FN&C Now

Volume 5, Number 42 – October 29, 2004 IN THIS ISSUE NEWS COVERAGE: Canary Fund aims to detect cancer early; health sector nonprofit executives awarded sabbaticals; ZeroDivide fellowship winners announced JUST PUBLISHED: Guide to working with the business sector NOW ONLINE: Nonpartisan resource to help voters find their polling place; read the speech by Dorothy S. Ridings at the NASCO conference AT THE COUNCIL: Seeking creative grantmakers and foundations engaged in public policy; sign up for Breaking News ON THE MOVE: Donald R. Kirtley, Kathleen Furey McDonough and Thomas D. Wren (Delaware); Sharnita C. Johnson (Skillman); Margaret Bandera, John Berezny and Karen Pearson (National Philanthropic Trust); Jennifer M. Johnson (Marin) NEWS COVERAGE EARLY DETECTION: Silicon Valley technology executive Don Listwin launched the Canary Fund to address the fact that although nearly $10 billion is spent annually on cancer research in the United States, most funding is for developing new treatments. The fund will provide grants to researchers investigating new ways to detect cancer at its earliest, most curable stages. Listwin says technology has provided researchers with "an opportunity to create the new biomarker discovery platform, which will allow us to shift medicine away from a reliance on therapy to an advancing of diagnostics and intervention." Find out more: http://www.canaryfund.org . SABBATICALS: The California Wellness Foundation Sabbatical Program awarded six California health sector nonprofit executives time away from their jobs. The executives are: Jane Garcia, La Clinica de la Raza; Dian Harrison, Planned Parenthood Golden Gate; Rick Mesa, Ranch Recovery Centers; Barbara Mitchell, Interim; Debra Oto-Kent, Health Education Council; and Bernita Walker, Project: Peacemakers. The program provides $30,000 to cover leaders' salaries and expenses during the sabbaticals, which last a minimum of three months. In addition, each organization receives up to $5,000 for professional development of managers who take on extra responsibilities during the leaders' absences. Read more: http://www.tcwf.org/press_room/sabbatical_program/2004/index.htm . TECHNOLOGY FELLOWS: The Community Technology Foundation of California announced the selection of 16 individuals for Class II of the ZeroDivide Fellowship. The three-year fellowship increases leaders' capacity to promote social justice through the use of information and communications technology (ICT). In their first year, fellows build their technology and advocacy skills, engage in discussions with key policymakers and explore collaborations with the ICT industry. In the second and third year, fellows conduct strategic impact projects and mentor other community technology advocates. Read more and view the list of fellows at: http://zerodivide.org/initiatives/welcome.htm . JUST PUBLISHED PUBLIC MEETS PRIVATE: How can grantmakers bridge the divide between philanthropy and business? Designed for staff of independent and corporate foundations, GrantCraft's "Working with the Business Sector: Pursuing Public Good with Private Partners" weighs the case for engaging business, identifies skills for promoting corporate philanthropy and shares strategies for collaborating across sectors and seeking change in the business world. Find out more: http://www.grantcraft.org/catalog/guides/business/index.html . NOW ONLINE VOTING INFO: The People for the American Way Foundation launched MyPollingPlace.com, an easy-to-use, nonpartisan resource to help voters this Election Day, November 2. The site provides the location where a user is to vote, directions to that polling place, the type of machine used at the location and instructions for using that machine. Voters can also choose to have that information sent to them via text message or e-mail on Election Day. Philanthropists Andrew and Deborah Rappaport provided funding for the website. Read more: http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=17317 . NASCO SPEECH: On October, 25, Dorothy S. Ridings, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations, spoke to members of the National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO) during their conference in Washington, DC. In "Building Strong and Ethical Foundations: Self-Regulation and Government Enforcement," Ridings discusses current self-regulation efforts by the Council and grantmakers and the need for more regulation from state and federal charity officials. Read more: http://www.cof.org/Content/General/Display.cfm?contentID=2112 . AT THE COUNCIL SEEKING CREATIVE GRANTMAKERS: The nominations deadline for the 2005 Robert W. Scrivner Award for Creative Grantmaking is December 3, 2004. Nominees and nominators must be members of the Council on Foundations, a regional association of grantmakers or an affinity group. The winner(s) will receive a sculpture and a cash award of $10,000 at the Council's 2005 Annual Conference in San Diego. Find out more (PDF): http://www.cof.org/files/Documents/Awards/Scrivner/05Scrivner.pdf . Read an interview with the 2004 winner, Chet Tchozewski, founder and executive director of Global Greengrants Fund: http://www.foundationnews.org/CME/article.cfm?ID=2903 . FOUNDATIONS AND PUBLIC POLICY: The Council is seeking nominations for the 2005 Paul Ylvisaker Award for Public Policy Engagement by December 17, 2004. At the Council's 2005 Annual Conference, the award will be presented to a foundation that has demonstrated excellence in affecting public policy by using creative and effective strategies that are also instructive to other grantmakers. Nominees and nominators must be members of the Council, a regional association of grantmakers or an affinity group. Read more (PDF): http://www.cof.org/files/Documents/Awards/Ylvisaker/05YlvisakerCall.pdf . Read about the 2004 Ylvisaker Award winner, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund: http://www.foundationnews.org/CME/article.cfm?ID=2902 . 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. ON THE MOVE DONALD R. KIRTLEY was elected to a two-year term as board chairman at the Delaware Community Foundation. KATHLEEN FUREY MCDONOUGH is serving as board secretary and THOMAS D. WREN is chairman of the Audit Committee and a member of the Investment Committee. Read more: http://www.delcf.org/News_6_1.htm . SHARNITA C. JOHNSON joined The Skillman Foundation as program officer with a focus on youth development, arts, culture and community engagement. Read more: http://www.skillman.org/whatsnew.asp?PID=399 . The National Philanthropic Trust appointed MARGARET BANDERA controller; JOHN BEREZNY manager of finance and operations, and KAREN PEARSON operations assistant. The Marin Community Foundation named JENNIFER M. JOHNSON program officer for the environment. SUBSCRIBE 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. To subscribe (it's free) to FN&C Now, send an e-mail to fncnow@cof.org . Questions or comments about FN&C Now? Contact Paula J. Kelly at 202/467-0261. To contribute a news item for consideration, please e-mail fncnow@cof.org . To unsubscribe, send a blank e-mail to leave-fncnow-4832R@int1.cof.org . To subscribe to Foundation News & Commentary, an award-winning magazine, please send an e-mail to fncsubs@cof.org , or visit our website at http://www.icnfull.com/cgi-bin/cobolscript.exe?cof/cofmain.cbl . Council on Foundations 1828 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 202/466-6512 webmaster@cof.org last update: 10.29.04