FN&C Now
Volume 5, Number 18 – May 7, 2004
FN&C Now is published by the Council on Foundations to keep you in the loop by sharing news between bimonthly editions of Foundation News & Commentary magazine (FN&C Now Web archive: http://www.foundationnews.org/now/index.htm ). Please feel free to forward this message to your friends and colleagues who might enjoy it.
IN THIS ISSUE
NEWS COVERAGE: Pew combines policy groups; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation kicks off Cover the Uninsured Week; Lemelson Foundation shifts grantmaking focus
JUST PUBLISHED: Ways to make the most of philanthropic resources in uncertain economic times
NOW ONLINE: Upgraded Evaluation Engine™ for nonprofits
AT THE COUNCIL: Read the 2003 Annual Report; propose a session for the 2005 Annual Conference; sign up for Breaking News
ACT NOW: Register for the corporate summit, the conference on law and faith, regional conferences on black philanthropy and a conference on current developments in nonprofit taxation, legislation and regulation
ON THE MOVE: E. Kristen Frederick and Judith Lyons (Community Foundation for the Capital Region); M. Tina Markanda (Duke)
NEWS COVERAGE
POLICY GROUPS COMBINED: The Pew Charitable Trusts announced that it's combining the seven policy research groups it supports in Washington, DC, into a single organization. The action is the first major change the Philadelphia-based Pew has taken since converting from a foundation to a charity on January 1. The new organization will be called the Pew Research Center, and will include the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, the Project for Excellence in Journalism, Stateline.org, the Pew Internet & American Life Project, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, the Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Global Attitudes Project. The center will open in July as a nonprofit subsidiary of Pew. Andrew Kohut, director of The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, will serve as its president. Read more: http://www.pewtrusts.com/ideas/ideas_item.cfm?content_item_id=2325&content_type
_id=16&page=16&issue=11&issue_name=Public%20Opinion%20and%20Polls&name=
Pew%20Press%20Releases .
COVER THE UNINSURED: Nearly 44 million Americans live without health insurance, leading the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to name May 10–16 Cover the Uninsured Week 2004. Approximately 1,700 events, designed to bring together diverse community leaders to insist that all Americans have access to health insurance, will be held in communities across the country, including health and enrollment fairs for uninsured Americans and health coverage seminars for small business owners. Read about the events, a new report on the uninsured and view web casts: http://www.rwjf.org/news/video/ctuWeek04TV.jhtml .
GRANTMAKING SHIFT: The Lemelson Foundation, in Portland, Oregon, has decided to shift the focus of its grantmaking from rewarding American ingenuity to supporting "sustainable invention" in the developing world. The foundation plans to devote half of its approximately $13 million annual grantmaking budget to invention and innovation in the developing world by 2006. The foundation was endowed in 1994 with patent royalties earned by American inventor Jerome Lemelson. Lemelson's son, Eric, who made the decision to shift focus along with other family members overseeing the foundation, told the New York Times the foundation will no longer stress patents over acts of invention since many developing countries have no patent system. Read about the foundation's current Invention for Sustainable Development Program: http://www.lemelson.org/programs/international.php .
NOW ONLINE
EVALUATION ENGINE: Innovation Network's (Innonet) new Evaluation Engine™ unifies and upgrades Innonet's free online products that help nonprofits measure the results of their programs. The measurement resources are provided free through the support of funders, including Ford Foundation, The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation and The Omidyar Foundation. Learn more or try the free suite of tools: http://www.innonet.org/ppt_test .
JUST PUBLISHED
FAMILY GIVING NEWS: The May 2004 issue of Family Giving News from the National Center for Family Philanthropy explores ways to make the most of philanthropic resources in times of trouble. Topics include cost-cutting strategies, ideas for maintaining levels of giving and how collaborative grantmaking can help families remain engaged in the causes they support in an uncertain economy. To subscribe or read back issues, go to: http://ncfp.org/Email_Alert.html .
AT THE COUNCIL
ANNUAL REPORT: The Council's 2003 Annual Report, with information on its leadership, operations and issues, is now posted online. The Council has not mailed the report to its members as a way to conserve dues dollars. Download the report (PDF): http://www.cof.org/files/Documents/About_COF/2004/2003COFAnnualReportFinal.pdf .
CALL FOR SESSIONS: The 2005 Annual Conference Committee is seeking session proposals on the theme "building strong and ethical foundations." The deadline is Friday, July 2, 2004. The conference will be held April 10–12, 2005, in San Diego. Read the guidelines: http://www.cof.org/files/Documents/Conferences/AC2005/AC2005CallforSessions.doc .
FREE NEWS SERVICE: Breaking News is a free, daily e-mail newsletter summarizing the top articles—mostly from national and regional newspapers—about philanthropy. Breaking News is available to Council members only. Subscribe by e-mailing your name, title and foundation name to media@cof.org.
ACT NOW
CORPORATE SUMMIT: The Council on Foundations Corporate Grantmakers Summit will be held June 16–18, 2004, in Chicago. The summit's theme is "Communicating to Influence, Inquire and Inform." Session topics include accountability, communicating with internal and external stakeholders and dealing with change. Speakers include Marilyn Laurie, president of Laurie Consulting, Inc., formerly the highest-ranking woman in the history of AT&T. Register or read more: http://int2.cof.org/conferences/2004Corporate/index.htm .
LAW AND FAITH CONFERENCE: "Law and Faith: Legal Issues Facing Today's Religious Organizations" brings together senior administrators and officials of religions organizations of all faiths and their legal advisors for a day of networking and learning, May 20 in Washington, DC. The faculty includes former and current members of Congress who helped create laws affecting religious organizations, and the IRS and Treasury officials charged with implementing them. An optional pre-session on giving to religious organizations will be held May 19. Read more or register: http://www.wcl.american.edu/secle/ .
BLACK PHILANTHROPY: The National Center for Black Philanthropy will hold regional conferences beginning June 1 in New Haven, Connecticut; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Indianapolis; Kingston, Jamaica; and Oakland, California. Topics include the power of individuals to build communities, the relevance of philanthropy in developing nations and endowment training for African American organizations. The center was established to promote and strengthen African American participation in all aspects of modern philanthropy. Read more or register: http://www.ncfbp.net/regional.htm .
NONPROFIT DEVELOPMENTS: A one-day seminar featuring a comprehensive program on current developments in the taxation, legislation and regulation of nonprofits will be held June 4 in Chicago. The 23rd Annual Conference on Not-for-Profit Organizations is designed for experienced attorneys, accountants, nonprofit executives and board members, and includes presentations by leading experts in their issue areas. The conference is cosponsored by Chicago-Kent College of Law, CPAs for the Public Interest and the Donors Forum of Chicago. Read more or register: http://www.kentlaw.edu/depts/cle .
ON THE MOVE
E. KRISTEN FREDERICK was named president of the Community Foundation for the Capital Region in Albany, New York. She replaces JUDITH LYONS, who retires in June. Read more: http://www.cfcr.org/Newsroom/newsroom.htm#pres .
The Duke Endowment appointed M. TINA MARKANDA assistant director of its Health Care Division. Read more: http://www.dukeendowment.org/news08.cfm .
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last update: 5.12.04