African American Giving Studies

Wealth Transfer Estimates Among African American Households, a study from the Boston College Center on Wealth and Philanthropy, shows that between $1.1 trillion to $3.4 trillion could be transferred from bequests between 2001 and 2055. The report sheds light on patterns and trends in African American household income, wealth and philanthropic giving, and suggests that charitable bequests could account for between $40 billion and $283 billion of that transferred wealth. The report, which also provides three strategies for increasing giving, was funded by the Twenty-First Century Foundation. Download the report: (PDF):
http://bc.edu/research/swri/meta-elements/pdf/aawte2.pdf.

The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta launched a companion website for "Giving: A Shared Inheritance," its research project on African American philanthropy. The study is the first extensive project closely examining the giving and volunteering patterns of African Americans in the region. The website includes Phase I study results. Phase II, expected to be completed this spring, will include in-depth, personal interviews and focus groups. Find out more about the study at www.givingasharedinheritance.org.

—Paula J. Kelly

Largest-Ever Mott Grant

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation gave $25 million—the largest single grant in the foundation's history—to the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. The grant will carry on the legacy of Michigan auto pioneer and philanthropist Charles Stewart Mott, who gave the university $6.5 million 40 years ago to build its first children's hospital.

The new grant will be used to construct a state-of-the art building for children's and women's health services. "We consider this grant to be an important legacy to honor Mr. Mott and his strong, lifelong interest in the well-being of children," said William S. White, president and CEO of the Mott foundation. "This is unusual for us because we don't normally support 'bricks and mortar' projects outside Flint. But we are extremely pleased to be part of such a bold step to ensure that children and families in Michigan and the United States have access to such an excellent facility and a superior staff."

Because the Mott grant is a challenge grant, the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) launched a campaign urging donors to "Take the Mott Challenge." The website, www.med.umich.edu/mottgrant, encourages donations of any size for the new facility. Already, UMHS has raised $9.6 million toward the new hospital, including more than $500,000 through the sale of blue rubber wristbands that have become a hot fashion item throughout the state.

—Paula J. Kelly

Awards Season Continues

The Goldman Environmental Prize, the world's largest environmental award, was presented to six grassroots environmental activists from six geographic areas. Recipients are Isidro Baldenegro Lopez, Chihuahua, Mexico (North America); Corneille Ewango, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Africa); Kaisha Atakhanova, Karaganda, Kazakhstan (Asia); Father José Andrés Tamayo Cortez, Olancho, Honduras (South and Central America); Stephanie Roth, Rosia Montana, Romania (Europe); and Chavannes Jean-Baptiste, Papay, Haiti (Island and Island Nations).The activists, who each receive $125,000, take "environmental activism to new heights for risk, dedication and vision," says Richard N. Goldman, president of the Goldman Environmental Foundation. Read more about the winners at www.goldmanprize.org/press/pressReleaseItem.cfm?prID=81.

Six Alaskan nonprofit leaders are recipients of the Rasmuson Foundation's inaugural Sabbatical Program awards, designed to give leaders of health and human services agencies two to six months off for professional growth and personal renewal. The awardees, who receive grants of up to $30,000 each, are: Chris Devlin, executive director, Eastern Aleutian Tribes; Michelle DeWitt, executive director, Tundra Women's Center; Virginia Espenshade, executive director, Kenai Peninsula Youth Court; Jim Maley, president and CEO, Alaska Children's Services; Ron Perkins, executive director, Alaska Injury Prevention Center; and Drenda Tigner, executive director, Presbyterian Hospitality House. More information on the program is available at www.rasmuson.org.

Kanyere Eaton, executive director of The Sister Fund (www.sisterfund.org), was honored as a new philanthropy leader and for her work in supporting projects for women of faith and color. In April, Eaton received the Changing the Face of Philanthropy Award from the Women's Funding Network and the Emerging Leader Award from the Association of Black Foundation Executives. Among her accomplishments is founding a giving circle with other black women leaders that funds projects to improve the lives of black girls. An ordained minister, Eaton has supported the Theological Renaissance Program, which aims to bring Latina, Anglo, Asian, African and Native American female theological scholars into a broader social context.

Also in April, The Daniels Fund announced its largest-ever class of Daniels Scholars—220 students hailing from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Created through the generosity of the late cable entrepreneur Bill Daniels, the Daniels College Prep and Scholarship Program provides full, four-year scholarships to students, allowing them to attend any college or university in the United States. Daniels Scholars are selected based on financial need, academic promise, maturity and leadership potential, as well as potential to contribute to their communities. View the list of scholars at www.danielsfund.org.

And more prizes are forthcoming. The Kavli Foundation will establish prizes in astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience, modeled after the Nobel Prizes. The Kavli Prizes will be awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and other international academies every other year starting in 2008, with recipients receiving $1 million each. Founder Fred Kavli, a Norwegian immigrant to the United States, said his goal is to create visibility for science. Kavli also is endowing ten scientific research institutes at colleges around the world.

—Paula J. Kelly

Web Sight

Funders Concerned About AIDS (FCAA) relaunched its website at www.fcaaids.org. Each section has been reorganized and revamped to provide an efficient and convenient one-stop guide to information on the many facets of the philanthropic response to HIV/AIDS and to FCAA's services, products and collaborative efforts, including an updated, comprehensive resource section on HIV/AIDS and funding issues (such as resource tracking of U.S. and global HIV/AIDS funding; philanthropy practice; and current HIV/AIDS-related information).

New Council Board Members

The Council on Foundations elected four new members and re-elected five current members to its Board of Directors on Monday, April 11, 2005, during the Council's 56th Annual Conference in San Diego. With these additions, there are 32 directors on the governing board of the Council.

"These highly qualified leaders will guide the Council in fortifying a strong and healthy sector to meet the challenges and opportunities facing philanthropy," said Council President and CEO Dorothy S. Ridings. "The Council and the field will benefit greatly from their expertise and dedication."

Three individuals were newly elected to serve three-year terms on the board. They are Antoinette M. Bailey, vice president of community and education relations, The Boeing Company; Martha D. Lamkin, president and CEO, Lumina Foundation for Education; and Richard L. Moore, president, The Weaver Foundation.

New board member Judy Jolley Mohraz, president and CEO, The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, was elected to serve a one-year term.

Current board members re-elected for three-year terms were C. David Campbell, president, The McGregor Fund; Christine Park, president, Lucent Technologies Foundation; and Julie L. Rogers, president, Eugene & Agnes E. Meyer Foundation.

Re-elected to the board for one-year terms were Emmett D. Carson, president and CEO, The Minneapolis Foundation, and Robin S. Tryloff, board chair, Chicago Donors Forum.

Carson will serve the second year of his two-year term as board chair in 2005–2006. Council board officers elected to serve one-year terms were Vice Chair Maxwell King, president, The Heinz Endowments; Secretary Kathleen Odne, executive director, The Dean and Margaret Lesher Foundation; and Treasurer Sherry Salway Black, trustee, First Nations Development Institute.

—Jeff Martin

Web Sight

The Open Society Institute launched Youth Media Reporter (www.ymreporter.org) to document television, radio, film and print reports produced by young people and provide a forum for youth media professionals to share and discuss their work.

Strategic Philanthropy Goes Global

The International Network on Strategic Philanthropy (INSP) provides a forum for dialogue and critical thinking on the role of philanthropy and its impact on societies around the world. Operating as a decentralized think tank, INSP gathers and disseminates knowledge regarding effective philanthropy and develops tools and resources to professionalize and improve the practice of philanthropy.

INSP is an initiative of Bertelsmann Stiftung in collaboration with Atlantic Philanthropies, Compagnia di San Paolo, The German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Ford, Charles Stewart Mott and King Baudouin foundations. Along with Bertelsmann, three institutions—The Philanthropic Initiative, Inc., The Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard University and The Center for Civil Society at the University of California Los Angeles—help to coordinate the work of approximately 70 network members.

The lack of a fully satisfactory frame or methodology for the analysis of philanthropy poses questions, such as:

• What are the major challenges facing philanthropy today?   
• How do foundations perceive, assess and solve problems?   
• How do foundations define best practices for management and evaluation?   
• How can foundations increase their efficiency and effectiveness?

Due out June 4, 2005, Rethinking Philanthropic Effectiveness: Lessons from an International Network of Foundation Experts collects ten articles from experienced foundation professionals addressing those questions. The book represents the work of a four-year project in which more than 60 seasoned practitioners participated.

Topics include "The Role of Philanthropy in Globalization," "Promoting Philanthropy: Global Challenges and Approaches," "Effective Foundation Boards: The Importance of Roles," "Philanthropy Program Design," "The Role of Evaluation in the 21st Century Foundation," "Who Comes to the Table? Stakeholder Interactions in Philanthropy," "Management Practices surrounding Program Professionals in US and European Foundations," "Innovations in Strategic Philanthropy: Lessons from Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, and Latin America," "Tools for Good: A Guide to Vehicles for Philanthropy and Charitable Giving" and "Theories of Social Change: Background Paper."

The volume also includes the "INSP Theory Of Change Tool Manual." INSP developed a web-based scenario-planning tool that allows donors and foundation staff to access different approaches to social change, relate a foundation's strategy and organizational form to a model of change and guide strategic decisions necessary to shape the foundation. The manual can help users work with the web-based tool or guide them through the process offline.

The tool, the book and additional information are available on the INSP website at www.insp.efc.be.

—Paula J. Kelly

Media Eye on Philanthropy

The Council on Foundations' Media Relations Department compiled articles by some of the top national publications from February 26 to May 4, 2005. Articles regarding private foundations, charitable giving (mainly tsunami-related), tax regulation (including estate tax regulation) and community foundations dominated these headlines. In addition, news reports also focused on accountability for foundations and nonprofits.

Heightened interest in those areas may affect how the public and grantees perceive foundation activities. For further information on responding to media inquiries on these topics, contact Jeff Martin, Council on Foundations director for Media Relations (media@cof.org).

All articles have been highlighted in Breaking News, a free, members-only daily e-newsletter summarizing the top articles about philanthropy. To subscribe, e-mail your name, title, foundation name and contact information to media@cof.org.

Accountability/Tax Regulation (55 articles)

Charitable Giving/Philanthropy (19 articles)

Private Foundations (17 articles)

Community Foundations (10 articles)

Corporate Giving Programs (4 articles)

Tsunami Relief (4 articles)