RAGs

Camera on Philanthropy

As grantees for the Forum of Regional Associations' "New Ventures in Philanthropy," a program aimed at promoting the creation of new foundations and other grantmaking funds, regional associations have often used the funding to build ties with their local newspapers.

But the Indiana Grantmakers Alliance has become a sponsor of a 13-week television series called Communities Building Community, hosted by Indiana's First Lady Judy Bannon, on WFYI, the Indianapolis public broadcasting station.

The first lady was taking a group to South Africa last year for a program on community building when the idea came up for a local program focusing on neighborhood groups building communities back home, according to Carol Simonetti, alliance president/CEO.

The alliance submitted a proposal to develop the program. Alliance staffers now sit on the program's planning committee and participate in talks about show ideas, including which community groups and grantmakers should be covered. Each show has a "Focus on Philanthropy" segment, "highlighting specific funders for programs that build community," says Simonetti. Recent episodes have covered environmental and faith-based nonprofits; an upcoming show will feature local grantmaking.

Each program provides action steps for viewers to support their communities. "When we do the grantmaking episode, we're going to show how people of modest means can be philanthropists through community foundations and giving circles, or to contact us for more information," says Simonetti.

Since the program's beginning, other television stations have picked it up. "It's been a terrific outlet for us to have people hear what foundations are doing," says Simonetti.

For more information, go to www.ingrantmakers.org or visit www.wyfi.org/wfyi2003/communities.asp.

Program for Emerging Leaders

The Conference of Southwest Foundations (CSF) in Dallas is holding its second annual program for emerging philanthropic leaders in its region July 22–24 in Oklahoma.

A driving factor behind the program is the 30 percent membership growth during the past six years. "With the number growing so quickly, our programs and conferences have been growing and weren't providing enough opportunities for members to connect on a one-on-one basis," says Lucille DeDomenico, CSF executive director. "If we hope to grow leadership for the sector, we have to connect people in small groups." For more, see
www.c-s-f.org.

"The Avant-Garde of Public Policy"

M. Carlota Baca became executive director of the New Mexico Association of Grantmakers (NMAG) January 2. Previously, Baca was associated with the Santa Fe Community Foundation, first as a board member and then as its director of programs. From 1984 to 1990, she was a director of the Senior Fulbright Scholars Program in Washington, DC, and before that she coordinated international programs at the State University of New York.

Baca says that before assuming her executive director position, she'd "largely turned her life over to consulting for income and traveling for pleasure. I was finally in control of my own calendar."

FN&C asked Baca why the job appealed to her and her thoughts about the organization.

Q: What appealed to you about this position?

The colleagues. This is also a crazy time nationally and philanthropy is especially interesting in crazy times. I like to think, despite its sometimes-conservative reputation, that organized philanthropy is the avant-garde of public policy and societal problem solving.

Q: What's your vision for NMAG?

I see it more as intellectual brain food, because I think foundations are natural think tanks—they can think in a global way, for example—and not as a mechanism for technical assistance.

I want to bring in thinkers and speakers of the highest caliber who will stimulate and challenge members. All of my members are very sophisticated and smart. They want a professional peer group to talk about things locally, nationally and internationally. We're doing a few technical programs, such as a MicroEdge users group, but not a lot.

Q: What else do you think about the group?

I think associations like this, or at least this one, are like safe houses where funders can talk to each other candidly, but it stays in the same "house." It gives them a freedom to try out ideas and share difficulties.

First of all, foundation work is very hard—I've worked in foundations. Giving away money is not easy, and giving it away well is difficult. It's also lonely work. But in this organization, you can share things.