commitment period. Click here for more info.
The San Diego Women's Foundation distributed $239,000 to seven organizations in a grant awards ceremony earlier this month. The 2007 awards will go toward programs that promote community nutrition and access to healthy food to vulnerable populations. Congratulations to outgoing president Alicia Foster and incoming president Carol Chang.
Sempra Energy's Second Quarter 2007 newsletter is out. Click here to read it.
The T. Boone Pickens Foundation has given $1.1 million to Fisher House in San Diego, which supports military members and their families. Click here for more information.
United Way was featured in a San Diego Union-Tribune article about its new model for grant distribution, which includes "vision councils" staffed by community volunteers with expertise in priority areas: child-abuse prevention, financial literacy and chronic homelessness.
Charity Navigator Names San Diego #1...and Response from USD Center for Nonprofit Research
For the third year in a row, Charity Navigator recognized San Diego as the leading philanthropic marketplace in terms of charitable financial performance (based on a study of the 50 largest charities in San Diego). Pat Libby and Robert Donmoyer, Co-directors, USD Center for Nonprofit Research, with Laura Deitrick, Research Associate have contributed a response to the finding:
"First, a question: Are fiscal benchmarks, in and of themselves, the best way to measure nonprofit effectiveness? Of course, financial management is a critically important part of nonprofit operations, and we wholeheartedly support financial prudence. But when did low-cost administration automatically equate to excellent performance? Second, we are quite concerned about the declining levels in CEO pay for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that fact that lower pay rates at the top of the organizational hierarchy may equate to paying people at lower levels less. We know from our own Spotlight on San Diego's Third Sector Report (pdf) that nonprofits in our county already pay on average $3.00 less per hour than nonprofits in other parts of California. There may not be a direct relationship between compensation levels and worker quality, especially in the nonprofit sector, but, in a high cost of living area like San Diego, one wonders whether adequate compensation is not at least a necessary condition for creating effective organizations.
Finally, we wonder what the Charity Navigator data may mask. The Spotlight Report referenced above, for instance, noted that 40% of our local organizations are engaged in deficit spending, up from 30% in the year 2000. Might these deficits account for the seemingly positive picture found in the Charity Navigator data?
In short, we need to critically examine reports like the one recently issued by Charity Navigator before breaking out the champagne. Certainly one consequence of a report like this is that it perpetuates a mindset among donors that lean and mean is indicative of a well-run organization. We would suggest that, at best, this is an incomplete analysis and that other factors should be considered."
Tell Your Story on TV & Film!
Good Works! Productions is seeking grantmakers with innovative programs that are improving lives and communities, tackling areas of need not served by the government, and promoting the spirit of philanthropy in America. Your organization could be featured on a new web TV "Philanthropy Channel" or in a feature-length film. Click here for more information.
Independent Sector Annual Conference in Los Angeles
San Diego Grantmakers is pleased to partner with Independent Sector in welcoming the leaders of the nation’s charities, foundations and corporate philanthropy programs to Los Angeles this fall for the IS Annual Conference "Opportunity and Responsibility," from October 21-23. Join 900 CEOs and senior-level executives as we strengthen the nonprofit community’s ability to improve lives. Members of San Diego Grantmakers qualify to register at the Independent Sector member rate. Simply enter your partner code, “SDG,” in the online registration system. For additional savings, be sure to register by June 22. Click here for conference details and to register.
COF Conference Commentary
Several SDG members who attended the COF conference in May have been kind enough to share some of what they learned with us. Janine Mason of Fieldstone Foundation reported back that "In one of my sessions on poverty the point was made that we need to cultivate 'knowledge to compete' (economically). That in the past, a strong back and work ethic made it possible for people without a lengthy education to be able to support themselves and their families. Now in our new 21st century economy that is no longer possible and we need to address how to deal with this new fact so people on the lower socio-economic scale can still support themselves." She noted that the conference also addressed the need for conversation among funders, not as a way to avoid action, but rather to provide a dialogue of ideas leading to change and a crystallization of the moral imperative to take action.
Mary Herron of The Parker Foundation was struck by the closing plenary speaker, Geoffrey Canada (founder of the Harlem Children's Zone). He argued that "You have to have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish. Then you have to be able to articulate that vision so others can see it as clearly as you. You must simply never give up -- even if you doubt at times." Canada said that great leaders "have to be indefatigable. The ability to work long hours, under stressful conditions, for many years, is a requirement--and it's something people often overlook." Noting the challenges of leadership in the philanthropic sector, he claimed that "It's not rocket science we're doing here. It's harder than rocket science."
Updates from Washington: Congress and the IRS
New IRS 990 Form Draft: On June 14, the IRS requested comments on a discussion draft of a significantly revised Form 990 (note: the IRS has not proposed changes to the Form 990-PF). The IRS hopes to have the new Form 990 ready for the 2008 tax filing year (returns would be filed in 2009). The public comment period will end on Friday, September 14, 2007. The revised Form 990 draft includes a shorter 10 page core form that will be supplemented by numerous schedules that provide information on activities of particular interest to the public and IRS. The revised core form includes two new sections of interest: 1) a summary section that provides a snapshot of the organization and its activities and 2) a section that requires governance information, including questions on board composition, conflict of interest policies and audit information. While there are a number of new schedules and questions, much of the information requested is similar to information already being asked for in the existing Form 990. According to the IRS, the draft form mainly re-organizes current questions on the Form 990 in a way that will make it easier to understand. Click here to read the IRS press release on the draft. Independent Sector and COF are currently developing responses to the new form, and Independent Sector plans to hold conference calls in June and July for members to discuss the changes--let us know if you are interested in participating in any of these calls.
House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Seeks Comments on PPA: the subcommittee has requested comments related to provisions in the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA) impacting non-profit organizations and foundations; comments are due by July 31st. They are “particularly interested in how these new rules affect, or will affect, charitable efforts and the difficulties that have arisen in implementing these provisions.” In addition, the subcommittee requests comments on PPA provisions scheduled to expire on December 31, 2007—a list that includes the limited IRA charitable rollover provision. COF is finalizing a legislative proposal that would make improvements to some of the tax-exempt provisions included in the PPA and will submit comments to the subcommittee--please submit your own comments as well! Click here to view the full press statement, which includes instructions on how to submit comments.
Foundations on the Hill 2008: The next Foundations on the Hill event will be held on March 4-5: mark your calendars and plan to join the SDG delegation.
Senate Finance Committee Calls for Greater Transparency From Nonprofits:
Senators Baucus and Grassley of the Senate Finance Committee have issued a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson urging the department to update Forms 990 and 990-PF, the tax documents filed with the Internal Revenue Service by private foundations and many tax-exempt organizations. In their letter, the senators called on the Treasury Department to make gathering more and better information on tax-exempt organizations a top priority and to pay particular attention to the operational complexities of nonprofit hospitals and universities. Click here and here for more information.
Congressional Philanthropy Caucus:
Representatives Robin Hayes (R-NC) and Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) have announced the formation of the Congressional Philanthropy Caucus, which will work to promote the value and importance of philanthropy on Capitol Hill, the Charlotte Observer reports. Hayes, who was asked to form the philanthropy caucus by COF, will co-chair the caucus with Jones, and together they will recruit other House members who are interested in legislation that affects philanthropic organizations. While Congressional caucuses don't have bill-writing authority and most don't have separate staff, budgets, or office space, they do provide a forum for lawmakers with common interests to talk about legislative objectives related to their area of interest. Click here for more information.
More Philanthropic Headlines
Wall Street Journal: Why Social Enterprise Rarely Works
This article highlights a report from the Seedco Policy Center, which argues that "'overzealous encouragement may have pushed too many nonprofits into ill-advised commercial projects.' The report advocates a new model that embraces the entrepreneurial spirit of the business world without expecting social-service groups to be self-supporting."
Christian Science Monitor: Turning Wealth Into Good Works
This article reports that unprecedented levels of wealth have led to moral questions about what to do with it. "Suppose you've become financially independent through business success, investments, or an inheritance, and can have whatever you might want. What would you do with your wealth? It's a question millions of Americans are confronting amid a dramatic rise in affluence. The United States now has more than 8 million millionaires, and studies show that an intergenerational transfer of private wealth is under way that will amount, at the least, to $45 trillion by 2052 (and perhaps three times that)."
Financial Times: Philanthropy Can Eclipse G8 on Poverty
"Wealthy philanthropists have the potential to do more than the Group of Eight leading nations to lift Africa out of poverty, according to Jeff Sachs, special adviser to the United Nations secretary-general. Mr. Sachs told the Financial Times that the financial clout of the likes of Microsoft’s Bill Gates and international investor Warren Buffett, who have pledged billions of dollars to global health and education, could eclipse flagging governmental initiatives."
Donor-Advised Funds are Growing Exponentially
Assets of the nation’s largest donor-advised funds reached $19.2 billion in 2006, up more than 21% from $15.9 billion a year ago, says a new Chronicle of Philanthropy survey. Officials at many funds say a strong economy and heightened interest in giving accounted for the gain. The funds are offered primarily by financial companies and community foundations, but some other charities, such as Jewish federations and universities, also offer them.
LA Times: California's Rich Keep on Giving
This article reports that "a growing number of America's wealthiest citizens are starting their own organizations. That is particularly true in California, which has the second-largest concentration of foundations after New York. After taking a dip during the tech implosion that began in 2000 and worsened in 2001 and 2002, philanthropy in the state has rebounded, driven by the new wealth being created in sectors such as hedge funds and real estate, said James Ferris, director of USC's Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy. California was home to 6,242 foundations in 2004, a 48% increase from 1999, according to the center."
Common Grant Application Update
San Diego Grantmakers launched the Common Grant Application (CGA) in 2005 to help make grantseeking easier and more efficient for nonprofits. The San Diego Association of Nonprofits (SANDAN) newsletter recently featured the CGA and listed the organizations that currently accept it: Alliance Healthcare Foundation, Boys and Girls Foundation, International Community Foundation, Jewish Community Foundation, Lawrence Welk Family Foundation, McCarthy Family Foundation, Qualcomm, The Parker Foundation, San Diego County Bar Foundation, San Marcos Community Foundation.
- If your organization is currently using the CGA, please give us feedback to let us know how it's going!
- If your organization would like to use the CGA, let us know!
Resources
48-Hour Sabbatical for Foundation Staff
The Association for Small Foundations is hosting a 48-hour sabbatical and retreat for foundation staff on July 16-17 in Palo Alto, CA. Registration is limited to 20 staff of small foundations. Register today to reserve your spot.
Green Beyond Grants
Whether or not you fund environmental causes, many ways exist for you to act more directly to alleviate climate change, prevent pollution, and protect ecosystems through your organizational practices. “Greening” your organization's day-to-day activities puts its operating resources to work for a cleaner, safer, and healthier planet. The Environmental Grantmakers Association has released Green Beyond Grants (pdf), a guidebook that offers simple guidelines and specific steps to start your organization on the road to environmental sustainability.
For Your Grantees
The County of San Diego Office of Resource Development seeks to increase funding for building, improving, and sustaining the environment, health, and human services in San Diego county. One of the free services they offer is researching current funding opportunities and sharing notification of these resources via email. Registering to be part of this network is easy: click here (pdf).
Report: Reducing U.S. High School Drop Outs by 20% Would Yield $18 Billion Economic Benefit
“Is excellent education for all of America’s children a good investment?” asks a new report (pdf) from Columbia University. According to researchers, 23 percent of males and 15 percent of females leave the education system without a high school degree. If served effectively, these dropouts would each add $65,000-$150,000 to our nation’s economy in wages and reduced health care, crime and public services expenditures.
On Newstands Now...
The June 2007 Town & Country magazine is a special philanthropy issue featuring "T&C's Guide to Intelligent Giving." The guide includes sections regarding: how to practice effective philanthropy; tax tips; a comparison of donor-advised funds and family foundations as giving vehicles; when to hire a philanthropy consultant (this section quotes Lee Draper, one of our 2006 Annual Conference speakers); giving trends like giving while you live, ePhilanthropy, and new philanthropic models; how to engage children in philanthropy; how donors should evaluate nonprofits (this section quotes Bob Ottenhoff of Guidestar, an SDG program speaker in January 2007); and celebrity philanthropists and charity events.
Working Poor Families Project
The Working Poor Families Project (WPFP), a five year old national initiative designed to strengthen state policies for working low-income families, has launched its new website. The site contains state-level data, policy briefs and issue reports designed to improve economic conditions for low-income families. Report: Embedded Philanthropy and Community Change
This report by the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago focuses on 26 foundations sharing "an unusually intimate and enduring engagement with the communities in which they live and work."
Grantmakers for Education Web Seminars
These seminars, which use a new donor guide developed by GFE in conjunction with the Association for Small Foundations and Social Venture Partners, offer tools to clarify your organization's priorities and capacities for giving to public education and to suggest better ways of knowing whether your gifts accomplish the intended results. Registration fee is $40 for each seminar: click here to learn more.
- Levers of Change in the Public School System
Thursday, June 28, 10:00 a.m. PT
- Leverage and Impact
Thursday, July 12, 10:00 a.m. PT
Upcoming
SDG Programs
Third Thursdays Breakfast Series (Nosh, Network, Knowledge)
June 21, Jul 19, Aug 16,
Sept 20, Oct 18, Nov 15
8:30-10:30am
Locations:
United Way of San Diego County (June, July)
4699 Murphy Canyon Rd, SD
The San Diego Foundation (August-November)
June 21 Topic: Turning Silver to Gold in San Diego: The Impact of Aging
Click here for more information about the breakfast series.
Redefining Public Safety: Learning and Sharing- Perspectives from Local Providers and Ex-Offenders
June 28, 2007
9:00-11:00am
Location: The California Endowment, 600 W. Broadway, Suite 1250, SD
Funding & Solving Homelessness in San Diego
July 9, 2007
10:00am-12:00pm
Location: Alliance Healthcare Foundation, 9325 Skypark Ct, Ste 350, SD
Child Welfare Funders-Listening to Foster Youth
July 18, 2007
12:00-2:00pm
Location: Casey Family Programs, 3878 Old Town Ave, SD
Guiding Principles Task Force Meeting
July 23, 2007
8:30-11:00am
Location: AMN Healthcare, 12400 High Bluff Drive, SD
Capacity Building Workshop
August 3, 2007
10:00am-1:00pm
Location: The California Endowment, 600 W. Broadway, Suite 1250, SD
Guest Speaker: Barbara Webster Hawkins, Senior Program Officer, The California Endowment
SDG 2007 Annual Conference
Strategic Grantmaking: Inspiration to Implementation
November 8, 2007
Location: NTC Promenade
Save the date! Among our expert speakers are Peter Hero, Senior Advisor and former President of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and Albert Ruesga, Vice President of The Meyer Foundation and chair of Hispanics in Philanthropy. Click here for more information and click here (pdf) to download a sponsorship form.
Click here for more information about all of these SDG programs. All programs are free for SDG members except where indicated.
To RSVP, please call (619) 744-2180 or email programs@sdgrantmakers.org.
Other Events of Interest
Alliance for Nonprofit Management Annual Conference
July 18-20, 2007
Atlanta, GA
BoardSource Leadership Forum: Shaping the Next Generation of Governance
October 12-13, 2007
San Francisco, CA
SCG Fundamentals of Effective Grantmaking
October 19, 26, and November 9, 2007
Los Angeles, CA
Independent Sector Annual Conference
October 21-23, 2007
Los Angeles, CA
Grantmakers in Aging Annual Conference
October 31-November 2, 2007
San Diego, CA
Foundations on the Hill 2008
March 4-5, 2008
Washington, DC
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FUNDRAISING STIPULATION: SDG was developed with grantmakers (staff and trustees) in mind so they could talk candidly with their peers about the challenges they face. With that in mind, we wish to impress upon members and potential members that fundraising or marketing is not allowed at any of SDG’s programs, meetings, or other events. |
